Urgent. Oil plus water clean-up.

[Guest]

Disaster. Water leak into bilge at same time as dipstick misplaced in somewhat inaccessible 1GM10 motor. Ran for three days before low oil warning. How to clear up the mess of 12 inch depth of water with oily scum floating on it, without allowing oil floating on water to congeal all over floor and sides of bilge as I pump out into bucket. I know that some sort of proprietory paper or plastic exists in sheets which absorbs oil but not water. However, I'm moored off an island in the Cyclades and I need a Practical Solution NOW! I confess this has happened to me once before and oil traces hung around literally for years. This time I'm asking for help first.
Cat sand in a fine sieve? Wood shavings or expanded polystyrene? What have people used?
Solution also eventually required for water leak out of keel water tank. Full access would mean carving out the floor of starboard hull (this is a catamaran). One small access port exists at one end. Baffles glassed into tank preclude easy installation of flexible water container. Is there a product one can seal the tank with like a car radiator additive?
Suggestions.........

 

[tony_brighton]

A thought - wouldn't washing-up liquid disperse it to the edges where it might be easier to get at?

 

[Guest]

Thanks your reply....I'm trying to collect or skim the oil off the water before it congeals onto the walls of the bilge. I'll use detergent, hot water and the like when I've got the maximum oil collected this way, then pumped cold water out.
What do the oil spill boom people use? It will take a week to get proprietatary stuff out from UK. I'm hoping someone's got an idea for an oil absorbing medium readily found in domestic or supermarket environment... Cheers R.H.

 

[bob_tyler]

Try large, disposable baby's nappies (should that be large baby's disposable nappies).

They should soak up the oil.

 

[Guest]

Hey, thanks for that.....nappies I can find. Local fishermen tell me an absorbant paper was used by the teams working on the Samena wreck, the ferry which hit the rock off Paros. It is only supplied in very large quantities to the professionals and no-one has a small quantity around. I did find some Bilge cleaner fluid which one pours in liberally, and leaves for a while slopping around to break up the oil, but I'll wait until most of the floating oil is absorbed by the nappies...if this idea works. I'll post the success or otherwise tomorrow...Cheers, R. H.

 

[Guest]

Had a very similar problem.
Chucked in a load of Gunk, which turned the oil to milk, then used a drill pump to to extract to a 5 galoon container.

Filled the bilge with water, and added bilge cleaner, sloshed around, and pumped out again.

Problem solved.

 

[rich]

go to the local barber put all the hair in a nylon stocking ty off and put in bilge,saw it done on tv

 

[GuyMcB]

You can get something called an 'Oil Sock' or something like that from chandlers. It is made of a material that absorbs oil but not water. It looks like a (how to put this delicately?)
tampon for an elephant.

RS components (rswww.com) do a similar material by the sheet that is probably cheaper, and more appropriate if you have lots of oil in suspension.

I keep a sheet in my engine bilge and it keeps the water perfectly uncontaminated.

 

[andrew]

Hi Roger, met a german guy about 15 yrs ago who invested in
a firm bagging chicken feathers to clean up oil spills on water.
How´s the rig coming on? Andrew.