Oil clean up
- Thread starter KEVMAR
- Start date
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KEVMAR
Senior Member
What is the best way to clean up about a gallon of oil in the bilge? My bilge pump is OFF .... I might suggest to all members to check the O ring on your engines dip stick to see if it is there or needs replacing ... as oil will blow though the if it is not in tight... thank you
Kevin G
Kevin G
sunchaser
Guru
- Joined
- Apr 9, 2008
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- 10,194
- Location
- usa
- Vessel Name
- sunchaser V
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- DeFever 48 (sold)
Get out your used oil container and a small cup/sugar scoop and get with it. Then lots of absorbent towels, then a sponge, Simple Green and elbow grease. So what is the rest of the story as to why oil is blowing out your dipstick 
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caltexflanc
Guru
Get one or two of the oil absorbent tubes and a sheaf of the pads. Just throwing them in there will get a lot of it. Remove and repeat as needed. Is there water in there too?
KEVMAR
Senior Member
The rest of the story..... coming back from Cape Lookout NC I noticed the oil guage fluttering I shut down the engine and opened the engine cover OIL OIL OIL had come out of the dip stick orifice ... Just to be safe and not damage the engine, I got towed back to the docks and had a diesel mechanic look it all over .... NO leaks from anything and summized it had to come from the dip stick ... Filled it back up tested it and cruised back home with no problems and the oil was at the same level at stops we mad along the way just to make sure.... was well worth the mechanics fee on a holiday to make sure all was well with the engine. so for a $2.00 part it was an expensive lesson to learn..
Kevin G
New Bern N.C.
Kevin G
New Bern N.C.
Disposable diapers are cheap oil pads. Do NOT use any detergent or other cleaning product until you've soaked up and removed all the oil. Don't add water either till the oil is gone. Change pads as often as necessary to soak it ALL up.
Once you've done that, NOW you can clean up the residue with a STRONG solution of detergent and water...A strong degreaser from an auto parts store will do a better job than an general purpose cleaner or bilge cleaner. I recommend a power washer to be sure you can clean all the oil out of every surface nook and cranny the oil has gotten into and/or under.
Don't add detergent to the siphon tank on a power washer...that dilutes it too much. Instead, use a gallon pump up garden spray jug (buy a GOOD one for about $15 if you don't have one)...wet every surface, nook and cranny, then spray 'em all down with detergent. Give it a couple of minutes (half a beer) to work, then attack with power washer...repeat if necessary.
Once you've done that, NOW you can clean up the residue with a STRONG solution of detergent and water...A strong degreaser from an auto parts store will do a better job than an general purpose cleaner or bilge cleaner. I recommend a power washer to be sure you can clean all the oil out of every surface nook and cranny the oil has gotten into and/or under.
Don't add detergent to the siphon tank on a power washer...that dilutes it too much. Instead, use a gallon pump up garden spray jug (buy a GOOD one for about $15 if you don't have one)...wet every surface, nook and cranny, then spray 'em all down with detergent. Give it a couple of minutes (half a beer) to work, then attack with power washer...repeat if necessary.
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See my reply to your duplicate posting in the General Maintenance forum
kulas44
Guru
I love you Peggy !!!!. Dont see enough of you these dayz on the forums.
CPseudonym
Moderator Emeritus
Peggy, as usual nailed it. Use the same procedure professionally to mop up spilled oil. Huggies are the gold standard but Pampers work great too
While I'm here... I'm gonna be at the Annapolis Sailboat Show this year. The Odorlos folks think I'll be a draw to their booth. So I'll be there Fri, Sat and a good part of Sunday before I have to leave to catch a late afternoon flight out of BWI. Thought it worth mentioning here because so many trawler owners remain sailors at heart and still prefer the sail show to the powerboat show.
Ski in NC
Technical Guru
You can ladle out the oil/water mix into five gal buckets, or one gal milk jugs. Then carry them off the boat where you can decant the oil off the water. Or better yet, get the buckets with the lids and invert so water drains off the bottom. Once you can't ladle out any more oil, go with oil zorbs, diapers, etc, then detergent.
Mule
Guru
I thank you...diapers, who wudda thunk it?? How do you feel about the citrus cleaners..???
I found a very small, crude patch on a diesel return line and used the pads and sock then orange stuff. Seemed to work...I may have sinned...did I?
I found a very small, crude patch on a diesel return line and used the pads and sock then orange stuff. Seemed to work...I may have sinned...did I?
mbevins
Guru
Something similar happened to me. After soaking up the oil , I used bounty paper towels. I sprayed the h?ll out of everything in sight with the PURPLE degreaser they use in truck repair. Then just hosed it all down. This stuff kills the residual oil dead. There is nothing left behind. My diesel mechanic showed me that trick.
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Sent from my Nexus 7 using Trawler
mbevins
Guru
I thought that was banned by the environmental folks. Said all it does is cause the oil to sink.
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psneeld
Guru
You aren't just supposed to squirt it on a sheen as it disperses it within the water column...but for cleaning beaches, rocks, wildlife, manmade objects, etc....it is as good as anything for the price.
The environmental Cleanup Company I used to work for uses it to clean tanks and engine rooms with hot water pressure washers. And they have tried a lot of products as every tom, dick and harry sales guy knows how big they got after the Gulf spill.
Effective but there's a massive amount of contaminated water that needs to be disposed of that they have the vac trucks and permits for.
Once 95% of the oil is cleaned out of the bilge using socks and pads...the rest of it ....if it makes it's way overboard is probably less than a Lehman puts out when starting cold..... gotta put things into perspective.
