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Old 12-18-2010, 07:06 AM   #21
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RE: Diesel smell in the boat

Sounds like a trip to Petco is on my agenda.* I remember reading the instructions that came with my PSS Dripless Shaft Seal and they said exposure to ozone will cause the rubber bellows to weaken and crack. I have an ozone generator I used in a stinky basement- until my wife told me it is not good to breath ozone. I tried it on the boat and I admit they work but too many issues- corrosion,health,PVC damage so its just sitting in the garage for now.** So I really cleaned the bilge- redid the fuel system and holding tank and lines, now I am 95% better in terms of bilge odors.* I think I will get some purearye and spray the old acoustic tiles in the engine room and the soft goods in the living spaces.** Thanks for all the info.

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Old 12-18-2010, 08:05 AM   #22
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RE: Diesel smell in the boat

For anyone planning on painting a surface to seal it because of odors, "KLITZ" is a primer made for this purpose and it works well. It is sold in paint stores and home centers.

Obviously, this would be only part of a solution.
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Old 12-18-2010, 01:39 PM   #23
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RE: Diesel smell in the boat

Hiya,
** Mr. rwidman.* Perhaps you mean KILZ?*
** Mr. Old Stone.* No offence intended. Just the turn of a phrase.* Have a little "Sympathy for the Devil".
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Old 12-18-2010, 04:55 PM   #24
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RE: Diesel smell in the boat

Um, RT, yes, I do believe he meant to say KILZ!

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Old 12-19-2010, 12:04 AM   #25
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RE: Diesel smell in the boat

We too had a stinky diesel boat. The engine leaked, the diesel stove leaked, there was oil all over the engine compartment, the tanks leaked. When I think back on it I wonder why I bought it. Guess the brain???? wasn't thinking too clearly, all those fumes.

Well, it's gone now. The only time recently , 2 yrs ago, was when my injection pump decided it need a bit of work and decided to unload some fuel into the bilge.

We didn't know about Purayre so you have an advantage. You will get it. but as Peggy suggested you may have to spray everything.

Good luck and happy spraying.
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Old 12-19-2010, 06:46 AM   #26
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RE: Diesel smell in the boat

Quote:
RT Firefly wrote:

Hiya,
** Mr. rwidman.* Perhaps you mean KILZ?*
** Mr. Old Stone.* No offence intended. Just the turn of a phrase.* Have a little "Sympathy for the Devil".

Yep.* Last time I recommended it, I looked on the can in the garage.* I should have done it this time also.

*
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Old 10-22-2014, 09:03 AM   #27
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After much thought, reading, and investigation of the smell in my boat, we have determined itis diesel. There are no leaks, but the fuel tanks were replaced a year or two prior to us buying it. So, i think there was an issue that was never fully addressed. We are in the process of cleaning the bilge thoroughly and have ordered two gallons of Pureayre along with the fogger. We have stripped out all the linens, cushions, curtains, and clothes from the boat. They are currently airing out in the garage and this weekend we will be washing using some of the pureayre in the the machine and i will fog them in the dryer as well. We'll see how that goes! As far as the boat, once everything, and i mean everything, gets cleaned, we'll fog the entire boat with the pureayre. Wish us luck and I'll report back along the way.
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Old 10-22-2014, 12:11 PM   #28
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The use of an ozone machine when done to an auto to clear cigar smoke works well.

Dealers seldom allow folks to sleep or live in their cars for days , so there are no health hazards.

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Old 10-22-2014, 01:58 PM   #29
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Diesel Smells

Tracy, when I replaced the fuel tanks in your boat, we also replaced all the feed lines between the tanks and filters as well as all those going to the fuel manifolds. We did not replace the cooper lines from the Racors to the twins or to the genny as they looked good. Never had any problem with diesel smalls even before I replaced the tanks. I don't know how old the cooper lines are but I would start by running a Klennex along every where you have access, especially along where the fuel lines are very close to the battery boxes. Also check all the fittings around the injector pump and the engine mounted fuel filters. After thing about this, I would not be surprised if some of the cooper lines are original but I'm sure your surveyor gave them a good look.

Good luck
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Old 10-22-2014, 03:22 PM   #30
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Tracy

Any idea if the tank supports were replaced? If wood they could have become a bit saturated with diesel prior to the tank change out
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Old 10-22-2014, 04:25 PM   #31
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for those that use ozone machines...do you turn them on and leave the boat for a few hours or can you stay on board?
In twenty years of living aboard and my wife having life threatening allergies to just about everything, out boat had to be kept immaculate. Every bilge compartment was painted high gloss white, washed regularly and bleached at the smallest hint of mildew, odor, fungus or bacterial growth. We ran two Heaven Fresh 300C air cleaners 24/7. This unit has HEPA filter, UV filter, charcoal filter, ion generation and ozone generation. The ozone generator has a separate switch as it should not be running when you are onboard. Ozone kills bacteria ..... even the good bacteria that we need in out bodies. Ozone will corrode some metals in heavy concentrations but remember there is ozone in the air anyway and all metals corrode with or without generating additional ozone. We ran the ozone once a week or so, when we were leaving the boat for an afternoon or a day. We never had an odor of any kind on the boat, our synthetic rubber did not disintegrate, our metals did not corrode and our children have ten toes and ten fingers.
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Old 10-22-2014, 04:40 PM   #32
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Originally Posted by Flatsflyer View Post
Tracy, when I replaced the fuel tanks in your boat, we also replaced all the feed lines between the tanks and filters as well as all those going to the fuel manifolds. We did not replace the cooper lines from the Racors to the twins or to the genny as they looked good. Never had any problem with diesel smalls even before I replaced the tanks. I don't know how old the cooper lines are but I would start by running a Klennex along every where you have access, especially along where the fuel lines are very close to the battery boxes. Also check all the fittings around the injector pump and the engine mounted fuel filters. After thing about this, I would not be surprised if some of the cooper lines are original but I'm sure your surveyor gave them a good look.

Good luck
John, what about the vent lines? I am positive there are no leaks.
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Old 10-22-2014, 05:10 PM   #33
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Originally Posted by sunchaser View Post
Tracy

Any idea if the tank supports were replaced? If wood they could have become a bit saturated with diesel prior to the tank change out
+1

I had a noticeable diesel smell at the outset. The engines, bilges and ER generally had been thoroughly cleaned by the PO prior to sale and there were no visible leaks. So I was puzzled as to the source of the smell.

A few months later I realized one fuel tank had a 'weaping' type leak. When replacing the tanks it was very noticeable that a number of the tank supports were saturated with diesel. They were still structurally sound but all were replaced. No more diesel smells. At all. I do not agree with an earlier comment the some diesel smell is 'the nature of the beast' for a diesel powered boat. I have a gallon of Pure Ayre, but its still unopened.
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Old 10-22-2014, 06:46 PM   #34
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I've got a "Bilge Buster" ozone generator and it really works. Not cheap but after a week or so no diesel.

Daddyo, I have had a different experience with my bilge buster...Good grief did it cause me problems. All the sound tiles above it turned to mush. I thought I was looking for a leak, it was the damn bilge buster. The ozonator turns anything that is made of rubber into mush, including hoses and sound tiles...... Never again.
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Old 10-22-2014, 08:39 PM   #35
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I don't recall anything about vent lines except I 'm pretty sure Peter Sabo (Comanchee Yacht Harbor) would have check them, they rebuilt the "shelves" the bottoms of the tanks sit on and they put some rubberized material on the shelves. The bottom and 6" up on all the sides of the tanks where painted with black truck bed liner.
'
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Old 10-22-2014, 08:53 PM   #36
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I had a bilge buster, it worked great. Installed in the ER. Absolutely no diesel odour. Then the probe (don't know what it's called) burned out, the company closed and my sweet smelling ER went with them. I'd put another in in a minute.

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Old 10-23-2014, 10:29 AM   #37
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So our previous owner seemed ok with having spilt some diesel in the bilge and just leaving it there for a few months. *He was also ok with just letting the leak @ the injector pump leak and not fix it. *He ALSO was ok it seems when he changed the oil to just dump it directly into the bilge (which is isolated beneath the engine) and then suck it up with a small 12v pump. *Crazy to say the least. *All those items were immediately corrected when I bought our boat. *What I am dealing with now though is the diesel smell in the cabin. *I have soaped out the bilge and given it a good cleaning. *No water is standing in the bilge (we have dripless shaft seals). *When I first bought the boat late this summer the smell was pretty strong. *Now, it is slight and doesn't bother me. *What I have noticed though is when I come home from a weekend of a few days on the boat that the clothes have a definite diesel smell to them. *I don't mind as it like it but it drives my wife nuts. *It's not so strong that if you put clothes on and walked down the dock or ate at a restaurant that someone would smell it, but none the less, I need to get rid of the odor. *I feel like I am battling a long period of time on the boat where the seller just let diesel sit in the bilge and the odor just permeated stuff. *I already removed all the beds and bedding when we bought the boat and the only interior softgoods that remained were the salon settee at the dinette. *I've also put a fresh coat of paint on all of the storage lockers (it was old looking anyway). *I air the boat out as much as possible (ok, hard to do that now that it is winter!). *We run the hvac to keep the air cycling. *I have some of the plug in air-freshners in the salon. *Still...that diesel smell is there. *I know obviously that most diesel boats are going to have a slight diesel smell- nature of the beast. *I want to try and eliminate it as much as possible though.Any other tips, ideas, suggestions, insight, on how to remedy this situation?


-- Edited by Woodsong on Thursday 16th of December 2010 04:18:38 PM
Try ordinary VINEGAR its an old remedy, best when spryed on...
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Old 10-25-2014, 12:25 AM   #38
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I say this slightly tongue in cheek, as I realise this is probably not possible for you, but in spite of cleaning our bilge as well as possible, just the very age of our boat (circa 1975), meant the faint diesel smell was always evident for a brief time when we first open her up to go out after a period of being all closed up. After a good airing it disappears - until the next time.

Then, just recently we put in new curtains, and had new hull liner material applied over the old and many-times-painted over ply ceiling material. Now, when we open her up she has a neat 'new car/boat' type of smell. My wife is lovin' it. It never bothered me that much. For me it was just a case of "ah, boat smell…"
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Old 10-25-2014, 12:30 AM   #39
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Daddyo, I have had a different experience with my bilge buster...Good grief did it cause me problems. All the sound tiles above it turned to mush. I thought I was looking for a leak, it was the damn bilge buster. The ozonator turns anything that is made of rubber into mush, including hoses and sound tiles...... Never again.
Peggie Hall used to warn of this very thing when she was participating in forums. I'm sure a lot of the end effect will depend on the type of material being exposed to the ozone, but as I recall she was not a fan of this type of odor treatment.
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