Diesel Saturation

[Salty Dawg]

My fuel tank recently failed on the "Dawg" and replaced it with a 23 gallon Black poly tank from West Marine.....fairly easy replacement BUT I can't seem to get the diesel smell out of the boat. I've tried several applications of bilge cleaner as well as a host of cleaners from the local harware store. 10+- gallons of diesel sloshed around the bilge for 4 weeks before I caught the problem and evacuated the diesel.....all cushions seem to be saturated with the smell.....I've stripped her of everything and i can't get the smell to go away. Please advise if you have any suggestions!!!!!!!!!

thanks

 

[Loren Beach]

Odor Be Gone...

http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoexchange/showthread.php?t=1912&referrerid=28

We kind of got into the cushion smell problem in this thread... and if the diesel odor will not easily wash out, it might be best to replace the foam and launder the covers separately. The new foam is a lot less expensive, anyway, and it has maybe 15 years of life at the most. (It loses resiliency whether you sit on it or not, being an "unstable" material.)

Something to think about...

Besides, new hi-density foam for comfortable sitting and sleeping will make your spouse happy. A happy "Admiral" will generally make possible more happiness for you (the Captain.)


Best of Luck, and keep scrubbing!

Loren


Some Lyrics from "That Smell" by Lynyrd Skynyrd...

"Ooooh that smell
Can't you smell that smell
Ooooh that smell
The smell of death surrounds you"

 

[NateHanson]

Apparently Car detailers use a big "Ozonizer" or "Ozone Generator" or something to get odors out of the cars of chain-smoking, dog-owning, non-bathing owners that have been pulled out of a swamp.

You might try calling around and see if you could put their ozone thing in your boat for a couple days.

 

[Salty Dawg]

The Ozone machine was suggested by a freind who owns a Servicemaster Franchise.....he uses the machines to cleanup smoke damge...."BUT" (there is always a but) I have read that ozone will destroy rubber (Gaskets) and some plastics. He assures me that it will take care of the problem but I don't want to do more damage to the "Dawg". Do you know of any problems with Ozone?

As far as the cushions are concerned it looks like I will have to replace the foam.....Maybe wash the covers in Orange Glo.

 

[Loren Beach]

Ozone and Great Expectations

When you referenced the other thread... note that I did buy and use an ozone machine. (If it were only a bit smarter and were an "ozinator" it might now be governor of a large state. Ya think?)


I heard all the same warnings about the effects of ozone on rubber products. It does indeed put a bit of a O-3 "taste" in the air. We only would use it for a day and then air out the boat.

Problem is, and not the fault of the machine, that unless you get rid of the source of the smell, the smell *will* come back. We had quite a mold and mildew problem when we bought the boat, and it took a soap-n-water washdown of all the interior surfaces to really start to get rid of the recurring odor. If your boat has the factory oiled finish on all interior woodwork, this will hold odors depressingly well. Our boat does, and it did!

With a really good scrub and general cleanup, life got a lot better.
Can you get to ALL areas of the bilge? Maybe with a long handled bottle brush?

Other than mold or (Heaven forbid) a leak in your "black water" tank, diesel is the most pervasive smell to get rid of.

As Red Green sez, "Keep your stick on the ice, and we're all pulling for ya!"

Loren
'88 Olson 34

:0305_frow

 

[chaco]

What's that Smell ?

The E35II had been leaking Diesel in to the Bilge from a tank leak and chaffed
fuel hoses for quite some time (guaging from the tank rust and hose condition.
Replaced the tank and ran ALL new USCG Rated fuel hose with vinyl hose
chafe guard. I used a gallon ZEP Orange Cleaner (available at HD) and filled
the bilge with fresh water. Went out for a washing machine run and flushed
er out. Repeated this proceedure again. The Diesel SMELL is GONE
Now I clean the bilge every year with a quart of ZEP just for good measure.
The other common source of SMELL is the refrigerator drain leaking in to the
bilge and shower sump pump leaks or failure.
Diesel fuel and waste is just food to bacteria and a lot of the SMELL is gas
created by the little critters living in your bilge. Orange cleaner seems to work
well on removing Diesel fuel and bacteria and leaves your bilge FRESH and
CLEAN :nerd:

Good Luck /) /) /)