Degreaser sprayer

I just bought one of these today . It's time to get after the old Perkins . Hope this will help .

Be careful spraying anything in an enclosed space, very nasty stuff. Consider saving that nice sprayer and brush on your degreaser. If you choose to spray, you need all the gear and make damn sure the power is off because a spark...keep an extinguisher handy.

I'm starting to sound like Miss Grundy - apologies for that.

"Learn from the mistakes of others, you will not have time to make them all yourself."

I use Extreme Simple Green as a degreaser. It can be diluted according to need based on how bad the grease is. I use it 1:1 for cleaning the bilge and spray it with a garden pump sprayer.

I was planning on using something like diluted simple green and keeping the pressure low . I'm gonna rethink this , I had no idea it could be a problem .

Xsbank said:

Be careful spraying anything in an enclosed space, very nasty stuff. Consider saving that nice sprayer and brush on your degreaser. If you choose to spray, you need all the gear and make damn sure the power is off because a spark...keep an extinguisher handy.

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Thanks man

Extreme Simple Green is way better than regular SG. Using a garden sprayer has worked well for me. No noticeable fumes, etc. i spray it on and the scrub with a brush then spray plain water and use a shop vac to pick it up. Of course I would not use a shop vac in a gas powered boat. For heavy grease and grime it usually takes 2 times to get it all up. I have a diesel pusher motorhome that had about 1/4" buildup on the rear radiator due to the slobber tube. I tried many cleaners and nothing worked. Used the ESG at 1:1 dilution and sprayed it on. Before I could even pick up the brush to scrub it the grime started running off the radiator. ESG is a bit hard to source. It is used in the aviation industry to clean the aluminum aircraft. I get it at Home Depot online.

Greetings,
Mr. C. Unfortunate I do not like the smell of Simple Green (have not seen or used Extreme SG) but I have found Spray 9 (needn't be the Marine labeled stuff) used full strength to be a excellent degreaser. Safety measures already mentioned should be used (safety glasses/face shield, rubber gloves etc.). Also a good idea to provide adequate ventilation.

This is what I was planning on using . Keep the pressure to a minimum use eye protection and a respirator. Maybe just a small area at a time .

Greetings,
Mr. PM. Yup, I've used that stuff as well. Works just fine. I think all of the non solvent based degreasers are more or less the same. It's simply a matter of emulsifying the non polar materials (hydrocarbon products) and disposing of them. When I was cleaning up my VW engine and transmission last summer, I even used Easy-Off oven cleaner but did it in the laneway in the fresh air with the garden hose for rinsing...

Where are you putting it?

So once the degreasing of the engine/bilge is done, how are you removing it from the boat?

Are there disposal options for the bilge slops at marinas where you are? In my area, I see only used engine oil disposal sites near the docks.

I use absorbent pads in the bilge when necessary, which is during and after I coat my engine with LPS.

Years ago it was common to pump this bilge slop overboard. Has the attitude on that changed for the better (not to mention it is illegal)?

I'm not preaching or trying to be a jerk, just looking to hear your good ideas and learn. I won't always be on this trailer.

Jeff

Pack Mule said:

This is what I was planning on using . Keep the pressure to a minimum use eye protection and a respirator. Maybe just a small area at a time .

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that's good stuff. we use it for cleaning radiators that get plugged up. just make sure you have a respirator or a good ventilation fan running. also be careful it will etch the surface of bare aluminum. those psi sprayers work good for small area cleaning but a lawn sprayer seems to work the best for large area cleaning.

Greetings,
Mr. I. I make every effort to minimize contaminating a waterway with oily residue by careful application of the degreaser and use of the shop vac with absorbent diapers inside. Bilge pump is off, of course. Soapy water is disposed of ashore.

Suck it up with a shop vac and pour the water into a funnel lined with bilge absorbing pads.

Send the pads to Nevada for burial .

RT Firefly said:

Greetings,
Mr. PM. Yup, I've used that stuff as well. Works just fine. I think all of the non solvent based degreasers are more or less the same. It's simply a matter of emulsifying the non polar materials (hydrocarbon products) and disposing of them. When I was cleaning up my VW engine and transmission last summer, I even used Easy-Off oven cleaner but did it in the laneway in the fresh air with the garden hose for rinsing...

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Oven cleaner spray also works well on the interior parts of the engine.
Just be sure to rinse well with water afterwards... I mean also for disassembled parts, you dont do this with a complete engine, although it might still be ok.

I cleaned out a totally disgusting valve cover with serious clogs affecting the passages with oven cleaner. I had mechanics telling me it will dissolve the aluminum, but was fine.

Sorry for taking all day to get back , I cut my finger this morning and had to get it stitched up . I was cutting and hose off of a fitting while installing my new water heater . Dumb mistake .
I plan on using absorbing towels and carrying those to the disposal sight at our marina .

Thanks all. Speedy finger recovery, Marty!

Yup, done that one, got the stitches when the rescue tape was just too uncomfortable. I degrease with just simple green and often with a steam cleaner. Wipe up with paper towels as I go. Steam melts the grease and keeps it all in suspension. When it cools, it will often redeposit, so keep wet and wipe often. Steam can also blast out of areas you can't scrub into areas you can.

Like this. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000DF0R...vtargid=kwd-7001518095&ref=pd_sl_3hmpsy6ptw_b

Extreme Simple Green is a great product and works well. I'll let it soak in the bilge with hot water, and use a pressure washer for a lot of the bilge, avoiding the engine or parts that it would hurt. Fortunatly I'm on a lift so easy to remove and dispose of.

A little steam cleaner would be very handy. Actually most of them are hot water vapor cleaners. The true "steam" cleaners are quite expensive, and pure steam will destroy a lot of things you may not want destroyed, like rubber products, carpet, and other non metal products. However, for cleaning engines they are suburb, more appropriate in rebuilding them, as it will damage the wiring, hoses, belts, etc. We use to use them for cleaning printing presses that were to be rebuilt.

However the little one mention here looks very handy, think I'll get one.

Sprayers like this actually work very well!

https://www.amazon.com/IIT-30860-In...672&sr=8-2&keywords=One+liter+pump+up+sprayer

I have zero experience de-greasing engines. All my prior experience with big iron has been in fishing boats where looks don't matter.

I'd be curious to hear more about the technique of de-greasing an engine in place. I have engine pans and diapers, so the clean-up should be easier.

But I'm a little reluctant to start spraying any liquid or solvent under pressure around my engine room. I'm thinking about collateral damage... Alternators, wiring, and all the other "stuff" on and around the engine that typically lives in a dry environment.

Do you just go in there with a sprayer and let 'er rip?

I know it's been done on my boat, because my engines (and all the wiring and hoses on them) were re-painted white at some point, from the original Perkins blue. I'd like to de-grease and then touch up the paint. Maybe paint choices should be a separate thread though.

Formula 410 - oops, the world is not ready, so stick to 409

I think for now I'm just going to use it with low pressure and oil sorb towels for the bilge under and around the engine. That's where most of the nasty stuff is anyway .
It wouldn't be Perkins without some oil on it.

Pardon my ignorance but what s the purpose of degreasing an engine beyond the cosmetic aspect? I would tend to think that the greasy layer would protect against corrosion. As an example in the ld book of y old engine they recommend to wipe some diesel on the block before winterization.

L.

Lou_tribal said:

Pardon my ignorance but what s the purpose of degreasing an engine beyond the cosmetic aspect? I would tend to think that the greasy layer would protect against corrosion. As an example in the ld book of y old engine they recommend to wipe some diesel on the block before winterization.

L.

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Yeah you're right , I think I'm gonna stay away from the engine and just focus on the bilge.

Spottsville said:

Sprayers like this actually work very well!

https://www.amazon.com/IIT-30860-In...672&sr=8-2&keywords=One+liter+pump+up+sprayer

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I use something similar for zapping weeds in a paved driveway, can hit a weed dead centre 3-4ft away. Pressure is not high enough to cause problems cleaning an engine, you`d still have to manually remove the softened gunk.

Greetings,
Mr. L_t. IMO, a clean engine allows you to quickly see any new leaks during your morning ER check. As far as corrosion, a small can of engine paint will take care of that AFTER degreasing. Sensitive bits and pieces can be covered with Saran wrap or tinfoil (NON electrical bits please).

In addition, a clean engine is much more pleasant to work on.

RT Firefly said:

Greetings,
Mr. L_t. IMO, a clean engine allows you to quickly see any new leaks during your morning ER check. As far as corrosion, a small can of engine paint will take care of that AFTER degreasing. Sensitive bits and pieces can be covered with Saran wrap or tinfoil (NON electrical bits please).

In addition, a clean engine is much more pleasant to work on.

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I like to smell the fragrance of the old grease and oil of a diesel engine in the morning, this is a parfume that make me feel better than coffee!
Joke apart, I understand your point but if it is greasy to the point it is difficult to see a leak it is not greasy anymore but dirty
After an oil change on mine I have oil all over the place because of the way the oil filter is mounted, but simply wipe it clean is enough to keep it in good shape, well at least that works for me.

L.

RT Firefly said:

Greetings,
Mr. L_t. IMO, a clean engine allows you to quickly see any new leaks during your morning ER check. As far as corrosion, a small can of engine paint will take care of that AFTER degreasing. Sensitive bits and pieces can be covered with Saran wrap or tinfoil (NON electrical bits please).

In addition, a clean engine is much more pleasant to work on.

Click to expand...

Much agreed about looking and working on a clean engine, in a clean ER. What I have found to work the best is a Zep product at Home Depot simple and cheap and works great. Oil ,diesel works great on both and under 2 bucks for a 10 oz spray bottle