Removing exhaust smell

My YSM8 has apparently had a hole the size of Rhode Island in the exhaust manifold for who knows how long that the PO was unaware of. Below deck has a constant and persistent exhaust smell. Now that the exhaust stack has been fixed, time to get to removing the odor.

Besides washing/replacing the interior cushions, any well worn tricks of the trade for everything else?

Try an ozone generator. I think mine cost $100 or so, and it actually removed the sour smell of old bilges and head.

I think I learned about it here--maybe from Loren. I believe it's what hotels use to remove cigarette smoke smell from rooms.

Reviews of ozones generators seems to be mixed. Hazardous to hoses, etc. If nothing else, the engine covered in a few decades of crude needs to be cleaned up so that stuff isn't cooking while under way.

I remain amused at what we write off as "That's just old boat smell".

I don't know about a YSM8, but most Universals have a breather tube coming off of the cylinder head. Factory rig was to route the end of the tube down into the bilge. Most owners re-route the tube end back to the air intake box or air filter. The thought is that any blow-by fumes will be sucked back into the intake rather than filling up the engine compartment and contributing to that diesel smell you are talking about.

A bit tedious, but use a soap and bleach combo to wash down all of the hull & bilge surfaces in the adjacent areas. Wipe down with wrung-out wet rags.
The hull below the engine can be "de-greased" (wiped down) with acetone on a rag or your solvent of choice. Use lots of ventilation when you do this.

I have also tried an ozone generator, right after we got our moldy boat home. I does help lower the smell, but nothing replaces physically removing the source of the smells -- like inside hull surfaces that had held a layer of mold/mildew/dirt.

After the cleanup, you will be pleased to be able to open up the closed interior and find no odors to assault your nose when you enter.

Rerouting the breather tube on my M25XP is what eliminated the smell and got rid of that awful air filter that Universal provided. I went with a K&N filter and tapped in a hose fitting at the top of it. An additional benefit has been that the transmission no longer has a light coat of oil on it.

Loren Beach said:

A bit tedious, but use a soap and bleach combo to wash down all of the hull & bilge surfaces in the adjacent areas. Wipe down with wrung-out wet rags.
The hull below the engine can be wiped down with acetone on a rag. Use lots of ventilation when you do this.

I have also tried an ozone generator, right after we got our moldy boat home. I does help lower the smell, but nothing replaces physically removing the source of the smells -- like inside hull surfaces that had held a layer of mold/mildew/dirt.

After the cleanup, you will be pleased to be able to open up the closed interior and find no odors to assault your nose when you enter.

Click to expand...

Any suggestion on the soap to mix up with the bleach?

This is actually my prefered method, since long-term it would be nice to get some bilgekote in these areas.

We use Clorox Cleaner and Bleach. Comes in spray bottles and Kathy likes to add a little extra bleach to it.

Seems to work well.

csoule13 said:

Reviews of ozones generators seems to be mixed. Hazardous to hoses, etc. If nothing else, the engine covered in a few decades of crude needs to be cleaned up so that stuff isn't cooking while under way.

I remain amused at what we write off as "That's just old boat smell".

Click to expand...

My PSS dripless shaft log came with a warning against ozone exposure to the bellows. FYI.

Paul
E29 "Bear"

In the real world this has not been a problem for me, and I have used the Ozone generator for an hour at a time a dozen times over the years.

It was very good for knocking down mold smell from old foam before I replaced it.

Yes, all warnings are to be listened to. Then you flip the coin.

Exhaust smell

I work in the insurance restoration and mitigation industry and use ozone where appropriate. The drawback to ozone is that it accelerates the degeneration of rubbers and vinyls. It will affect our good ole LP albums, refrigerator gaskets, dryer gaskets, VHS etc. So, those items affected have to be removed from the area or protected, We usually will put painters tape around the refrigerator door etc. to seal and protect. Once the source of the odor is removed meaning any loose or latent residue it does a very good job at eliminating odor. Failure to remove all of the contaminating material prior to the ozone treatment will result in the odor eventually returning. So, that is key! When using ozone you need to make sure there are no pets in or near the area, people cannot be on board during the treatment. The saloon must be closed up tight. When the treatment is over ( usually only an hour or two depending on the size and strength of the unit) the saloon must be thoroughly aired out before occupancy. We send someone into the home, open the windows and he then gets out as soon as he can. If you stay below during the treatment or before the area is properly aired out you will get dizzy and most likely get a headache due to the lack of O2 and run the risk of passing out. In the I lieu of using ozone, the industry is moving more and more toward what is called a Hydroxyl treatment. It is just as effective, does not harm any of the above listed materials and allows for a more rapid occupation of the area. You do not have to buy one as you can rent one at many rental companies. If a rental company in your area does not have one you can call an insurance restoration/ mitigation company and rent one for a day from them. Hydroxyl's are billed out according to how many "optics" are in the unit, 2 or 3. Two optics bills out on the East coast @ $ 180.00 per day and three optics at $228.00 per day. That includes the labor for the tech to deliver, set up, return and carry away. I do not know the current rental rates but if a rental company near you has one it will be cheaper than a mitigation company rental. Buying one is not feasible as they start at a couple of thousand dollars for the smaller unit and go up from there.
Hope this helps. Happy to help if you have any other questions.

febreze

I use Febreze in my bilge after my diesel tank leaked...
Yes, of course I absorbed the oil with white pads, cleaned with soap and water first, but the smell of diesel persisted.
I dumped about a 1/3 of a bottle of Febreze in the bilge, added a bit of water, and went for a sail to slosh it around.
I then pumped it out, and all, and I mean all the diesel smell was gone.

It works really well.

Rick+