Engine cleaning in the water
- Thread starter David W
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Wipe down as much as you can. Then use a
spray cleaner and rags wipe down some more. After that you can use "Gunk" or its equal and power wash the rest of the crud off and with your "wet-dry" vacuum clean the bilge and carry the dirty water ashore. If you dump it in a gravel parking lot no one will notice with all of the engine oil leaks that cars have.
spray cleaner and rags wipe down some more. After that you can use "Gunk" or its equal and power wash the rest of the crud off and with your "wet-dry" vacuum clean the bilge and carry the dirty water ashore. If you dump it in a gravel parking lot no one will notice with all of the engine oil leaks that cars have.
DUMP IN THE PARKING LOT????
Where is the "stuff" you dump in the marina parking lot going to go the first time it rains - right back into the water at the marina! Let's be at least a little concerned with what we put into the water since we eventually have to swim, boat, or even drink it. Thanks, CVP
Where is the "stuff" you dump in the marina parking lot going to go the first time it rains - right back into the water at the marina! Let's be at least a little concerned with what we put into the water since we eventually have to swim, boat, or even drink it. Thanks, CVP
Fastscot, With all of the rest of the crud that
falls off cars and gets scraped off the bottoms of boats, do you really believe that a couple of gallons of dirty water is going to be a big problem? Consider thatcar tires wear out and all of that worn out tire tread must be going somewhere. Consider all of the tons of lawn fertilizer and pesticide that is applied to the lawns. Walk across any shopping center parking lot when it starts to rain and look at the oil sheen on the runoff. Dirty water dumped on a gravel parking lot at least gives the microbes a chance to work on it before it finds its way back to the river. The other posibility is to dump it down a toilet.
falls off cars and gets scraped off the bottoms of boats, do you really believe that a couple of gallons of dirty water is going to be a big problem? Consider thatcar tires wear out and all of that worn out tire tread must be going somewhere. Consider all of the tons of lawn fertilizer and pesticide that is applied to the lawns. Walk across any shopping center parking lot when it starts to rain and look at the oil sheen on the runoff. Dirty water dumped on a gravel parking lot at least gives the microbes a chance to work on it before it finds its way back to the river. The other posibility is to dump it down a toilet.
What I did
I got a lot of engine diapers and spread them under the engine and around then sprayed gunk and let it drip all over that for a couple of hours, then after a wash down I sucked all the dirty water with the shop vac and got all the greasy water ( I emptyed the shop vac in the storm drain in front of my house),then I added bilge cleaner and let it stay for a week before I dumped it over board while sailing
I got a lot of engine diapers and spread them under the engine and around then sprayed gunk and let it drip all over that for a couple of hours, then after a wash down I sucked all the dirty water with the shop vac and got all the greasy water ( I emptyed the shop vac in the storm drain in front of my house),then I added bilge cleaner and let it stay for a week before I dumped it over board while sailing
Agree with you Ross, another one over reacting..
over a little spilled milk. And next time you clean your engine in the drive way or your car where do you think that stuff goes? abe
over a little spilled milk. And next time you clean your engine in the drive way or your car where do you think that stuff goes? abe
Diapers and Spray Brake Cleaner
Put a few of the oil cleanup diapers under the engine. Get a couple of cans of the enviromentally safe spray brake cleaner and start at the top working you way down. Use a toothbrush size wire brush for the hard stuff. The spray cleaner evaporates quickly and leaves the grease and oil on the disposable diapers. The engine will be clean enough to paint. Used this to clean and paint my 30hp Yanmar last summer. Oh, and dispose of the diapers in an enviromentally friendly fashion
Put a few of the oil cleanup diapers under the engine. Get a couple of cans of the enviromentally safe spray brake cleaner and start at the top working you way down. Use a toothbrush size wire brush for the hard stuff. The spray cleaner evaporates quickly and leaves the grease and oil on the disposable diapers. The engine will be clean enough to paint. Used this to clean and paint my 30hp Yanmar last summer. Oh, and dispose of the diapers in an enviromentally friendly fashion
Those storm drains get the water into
the river before it has a chance to be cleaned and biodegraded. You can't win all of those cleaning solvents probably are up in the stratosphere distroying the ozone layer so we can all die from skin cancer instead of dieing from liver cancer from drinking polluted water.
the river before it has a chance to be cleaned and biodegraded. You can't win all of those cleaning solvents probably are up in the stratosphere distroying the ozone layer so we can all die from skin cancer instead of dieing from liver cancer from drinking polluted water.
Clean with Diesel
Diesel is a pretty good solvent for grease. It isn't that volatile and is less toxic than brake cleaner. recover as much as you can and take it to an old oil recycling facility such as a autozone. Most places that sell oil for diy people will take old oil. Wipe it up well to avoid fires. As a kid I cleaned a lot of oily greasey car parts with diesel. Gasoline works better as a solvent but might turn your boat into a bomb. Some of these brake cleaners etc are really nasty chlorinated, florinated solvents that are much worse for the environment than diesel. They also often evaporate quickly contributing to air pollution not to mention that the fumes will kill your liver.
Diesel is a pretty good solvent for grease. It isn't that volatile and is less toxic than brake cleaner. recover as much as you can and take it to an old oil recycling facility such as a autozone. Most places that sell oil for diy people will take old oil. Wipe it up well to avoid fires. As a kid I cleaned a lot of oily greasey car parts with diesel. Gasoline works better as a solvent but might turn your boat into a bomb. Some of these brake cleaners etc are really nasty chlorinated, florinated solvents that are much worse for the environment than diesel. They also often evaporate quickly contributing to air pollution not to mention that the fumes will kill your liver.
Avoid USCG $10,000 fine
David W. is in British Columbia and would have to worry about Canada's regulations, but the rest of you guys need to be aware that there's a $10,000 or more fine for dumping fuel and related fluids if you are deemed to be careless or if the quantity requires a cleanup. I had to have the local fire department come and had to file a report with them when I spilled a half-pint into the water while refueling at a Long Island Sound marina; didn't get fined, but I wouldn't think of trying the engine degreasing routine on the water after that...
David W. is in British Columbia and would have to worry about Canada's regulations, but the rest of you guys need to be aware that there's a $10,000 or more fine for dumping fuel and related fluids if you are deemed to be careless or if the quantity requires a cleanup. I had to have the local fire department come and had to file a report with them when I spilled a half-pint into the water while refueling at a Long Island Sound marina; didn't get fined, but I wouldn't think of trying the engine degreasing routine on the water after that...
My thinking is this...
Thanks for the opinions folks, I think I am going to use diapers, gunk, & shop-vac, use some dish soap in the shop-vac before emptying it into a parking lot.
Thanks for the opinions folks, I think I am going to use diapers, gunk, & shop-vac, use some dish soap in the shop-vac before emptying it into a parking lot.
Funny thing ...
Whilst ya'll were discussing dumping oil to the ground, the county just brought through their road maintenance trucks. Scraped the road and oiled it well. Keeps the dust down. Maybe Auto Zone is selling the used oil to the county for this. Tom
Whilst ya'll were discussing dumping oil to the ground, the county just brought through their road maintenance trucks. Scraped the road and oiled it well. Keeps the dust down. Maybe Auto Zone is selling the used oil to the county for this. Tom
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