Cleaning the bilge

[Smitty]

Over 1800 hours my Westerbeke has dripped a little oil and sometimes when I change the oil filter, I lose some. It all ends up in the pan under the engine. I want to do a really good cleaning of the entire bilge, including the under engine pan.

What's the best bilge cleaner/emulsifier to use? Certainly at least some of this will probably end up in the bilge and going out with the cleaner from the rest of the bilge. I don't want to pump out anything that's really a disaster for the environment. There's really not much oil, I've cleaned it up as thoroughly as possible. So, is this okay and what should I use?

-Smitty

 

[Stu Jackson]

You can pay marine prices or you can use standard / household / green products. Fantastik or 409 works fine for me, and there are plenty of other cleaning materials. Auto parts stores have lots of cleaning materials, some are good engine degreasers, too. My favorite marine store is ACE Hardware. Our marina provides bilge socks for free and a handy drop off point at the gangways.

 

[Ross]

Look at the Zep products in concentrate.

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

Any cleaning product that is a surfactant will effectively remove oil. Don't waste your money on marine-type cleansers. It is always preferable to first remove as much oil as you can by mechanical means.

 

[Benny]

The bilge is a water collector, rain water, salt water, gray water and condensation from a couple of appliances. Add a couple of ounces of diesel , motor oil and some body oils and curly hairs and you got a great recipe. Let it sit for a couple of weeks and you get mildew and bacteria growth which exahels a salty beautiful aroma. Now you want to wash it, next you are going to want to dry it. Come on is boat, let the bilge do its work. The smell will help mask those permeated head hoses in your rig. If I wanted the smells of a sanitized enironment I would hang out at a hospital.

 

[Tim R.]

I agree with the above posts although there are sections of the bilge you simply cannot reach and that is where I use a purpose made bilge cleaner. After the initial cleaning add some to the bilge so that it will slosh around when the boat heels and you will find that it removes the unreachable gunk quite well.

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

No matter what cleaning product you use...

BEFORE using anything, put some bilge pillows, "rats" or whatever oil absorbent thingees in the bilge and add some water...ONLY water, NOT cleaner! 'Cuz once oil mixes with detergent, it emulsifies the oil and the absorbent bilge whatevers can no longer absorb it. So unless you remove all the oil first, and dispose of the pads in the approved manner, your use of any so-called "biodegradable" or enviro-friendly bilge cleaner is worthless.

A "purpose made bilge cleaner" is nothing more than an automotive detergent degreaser with a much higher price tag...and they're ALL environmentally friendly. What you really need to get into those places you can't reach (assuming that more is required than bending over and extending your arm, which is more effort than many boat owners today seem to consider reasonable) is a power washer.

If you had a dirty kitchen sink or bathtub, would you just add some detergent, swish it around, then just pull the plug and expect to have a clean sink???? Then WHY do so many boat owners think they can do that and end up with a clean bilge???? If you actually expect to have a clean bilge you need to flush ALL they dirty water out! And then use a dinghy bailer, mop, sponge, bucket and/or whatever to remove the remaining CLEAN water...and leave all the hatches open so your bilge can dry out.

Only after doing all that will you have a bilge that's clean and odor free for a whole season.

 

[BobM]

Peggy, as usual, is right. Buy a reusable bilge pillow. You can wring it out and it will keep soaking up more diesel, oil, etc...until you add soap to the bilge. Regarding a bilge cleaning agent, I read a recent article that went through the pros and cons of all the so called "green" cleaners and my conclusion after reading it was that the best one for my money is still simple green. It rated pretty well for biodegradability and is inexpensive and readily available.

If you really want to be eco conscious buy a bilge filter that won't let fuel or oil out the back end. I installed one. The kit is about $100. If you have a deep bilge under the engine, like mine, it really is almost mandatory if you want to stay green. I have only one pump now, but I plan to install a smaller pump down low, with the bilge filter, and a big one up high. The smaller pump will do all my routine pumping. If I am in danger of sinking the larger pump won't go through the filter, but at that point the entire contents of the boat will be at risk of polluting the water, so why worry?

When I cleaned my bilge I tried to minimize the volume I used by disconnecting my bilge hose and using my bilge pump to circulate the soapy water around and to wash the walls. I also put simple green inside a big dish detergent wand and taped it to my boat hook and used it to scrub the walls (I have an integral keel with a deep well in the aft 20% of the keel). The toughest thing is to get all the liquid out of the bilge afterwards. I tried a baby shop vac, but it couldn't cut lifting water that high. I should have used my manual bilge pump. I'd collect all the waste water in buckets and then either absorb it with cat litter and throw it out as solid waste (which is burned where I live) or discard it into your home drain if you have public sewage. Don't discard it into a septic system.

I have also thought about employing some oil eating microbes in the bilge. Has anyone tried those?

 

[Smitty]

How big a power washer should I use? I don't have any experience at all with power washers and I don't want to destroy anything, but I'd really like to clean it. up.

 

[Tim R.]

I have areas in my bilge that are not even reachable by a power washer so I have to use a bilge cleaner. I am still getting residue out from a diesel tank leak that happened before I bought the boat. I get my bilge cleaner at wholesale pricing so no need to use cheap HW store equivalents.

Our boat does not smell at all(except for slight varnish smell) but we do have some odor in the bilges that is getting better every time I clean and re-add the bilge cleaner.

 

[rdpeterson90]

Fine !

Pumping emulsified oil over the side is worth a $5K fine (as is any sheen). It is far worse environmentally than pumping strait oil over (spreads oil throughout the water column). Use a wet/dry vacuum to pick it up and dispose of with waste oil or in a sewer. For just smell, I periodically add some water and half gallon of Clorox kitchen cleanup. Go sailing to let it slosh real good and pump out (no oil). Only about half my bilge area is accessible for scrubbing.

 

[zeehag]

english engines drip--use diapers lol---he engine kind that pick up oil and keep the water clean --is important to keep that separate from the rest of the bilge goo---without the oil, isnt goo--is just waters.....i have a newly installed 4-108 perkins---isnt leaky yet but will be---lol--so i join ye in cleaning bilge when it gets nasty---i use bilge cleaner --the cheapest i can find--is unlawful to use joy/dawn in the goo--makes it sink to bottom of deep blue sea and kills of life there-and is a big fine--need to catch it with diapers----goood luck....pillows, diapers, whatever ye wish to call them.....i like diapers as a name for them--descriptive...sorta accurate ...LOL. and whaty tim r said also--i let the bilge cleaner sit in bilge for a bit to slosh around and clean for a bit then pump....

 

[Maine Sail]

I do it...

I do it the hard way... Remove everything I can, then use any and every cleaner I can to get it spotless. This is the original gelcoat at 29 years old after cleaning with lots of chemicals including but not limited to Magic Erasers, Acetone, Mineral Spirits, oxalic acid (for rust stains) and general purpose de-greaser products .

 

[Stu Jackson]

Aren't those flat bilges fun? The guys with deep ones hate 'em 'cuz they can't get to the bottom. Those of use with flat ones curse 'em 'cuz with any water in them, when the boat heels the water sloshes you know where. Ah well, boats are compromises, right?

First we could eat off MS's engine, now the bilge, too!

 

[Mike Hancock]

I have only one pump now, but I plan to install a smaller pump down low, with the bilge filter, and a big one up high. The smaller pump will do all my routine pumping. If I am in danger of sinking the larger pump won't go through the filter, but at that point the entire contents of the boat will be at risk of polluting the water, so why worry?

Have you found a small pump that has the lift to move water that high? I have the same issue and am looking for a small pump for that purpose.

 

[zeehag]

Have you found a small pump that has the lift to move water that high? I have the same issue and am looking for a small pump for that purpose.

my rule 500 does ok for my deep bilge formosa--my secondary is a 2000 up higher, under my bunk LOL-with a flapper switch.--if that one cycles i am in deeeep water LOL-- i would rather have a larger output one as a primary but the hoses dictate at present------until they leak i will stay as is---bilge is very very deeeeeeeeeep......and under engine.....whew--i wish they were as clean as maine sail's are----wow--eat offa dose!!!!!! pristeeeeeen.....toooo clean LOL...

 

[spuki]

Our previous three sailboats did not give us much to worry about in the bilge. A little rain water with some dirt from somewhere would accumulate from time to time. Two of those boats had outboard engines. The other had a shallow bilge that seemed to stay uncommonly clean. The current sailboat is a different story. The diesel engine has seen many hours, but still provides good service. The bilge area where things accumulate is actually not very large, but is approximately a good foot or so below the sole, in front of, under and behind the engine. To reach it properly, you must remove the panels to the engine bay. After we had purchased the boat, and checked the fuel line and looked for oil leaks, I noticed a bit of a slick developing when rain water found its way in. At that time, I had no idea how to deal with it. I tried degreaser, but I was uncertain that it was any better for the environment than the slick. Anyway, it kept coming back after thourghly cleaning. Somehow, I got the idea to try one of those obsorbent sock thiings. Those thiings are great. The water stays amazingly clear and only has some sediment like particals. After changing out several of those over a period of a year or so to start, one will last a whole year. The normal cleaning for me amounts to removing the sock thing, fishing around for items that have found their way in there (You sometimes get closure for things that have disappeared from your life on the water!), vacumming it out with the wet vac, washing, drying and/or painting. Now, I want to make it perfectly clear, that my bilge does not stay spotless, hence, I do not suffer from "perfect sailor" syndrome! The v-belt that turns the water pump and alternator sheds some particals, there are additional particals that wash in with the rain water, and there is some that must come from old wood and vibrations from the antique, single cylinder engiine shaking apart the boat. Guess I will be cleaning it for as long as I own it!

 

[Effortle$$]

Bilge Drain

I added a bilge drain hole on my Catalina 30 at the lowest drain point with a pipe threaded plug on the outside. At the end of each season I add a detergent to the bilge a few weeks before haulout. When its high and dry, I totally drain the bilge and pressure wash it a few times. The winter cold dry's the bilge nicely. Any rainwater/ snow melt that gets into the boat finds its way down to the bilge and the exit hole. However, you must remember to put the pipe plug back in the hole before launching in the spring.

 

[BobM]

You said it...

Aren't those flat bilges fun? The guys with deep ones hate 'em 'cuz they can't get to the bottom. Those of use with flat ones curse 'em 'cuz with any water in them, when the boat heels the water sloshes you know where. Ah well, boats are compromises, right?

First we could eat off MS's engine, now the bilge, too!

I was literally blinded by the sight of his red transmission in his other post! His car is probably a mess though ;-)

 

[BobM]

Smaller pump

Have you found a small pump that has the lift to move water that high? I have the same issue and am looking for a small pump for that purpose.

I bought a very small Rule (300?), but plan to follow the Don Casey approach and run something like 1/2 inch tube to keep the amount of water than drains back into the bilge minimal. I haven't installed it yet though. Still on my list of "boat projects for which the parts have been purchased but which have not been started" list.