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Diesel Stench


Lastdraft

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Just back home from a nightmare trip on the boat. We had one of our steel diesel tanks split leaking 150 + litres into the bilge. Limped back to Brundall from WRC to begin the clean up. Damaged tank now out of the boat and diesel pumped out of the bilges, but the lingering stench of diesel is taking some shifting, we have used detergent and hot water but has anyone any other solutions or tips to get rid of the smell of diesel ?

Any advice greatly appreciated as always. 

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dnks34. The split in the tank was at the very bottom and I had added 60 litres 2 days earlier , I have always been lucky.  The diesel was confined to the Bilge’s but splashes and spills were inevitable throughout the cabin during the clean up.

Thanks all for suggestions, bicarbonate of soda and cat litter make sense, along with lots of fresh air and time. 

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Same thing happened to us only it was the  return to the tank not connected properly on a new tank installation and it absolutely stunk

heres what I did I turned off the bilge pump and flooded the bilge with river water and dropped a full bottle of bilge cleaner down and the left for a good few hours ( I would have preferred overnight but time was an issue) I then went to the pump out station on our yard and got them to drop the pump out down and suck it out - it's not right to discharge in the system 

I then did the same again but this time only I dropped a full bottle of fairy washing up liquid down . Washing up liquid disperses diesel ( ask any yard they will soon have a chap in a row boat at the first sign of a slick ) I then took the boat out to work the washing up liquid into the nooks and crannies of the bilge on return get the pump out pipe to then suck it all away again - by this time the smell was only distant 

the next step involved a kettle a bucket and a nice smelling fabric conditioner ( I prefer Comfort )  2 x buckets of very hot water with a good cup of comfort in each then dropped in the bilge ( bilge pump still off ) the hot water will push a nice smell through out the boat  I left mine overnight , my shower at the time drained in the bilge and and did not switch on the pump until one of us had a shower to clear 

it worked for us - so good luck 

finny

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I'm quite surprised that disposal of diesel through a 'boat sewage pump out' is allowed. I would have thought it should have been treated as 'hazardous waste' and disposed of as such.

I always assumed, rightly or wrongly, that the 'material' from pump out stations, either went directly into the sewage system, where available. Or, was taken by tanker to a sewage treatment works for disposal.

If neither of the above boat waste disposal methods is used, I'd be interested to know where it goes and if diesel, would be allowed to go through whatever system is used...

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3 hours ago, kingfisher666 said:

I'm quite surprised that disposal of diesel through a 'boat sewage pump out' is allowed. I would have thought it should have been treated as 'hazardous waste' and disposed of as such.

I always assumed, rightly or wrongly, that the 'material' from pump out stations, either went directly into the sewage system, where available. Or, was taken by tanker to a sewage treatment works for disposal.

If neither of the above boat waste disposal methods is used, I'd be interested to know where it goes and if diesel, would be allowed to go through whatever system is used...

The diesel has been removed and disposed of in the correct manner we are talking about the smell and perhaps any slight residual trace treated via designed detergent cleaners that break it down before going down any drain 

finny

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What detergent does is either form an emulsion of oil and water which is usually temporary or it encapsulates the oil in little globular shaped spheres which allows bacteria present in all water systems to break it down to its constituent parts. The most famous example is deepwater horizon where due to the actual sea floor leaking oil for millennia the level of oil eating bacteria was thousands of times more than the doom mongers would have you believe. Consequently the oil was gone many times more speedily than other spills. Detergents are of course modified oils in the first place . If anyone remembers the spill from a tanker in the Highlands and Islands the same thing occurred helped by very very strong winds. Oil is not the devils liquid as portrayed by extreme tree huggers, same goes for mercury and other demonized materials. Yes the human body contains enzymes capable of metabolizing mercury. Go figure huh !!!  

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2 hours ago, Malanka said:

What detergent does is either form an emulsion of oil and water which is usually temporary or it encapsulates the oil in little globular shaped spheres which allows bacteria present in all water systems to break it down to its constituent parts. The most famous example is deepwater horizon where due to the actual sea floor leaking oil for millennia the level of oil eating bacteria was thousands of times more than the doom mongers would have you believe. Consequently the oil was gone many times more speedily than other spills. Detergents are of course modified oils in the first place . If anyone remembers the spill from a tanker in the Highlands and Islands the same thing occurred helped by very very strong winds. Oil is not the devils liquid as portrayed by extreme tree huggers, same goes for mercury and other demonized materials. Yes the human body contains enzymes capable of metabolizing mercury. Go figure huh !!!  

 

Gulf-Coast-Photo-Gallery-31.jpg

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i normally don't bother to throw my two penneth in unless Iam in a position to offer help and after finding myself excuse the pun (in the same boat ) I did funnily enough and over the years I found myself saying " here we go " and low and behold .........it didn't take long after I press the post button ?

Lastdraft I hope you find a solution to your problem .....personally i would keep it to yourself .........that's unless of course you don't mind the forum padantcs who really don't offer anything to your smelly problem or contribute anything positive 

finny

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Pedantic or tree hugger... I've been called worse. But, I actually care about the Norfolk Broads, it's environment, flora and fauna and if questioning how waste fuel oil and the chemicals used to clear it up, are disposed of, then I'll be as pedantic as you like...

I don't think it's unreasonable to ask such questions, nor would it be unreasonable to give an answer, if you have one... If you don't find my post 'contributing anything positive', then I'll just learn to live with that, but it won't stop me asking questions, if I feel they need to be asked...

 

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correct and I suggest you go back and read my reply to your question ........btw I thought the photo in your reply was an insult also very inappropriate all things considered  - but then again some people are just plain stupid or very rude enough said 

bye bye 

finny

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I havent seen anyone in this thread advocate dumping fuel in the river so its a bit disappointing its turned into another one of those threads.......

The op asked about odour removal, if you want to talk about the detrimental effects of putting fuel oil in the river (again which nobody suggested)  why not start a new topic?

Whatever the pump out pipe sucks out is up to the pump out station doing it surely.......

 

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I am sure we are all aware of the environmental impact an oil spill has, now I dont see that even a large (by broads standards) spill would be allowed to extend to the level that it left wildlife in such a condition as that picture shows, so maybe its time to move on and ask how the cleanup is proceeding, and how effective the solutions that have been offered are proving.

many thanks to Malanka for providing the science, and to Kingfisher for reminding us that can be environmental impacts as well, but we really want to know the answer in case any of us have a similar issue with a diesel spill in the boat. 

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8 hours ago, Malanka said:

it encapsulates the oil in little globular shaped spheres

sorry to be pedantic, but you can't have globular shaped spheres. You could have spherical shaped globules.

Yes, Bernard Woolley was my favourite character in Yes Minister.

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