Filthy Injin'oles

[Moley]

Given that moorings seem to be in short supply I'm amazed that the other berths in our little wharf are still empty (however, I understand that local moorings officer has had wrists slapped for putting us in there too soon). Strictly speaking, they're not yet ready, the electric is on but water pipes aren't yet connected, and as for when BW get around to fitting gates or providing the planned Elsan facilities, your guess is as good as mine. As they've also not yet finalised fees or sent me a bill I'm keeping my head down.

 

 

It will be quite a nice little wharf within a new residential development, but the neighbours are the sort who are on the phone to BW at the slightest hint of pollution, so I have to be careful pumping out my bilge as there are no other boats I can blame.

 

This presents me with a problem. As anyone who has read my build log will know, I've shortly got to do something about this!

 

 

So, how do you go about cleaning oily bilges, can you disguise or disperse in any way, and how environmentally friendly (or otherwise) is Gunk?

 

In short, how do I tackle this one without upsetting the neighbours, duckies and fishies?

 

Thanks,

Ade.

[DHutch]

The contect of the bilge should not be put into the canal!

 

Get a cheap/old pump, and a big container, and pump the bilge dry into that.

 

Then i would repeatedly spray the area with a suitable ,and cheapish, cleaner.

- Then pump that into containers too.

 

 

As for what to do with the waste, i depends what is mainly is, and how much there is.

 

If theres a lot, and its mainly water, leave it to settle for a while, and draw the water off the bottom, then check its fairly clean, and find some suitable ground a decent distace from any canal/river/ditch/drain and pour it away. (It mainly water anyway)

- Then you've got a lot less to deal with!

 

Then depending on what, and how much is left, if it mainly oil, take it to an waste oil place (or pay a garage to take it for you)

 

Or else, what we do with our dirty/oily whitespirt is use it to lit the boiler, which although not great, is much better than using clean lighter fliud, or dumping it in th cut.

 

 

Daniel

[Yamanx]

I'll let you know how I did it on Monday! As I'm tackeling a very similar problem this weekend. Although my boat is out of the water, its on nice clean concrete and the boat yard have asked me not to get any oil, grease, diesel etc on it.

 

I have borrowed a steam cleaner. I plan to, using a bilge pump, pump as much of the stuff into containers, then using an old wet vac I've got to suck up the rest and take to the tip.

 

Then using the steam cleaner blast it. Most of the electrics have been removed and I'll bag up the alternator, or take it off. The suck up the watery mess until fairly clean. Me hopes

[nigel carton]

As above, get an old vax, they do a great job and will suck anything up including engine oil. I've used mine numerous times and its still going strong, must let the mother in law have it back soon.....

[alan_fincher]

I had to deal with a similar problem.

 

As Nigel says, if you have a wet and dry vac you don't mind making a complete mess of, it's probably going to work better than anything else.

 

But if not I notice you appear to have a small electric bilge pump in there. I was surprised how much crap these would suck, and still keep pumping, (and they can be unblocked easily if a large lump of grease or similar does get sucked in).

 

As it's virtually impossible to catch stuff in a bucket, if you pump it out through the normal hull outlet, I simply disconnected the end of the hose that would be attached there, to allow pumping it straight into containers.

 

But a bilge pump, by virtue of design, will never get out the final centimeter, or so, (at the low point) out, whereas a wet'n'dry vac can usually be persuaded to get the last drop. It's not too easy to clean them afterwards though, if there's a lot of grease in there - so if it does belong to mother-in-law, you may not be too popular.

[Moley]

I've got no shortage of bilge pumps!

 

The one that's down there (which is turned on by twisting 2 wires together and goes nowhere near the button that actually says "bilge pump") is connected to the usual skin fitting.

 

There's also a new one, which previous owner never got round to fitting, and I've got a third which came from the old shower sump. Also a 12-volt wet'n'dry vac left by previous owner.

 

Ade.

[Yamanx]

Hey I wonder if your previous owner was the same bloke who owned mine. I've got five, yes five, bilge pumps in various stages of repair and also two of the shower caravan type which is ideal for pumping out the diesel tank so I can weld it. BOOM! And they too are two wires twisted together and bear no relation to the switches, along with the rest of the wiring.

 

Think I'll fill the tank with water first eh? Or argon from the welder.

[jerrytug]

Wipe up the oily bits with rags etc and use them to light the burner! I would fail you on fire hazard on it anyway. It`s quite hard to get hold of now, but there is an old product called "Elbow Grease" which used to work wonders,can you get it still round your way? XX Jerry

[Paula]

Ok

 

Heres a strange one for you....get rid of oil using cat litter...soaks it up beautifully. Mind you we have an engine room and it is easier to get around the sump. It works really well and then you just scoop it up.

 

Paula

[Yamanx]

I would need about 14 bags of it and a JCB to dig it out afterwards

[Paula]

How much oil have you got in there? Sounds like you've got a problem there mate. My old Ruston Hornsby has very little old coming out....I'm I doing something wrong? Should I be swimming in it down there?

 

Paula

[Moley]

Paula: Many thanks, that sounds very sensible, will give it a try.

And I think you need to search Yamanx's threads to see what sort of project he's taken on.

 

Jerrytug: Not sure there's much demand for Elbow Grease nowadays, can you get it on ebay?

 

(seriously though, I'm already using more than my fair share)

 

Thanks all,

Mole.

[ChrisPy]

Wipe up the oily bits with rags etc and use them to light the burner! I would fail you on fire hazard on it anyway. It`s quite hard to get hold of now, but there is an old product called "Elbow Grease" which used to work wonders,can you get it still round your way? XX Jerry

but if you spill any elbow grease how do you wipe it up? sounds like you're just adding to the problem using that stuff.

[John Orentas]

Ok

 

Heres a strange one for you....get rid of oil using cat litter...soaks it up beautifully. Mind you we have an engine room and it is easier to get around the sump. It works really well and then you just scoop it up.

 

Paula

 

 

Further to Paula's idea, there is a product which is produced specifically for this purpose, colloquially known as Kitty Litter you can get it from engineers merchants it must be cheaper than the real stuff.

 

Yammy and Anthony are probably about level pegging, remember the introduction to the Beverley Hillbillies, 'That's close'.

Edited November 29, 2005 by John Orentas

[Amicus]

Kitty Litter you can get it from engineers merchants it must be cheaper than the real stuff.

 

snip

Isn’t that stuff Vermiculite? And if it is, is it still used for loft inslation?

[John Orentas]

Isn’t that stuff Vermiculite? And if it is, is it still used for loft inslation?

 

 

Not sure quite what it is, but yes it looks like that insulation stuff. Very absorbent it can be sprinkled under leaky machine tools or for mopping up spillages.

[AJLintern]

Fullers Earth isn't it?

[DHutch]

Fullers Earth isn't it?

Maybe there more than one brand name.....?

[John Orentas]

Fullers Earth isn't it?

 

 

Don't know who's earth it is but it's good stuff.

[AJLintern]

From Wikipedia...

 

Fuller's earth is any nonplastic clay or claylike material that can be used to decolorize, filter, and purify animal, mineral, and vegetable oils and greases. It usually has a high magnesium oxide content. In the United States, two varieties of fuller's earth are mined, mainly in the southeastern states. These comprise the minerals montmorillonite or palygorskite (attapulgite) or a mixture of the two; some of the other minerals that may be present in fuller's earth deposits are calcite, dolomite, and quartz.

 

The name reflects the first use of the material. In past centuries, fullers (whom we might now call dry cleaners) kneaded powdered fuller's earth into woolen garments to absorb lanolin and human body oils. When the fuller's earth was shaken out and the garment was "fulled" (fluffed), it was considered to be clean; this process is termed "fulling". Fuller's Earth was also sold in Pharmacies until recently for compressing pills and it is sometimes used by Crane Operators and their Oilers to absorb grease and oil off the brake bands on the winches to make them function properly.

 

Important uses are in absorbents and filters. Because of this, fuller's earth is sometimes found in cat litter.

 

[Alastair]

My local hydraulics shop stocks it, it ain't fuller earth, more like kitty litter. Actually states that it can be burnt in stoves etc afterwards. Think I'll get some for clearing out my own filthy engine hole, will let you know how I get on.

[awatsonbcp]

hmmmmmm....fullers earth ...very eco unfriendly as it is dug out of quarries.going back to cat litter you could try the litter made from recycled sawdust.its called beauticat.

[Big COL]

I was told that cat litter and oil mop up pellets are made from dehydrated, sterilised clay.

[davidandheather]

I was told that cat litter and oil mop up pellets are made from dehydrated, sterilised clay.

Horrible stuff trails all over your workshop. We now use Pig Absorbant Mats they are a bit expensive.

The mulipurpose one's can soak up oil water and alsorts of chemicals great for a engine room

www.newpig.co.uk

We no way connected with this company

 

David

[Moley]

Don't really care what it's called, sounds good to me, and as there's a big pet store and a Tescos within 100 yards of my mooring, cat litter seems the easiest option. Will chuck a bagful down next time I'm onboard (too bleedin' cold at the moment, wot wiv no insulation).

 

Using the stuff to get the stove going also sounds sensible.

 

Thanx folks,

Mole.