Fuel leaked into bilge - How to get rid of smell???

[Bayou Sailor]

Hi Guys, If you remember a few weeks ago I removed my carb to clean it. Well, I apparently did not tighten the bowl drain plug tightly enough and over the next couple of weeks, it was apparently leaking very slowly. When I went to the boat the other day the smell from the bilge was terrible. The leak is stopped but the smell from the bilge will not go away. I have filled bilge with bilge cleaner twice. I ran 2 gallons of degreaser through it. There is about 1/2 of sediment in the bottom. I think the gas penetrated the sediment. So I got my shop vac and removed all of the sludge I could get to but there is still a slight smell. I don't think it is bad enough to be dangerous, but I need to get rid of it. I'm thinking to get a few gallons of Mean Green degreaser and put a gallon in and just let it sit for a week or so and then repeat? Does anyone have a better idea? Thanks!!

[ndutton]

If you're smelling gasoline you still have potentially explosive fumes in the boat. ALL electricity should be shut off except for the bilge blower until the cleanup is complete to avoid an igniting spark. I don't have a better suggestion for clean up beyond old fashioned soap, water and scrubbing.

[joe_db]

If you're smelling gasoline you still have potentially explosive fumes in the boat. ALL electricity should be shut off except for the bilge blower until the cleanup is complete to avoid an igniting spark. I don't have a better suggestion for clean up beyond old fashioned soap, water and scrubbing.

This is all thanks to the stinky chemical added to gasoline to try and keep kids from sniffing it. You might ask your local heating oil company, I recall reading they had some super-soap that gets rid of petroleum they use to handle spills at customer houses. I had good luck with liquid laundry detergent when I had a gas spill, you might try that.
BTW - Using a shop vac on gasoline might not be the safest idea.

[capnward]

I think your residual gas smell will dissipate in time, but it is best to scrub the area with water/detergent. When I had a boat with an outboard and portable gas tank, I loaned the tank to someone and when he returned it, he put in in a locker where it fell on its side later. The gas drained out the air vent in the cap. I returned days later to an overpowering gas smell and an inch of gas in the bilge. The amazing thing was the ceramic disc space heater was running merrily on the cabin sole. After disconnecting the shore power, removing the gasoline, and opening all hatches, it only took a few days for the smell to go away. I was expecting it to soak into the plywood hull like diesel and stay forever, but it all evaporated, to my relief. My theory was the heater had kept the fumes from accumulating to the point of explosion. I think a heater with an exposed glowing element would have destroyed the boat.

[joe_db]

I think your residual gas smell will dissipate in time, but it is best to scrub the area with water/detergent. When I had a boat with an outboard and portable gas tank, I loaned the tank to someone and when he returned it, he put in in a locker where it fell on its side later. The gas drained out the air vent in the cap. I returned days later to an overpowering gas smell and an inch of gas in the bilge. The amazing thing was the ceramic disc space heater was running merrily on the cabin sole. After disconnecting the shore power, removing the gasoline, and opening all hatches, it only took a few days for the smell to go away. I was expecting it to soak into the plywood hull like diesel and stay forever, but it all evaporated, to my relief. My theory was the heater had kept the fumes from accumulating to the point of explosion. I think a heater with an exposed glowing element would have destroyed the boat.

Or......it was too rich to ignite

[capnward]

Thanks Joe, I had no idea there is such a thing as too rich to ignite. I just assumed that the presence of any amount of air with the gasoline fumes would be an explosive mixture. If it was too rich, my opening the boat could have leaned it out enough to set it off before I could unplug the electricity. Glad I survived, either way.

[joe_db]

Thanks Joe, I had no idea there is such a thing as too rich to ignite. I just assumed that the presence of any amount of air with the gasoline fumes would be an explosive mixture. If it was too rich, my opening the boat could have leaned it out enough to set it off before I could unplug the electricity. Glad I survived, either way.

Gasses have an upper and lower explosive limit. See https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/e...its-d_423.html

[sastanley]

good ol' soap and water...the water will eventually let the gas float on top, so each flushing and cleaning will reduce it. I had a fuel tank leak and several gallons made it in the bilge. we just continued to use dish soap and water, or just water and bailed and re-filled and bailed and re-filled..maybe some of those degreasers will help break up the sludge too...good time to make the effort to remove that gross stuff too..

[Marty_B]

I recently cleaned my bilge as I have my engine out of the boat. While removing the engine, it tipped forward and dumped oil out of the front into the bilge. The oil was very old and stank horribly. I cleaned my bilge with Dawn industrial cleaner that I got from Lowes. I was very surprised how well it removed the odor. It didn't remove it entirely but a couple of days after cleaning, the smell was gone and replaced by Dawns fragence, but much more subdued. My wife says I am very sensitive to smells and it is not noticeable to her.

I almost forgot, while cleaning, I removed the water with a shop vac, sucking the surface of the water in the bilge as apposed to using the bilge pump that sucks from the bottom of the water pool in the bilge. My reasoning is that the oil/fuel will be on top of the water and will be extracted instead of left on the walls of the bilge if drawn out from the bottom. Good Luck!