Diesel soot

This may have been covered before but I could not find a thread.

Any good suggestions on how to clean diesel soot or smoke off of fiberglass?
Worst part is where my heater exhausts but also have light soot on my transom after a trip. The light stuff is easy, it is the heavy coating around my heater exhaust I am worried about. Before attacking it and hoping for good luck I am looking for something that has worked for others.

Thanks

Cream bathroom/bath/sink cleaner works well for me . Just remember to use a good wax after cleaning .

What exactly do you mean by "cream" assuming brands are different in our stores but what brand name?

wwestman said:

What exactly do you mean by "cream" assuming brands are different in our stores but what brand name?

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In Australia I use JIF sorry dont know the equivalent in America

I also use Rejex polymer on all the fiberglass and painted areas with great results

Don't recognise any of those brands. Bummer...

Home


RejeX

I've always used Roll-Off cleaner on these areas. It does remove wax though so you must re-coat when you are finished.
Bruce

The common theory is wax is the worst for showing soot, better off with a polymer polish.

gaston said:

Home


RejeX

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works great on transom for diesel exhaust

As a youngin' many many moons ago I had a small cleaning business and along with commercial buildings I had a few residential customers.

I recall one residential customer wanted her fiberglass shower stall cleaned and polished perfectly on every visit. I can't remember how I started using this certain product to clean and polish their shower stall but the product I used way back then was called Jubilee, then a SC Johnson & Son product but now it is a Malco product. Jubilee has been around for at least 50 years. http://www.malcopro.com

Here's a description of the product (note that it says it cleans "soot")

Product Details:

Jubilee® is an easy-to-use liquid furniture wax made especially for protecting while cleaning appliances, laminate countertops, ceramic tile, enamel and wood.
Jubilee® cannot scratch, never dulls, is stain resistant and puts down a tough, hard shine that protects surfaces while making spills easier to wipe clean. Jubilee® removes grease spots, soot, lipstick, food stains, crayon, fingerprints and yellow cooking films.


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WW

Another question - why is there soot? Often the health of the engine, propping, air flow or operating temperatures can cause excessive soot. The potential list is longer. In the old days bad and very high sulfur fuels could be soot reasons.

The cheapest degreaser you can find should do the job.

gaston said:

In Australia I use JIF sorry dont know the equivalent in America

I also use Rejex polymer on all the fiberglass and painted areas with great results

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JIF in Australia
CIF in France
VIM Canada/US

Funny how the name change by country.

Soot is from incomplete fuel burn and over fueling to overcome poor burning. It's much worse than years ago, before the EPA and world organizations shoved the new formulations down our throats. The seem to specialize in making changes without a viable alternative.
A couple things help diesel soot. A catalyst in the fuel that makes a more complete burn and in appliances, less fuel and more air. Many hydronic appliances have jets that can be changed and an adjustable air supply. Going to a slightly smaller jet and adjusting for more air can reduce soot. It may violate the emissions standard for that appliance. Or spending more money, using #1 diesel or home heating oil helps. Some appliances can use kerosene.
The catalyst I use I discovered for my Ford F-250 diesel that has some injector issues solved with Archoil 6200 and 9100 (an oil additive). Besides fixing and greatly extending injector life, better cold weather starts, etc. I got a 10%+ mileage benefit. That seems to hold true in my Detroit mains. Last time I priced it out, I was spending 7¢ a gallon. It also keeps my fuel tanks clean. Available online at many sites.

My exhaust for my Webasto Heater exits mid-ship on the port side and blows on the teak rub rail that is about 2 feet above the water line. I use Kerosene from a day tank. It burns clean and there is never any soot. Every diesel heat exhaust I have seen is sooty.

grahamdouglass said:

Every diesel heat exhaust I have seen is sooty.

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Do you think it is brand specific? My Hurricane II has no soot. Nor do my engines or genset.

Last summer we had a Nordhavn 86 dock directly in front of Blue Sky for a couple of days.

When he left the our forward decks were covered in soot from his dry exhaust; don't know if that is normal but sure doesn't speak well for Nordhavn's dry exhaust system.

Many of the Nordhavn owners put some sort of sock (frequently nylon panty hose are used) over the end of the dry exhaust pipe to eliminate the soot from getting all over their boat.


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I think there is a reason why Wabastos run rich and that would cause soot. I too run kerosene and have no soot at all.
Call Sure Marine in Seattle 206 784 9903
They can probably tell you what causes them to run rich. You may have air plumbing variations causing the soot.