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Celestialsailor · 06-10-2020, 22:20

My new to me fixer boat has a bad diesel tank. It is now empty but the bilge's have had diesel in them which has been safely cleaned up. Now the boat has been permeated with diesel smell. The cushions I can deal with...warm water soak for 24 hours, then machine wash in net bags on gentle and hung dry until they are 90% dry, then fit on cushion and allow the last 10% to dry.

So my question is how to remove the odor from the bilges, woodwork ect. Simple green? Zep 505? 409? I have an ozone generator that I will run in the end.

Anyone done this before?

Celestialsailor · 11-10-2020, 23:21

Thought I would bump this thread again. Please let me know what you use.

UFO · 12-10-2020, 03:15

Best thing I found was LOTS of a natural Eucalyptus detergent with very hot water - Just keep flushing and agitating/scrubbing and let it dry and repeat again as many times as needed.

That was on a bilge though that had probably only a liter spilt and was only in there for a few hours.

Kokanee · 12-10-2020, 03:51

After replacing my leaky tanks, I didn't get rid of the diesel smell completely until I painted the bilge.

**Hudson Force** · 12-10-2020, 03:54

I recall having some success with citrus cleaners like Pine Sol or Lemon Fresh.

acem · 12-10-2020, 06:00

Try some degreaser?

Otherwise hot water with soap/detergent/etc works better than cold water cleaning oil. Diesel is a light oil.

Google luck and let us know how it goes.

Thx-Ace

Orion Jim · 12-10-2020, 07:01

I had a slight leak when my diesel tank developed pinholes. The bilge cleanup consisted of Simple Green rinsed with fresh water and vacuumed out initially and ended up as the same process using Dawn dishwashing detergent. It took several applications of each but there wasn’t a hint of diesel left when in was done.
I did not have the smell saturation issues you have since my leak was so small. The interior had a slight diesel smell which dissipated in a couple weeks once the tank was removed and the bilges cleaned.

barnakiel · 12-10-2020, 07:32

I use wipes / rags and acetone.

b.

Celestialsailor · 12-10-2020, 12:24

Thanx for the feed back. there is also a black tar looking substance on the hull near the bilge. Could that be really old diesel?

Cheechako · 12-10-2020, 12:32

Dawn or Joy and a pressure washer under the floor boards and in the bilge. may help, it seemed to for me with a leaky bilge tank cleanup.
If you h ave been heeled/sailing with diesel in the bilge, be sure to pressure wash up under the floorboards to the outside edge.

longhorn · 12-10-2020, 15:06

PureAyre works great for me. I had about a liter of diesel that leaked from a sending unit that got down into the bilge. PureAyre liberally sprayed in the bilge got rid of the smell overnight.

Compass790 · 12-10-2020, 15:21

Had pretty good results with laundry powder & hot water but fill up bilge as much as you can & let soak overnight. Makes a ring at the level line but then you have to wipe that with simple green or detergent.

CassidyNZ · 12-10-2020, 15:25

If there is an up-side to diesel in the bilge it is that it will unscrupulously remove any traces of oil and leave the bilge squeaky clean. I had about 100litres of diesel leak into my bilge, never had the bilge that clean.

I pumped the dirty fuel out, poured 5 litres of strong eco-degreaser in along with 200 litres of fresh water, went for a 5-hour sail then pumped the water out. No diesel smell after that.