Extreme degreasing of engine bilges.

[system 4-50]

I used fairy liquid with hot water to clean my bilge of oil & diesel , worked a treat.

and how are your hands?

[Dalslandia]

http://www.is-ab.net/

[RLWP]

and how are your hands?

 

With Mild Green Fairy Liquid?

 

Richard

[system 4-50]

 

With Mild Green Fairy Liquid?

 

Richard

you sing it so beautifully.

[bigray]

When I worked in the hospitality industry we used this http://www.janitorialdirect.co.uk/suma-d9-oven-and-grill-cleaner-750ml-x-2-d9750-3137.html when I had old Land Rovers I used it to de-grease all sorts of bits with it. Worked a treat!

[Batavia]

Cellulose thinners - the universal solvent!

 

Chris G

[Chris-B]

YTS trainee.. paid minimum wage

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irony

[Flyboy]

Do Boy Scouts still do 'Bob a job' ?

[system 4-50]

Does Teepol still exist? Used it to clean lab chemistry equipment. About 50 years ago.

[RLWP]

Does Teepol still exist? Used it to clean lab chemistry equipment. About 50 years ago.

 

http://teepol.co.uk/products/mpd.html

 

Richard

[br4k3s]

Did my engine bilge in the summer after engine removed for overhaul. 1987 boat leaky PJ3 bilge was 25ys of muck scraped worst of with scraper, then neat Jizer stiff brush, left to soak about 30mins, washed out & cleared out water, lekt to dry out over night, then cleaned thoroughly with strong mix of washing liquid & sponged out was very pleased with result but very very messy.

[David Schweizer]

When the engine was removed from our boat, II cleaned the engine box with paraffin and an old paintbrush. it took a couple of applications but removed all the oil and grease which had been there fo nearly thirty years. Afterward i washed it out with White Spirit, and once dry, applied two good coat of Finigans Smoothrite, (now called Hammerite Smooth I believe)

[dogless]

Or....

 

look on it as part of a living history and save yourself a job.

 

Just saying

 

Rog

[FadeToScarlet]

Heat gun and a paint scraper?

[Larkboy]

We use a degreaser at work that you mix with 2 or 3 parts water and it works brilliantly. Unfortunately I'm away on holiday until next week so can't supply you with any details until Monday. If you're still interested then let me know and I'll give you the details....it really is very good.

[Texasboater]

http://www.chemomarine.com/admin/spaw2/uploads/files/PDS/MARINE/TANK_CLEANERS/CARGO_TANK_CLEANERS/SOLVENT_BASED/TANK_&_BILGE_CLEANER.pdf

[Murflynn]

Electric toothbrush to disturb it and cotton buds to soak it up.

 

I've only just caught on to you - all your boating is done with models in the bath after tea-time.

[alan_fincher]

Well firstly to repeat, what we already know doesn't work well are......

 

1) Gunk - very little effect at all.

2) White spirit -a bit better, though maybe only because Gunk followed by white spirit has some effect, (but still really not cutting it)

3) Washing up liquid / hot water - useless.

 

I'm not prepared to use petrol, but the paraffin suggestion sounds well worth a try, as does the cellulose thinners. (Where does one obtain the latter at not silly money?).

 

No 1 son suggested on our return that he has great success with cleaning paint off war gaming models that he is involved with using Fairy Power Spray, (which Cath assures me is by far the most lethal hob / oven degreaser she ever gets involved in, so we may try that as well, but I suspect it will cost quite a lot to hit it with enough.

 

Leaving it not dealt with seems daft, as it has probably not been accessed for some 40 years, and the steelwork is less than perfect. I'm hoping it will never need accessing again in our ownership of the boat, and would dearly love to get some paint on it while there isn't a ton of engine and gearbox getting in the way.

 

If I have not mentioned anybody else's serious suggestion, I apologise - I'll reread through the whole thread again. A pressure washer would probably shift a lot of it, but I think the collateral damage would just be too great!

Please keep the ideas coming, particularly if you have dealt with the horrors of an engine bilge full of decades worth of grease ridden "silt".

[Phoenix_V]

 

I'm not prepared to use petrol, but the paraffin suggestion sounds well worth a try, as does the cellulose thinners. (Where does one obtain the latter at not silly money?).

 

I would have thought cellulose thinners was more dangerous than petrol! but if you want to try any decent car parts place will sell it (or gun thinners/cleaner same thing). Plenty on ebay too. about £10 a gallon.

[bizzard]

Nitro cellulose thinners is very flammable, but its a very good aggressive cleaner. It will soften up and clean old solid with paint paint brushes in no time. As Pheonix V says. Standard cellulose gun cleaner is the cheapest.

How about 1,729 little bottles of nail varnish remover.

[RLWP]

Nitro cellulose thinners is very flammable, but its a very good aggressive cleaner. It will soften up and clean old solid with paint paint brushes in no time. As Pheonix V says. Standard cellulose gun cleaner is the cheapest.

How about 1,729 little bottles of nail varnish remover.

 

I would not use it in an engine bilge in an enclosed cabin

 

Richard

[bizzard]

 

I would not use it in an engine bilge in an enclosed cabin

 

Richard

No, its very heady, as is petrol. My dad had a motor bike and side car, A 1936 Royal Enfield 500 single. One hot summers day I was sitting on it out side the house playing Geof Duke when I undid the petrol tank cap and had a sniff, wonderful, I kept on sniffing and sniffing, I liked the smell of petrol. I kept sniffing. Between sniffs I won all the races at great speed even with the side car attached. It flew in great bursts up into space, circumnavigating moon and all the other planets before returning to earth, out of petrol. It was marvelous. But the terrible pounding headache afterwards wasn't.

[BWM]

Cellulose thinners in a confined space will leave you feeling very light headed, maybe useful for a quick wipe over prior to painting though. The mixer we used was recommended and supplied by Stockton dry dock and left us with a paintable surface.

[BruceinSanity]

No, its very heady, as is petrol. My dad had a motor bike and side car, A 1936 Royal Enfield 500 single. One hot summers day I was sitting on it out side the house playing Geof Duke when I undid the petrol tank cap and had a sniff, wonderful, I kept on sniffing and sniffing, I liked the smell of petrol. I kept sniffing. Between sniffs I won all the races at great speed even with the side car attached. It flew in great bursts up into space, circumnavigating moon and all the other planets before returning to earth, out of petrol. It was marvelous. But the terrible pounding headache afterwards wasn't.

Is that when you took the pic for your avatar?

 

Seriously, this thread has been CWDF at its best, both useful and daft in turns.

[BWM]

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Edited October 12, 2016 by BWM