Return to the home page...

Go Back   Moyer Marine Atomic 4 Community - Home of the Afourians > Discussion Topics > Troubleshooting

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1   IP: 47.38.39.172
Old 05-28-2023, 01:12 PM
Bayou Sailor's Avatar
Bayou Sailor Bayou Sailor is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2020
Location: Mandeville, LA
Posts: 51
Thanks: 48
Thanked 18 Times in 9 Posts
Fuel leaked into bilge - How to get rid of smell???

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!!
Reply With Quote
  #2   IP: 76.176.224.167
Old 05-29-2023, 09:42 AM
ndutton's Avatar
ndutton ndutton is offline
Afourian MVP
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Torrance, CA
Posts: 9,619
Thanks: 198
Thanked 2,208 Times in 1,425 Posts
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.
__________________
Neil
1977 Catalina 30
San Pedro, California
prior boats 1987 Westsail 32, 1970 Catalina 22
Had my hands in a few others
Reply With Quote
  #3   IP: 138.207.177.95
Old 05-30-2023, 08:26 AM
joe_db's Avatar
joe_db joe_db is offline
Afourian MVP
 
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 4,474
Thanks: 49
Thanked 1,026 Times in 721 Posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by ndutton View Post
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.
__________________
Joe Della Barba
Coquina
C&C 35 MK I
Maryland USA
Reply With Quote
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to joe_db For This Useful Post:
Bayou Sailor (05-30-2023), Sam (05-30-2023)
  #4   IP: 207.32.168.247
Old 05-30-2023, 01:36 PM
capnward's Avatar
capnward capnward is offline
Afourian MVP
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Deer Harbor WA
Posts: 335
Thanks: 41
Thanked 147 Times in 107 Posts
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.

Last edited by capnward; 05-30-2023 at 01:38 PM. Reason: cabin, not cockpit sole.
Reply With Quote
  #5   IP: 138.207.177.95
Old 05-30-2023, 03:56 PM
joe_db's Avatar
joe_db joe_db is offline
Afourian MVP
 
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 4,474
Thanks: 49
Thanked 1,026 Times in 721 Posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by capnward View Post
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
__________________
Joe Della Barba
Coquina
C&C 35 MK I
Maryland USA
Reply With Quote
  #6   IP: 207.32.168.247
Old 06-03-2023, 11:10 PM
capnward's Avatar
capnward capnward is offline
Afourian MVP
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Deer Harbor WA
Posts: 335
Thanks: 41
Thanked 147 Times in 107 Posts
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.
Reply With Quote
  #7   IP: 138.207.177.95
Old 06-04-2023, 12:11 PM
joe_db's Avatar
joe_db joe_db is offline
Afourian MVP
 
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 4,474
Thanks: 49
Thanked 1,026 Times in 721 Posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by capnward View Post
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
__________________
Joe Della Barba
Coquina
C&C 35 MK I
Maryland USA
Reply With Quote
  #8   IP: 73.250.89.254
Old 06-07-2023, 08:51 AM
sastanley's Avatar
sastanley sastanley is offline
Afourian MVP
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Solomons, MD
Posts: 7,016
Thanks: 1,134
Thanked 600 Times in 442 Posts
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..
__________________
-Shawn
"Holiday" - '89 Alura 35 #109
"Twice Around" - '77 C-30, #511 with original A-4 & MMI manifold - SOLD! (no longer a two boat owner!!)
http://www.moyermarine.com/forums/signaturepics/sigpic3231_6.gif
Reply With Quote
  #9   IP: 75.176.18.51
Old 06-07-2023, 08:34 PM
Marty_B Marty_B is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2023
Location: Charlotte NC
Posts: 28
Thanks: 36
Thanked 6 Times in 4 Posts
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!

Last edited by Marty_B; 06-07-2023 at 08:38 PM.
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Polishing Filter GregH Fuel System 27 05-05-2018 11:43 PM
Engine runs for a couple minutes, stops hard, no fuel flow pdecker Troubleshooting 30 05-28-2015 01:17 PM
Fuel Shutdown Issue gdasw Fuel System 17 06-20-2013 08:53 AM
Fuel-Related Engine Shutdowns Don Moyer Fuel System 32 02-18-2011 04:36 PM
Facet fuel pump notes rigspelt Fuel System 3 01-03-2009 01:31 PM


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 07:35 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.


Universal® is a registered trademark of Westerbeke Corporation

Copyright © 2004-2024 Moyer Marine Inc.

All Rights Reserved