Fuel Oil spill basement?

[David Robert Dymm]

In article <-ya0234800008...@news.clarityconnect.com-,
<delete- wrote:
-An old oil tank for what is now a gas-fired boiler was removed from my
-basement. In the process, a samll amount of fuel oil was spilled... some of
-it on dirt and some on concrete. The smell is fairly obnoxious and I'm
-wondering what the best course of action would be to clean up this stuff.
-Someone suggested spreading some lime over the dirt to mask the odor. I'm
-leaning towards removing a thin layer of the dirt and then perhaps putting
-lime over that.
-
-We're not talking about an environmental disaster here...just a few cups of
-fuel oil that leaked out from the tank.
-
-Thanks in advance.
-
-Michael

Use lemon scented cat litter for the concrete (I had the same thing happen
in my basement) - lots of it. Pour the litter (you can buy the
stuff in fairly large bags) over the oil, let it soak in, then clean it up.
Dump the litter into plastic bags. As for the dirt, dig it up, remove it
then replase the dirt as necessary.

david

[Dave Anderson]

In <-ya02348000080...@news.clarityconnect.com>, <delete>e...@baka.com (Michael R. Erb) writes:
>An old oil tank for what is now a gas-fired boiler was removed from my

>basement. In the process, a samll amount of fuel oil was spilled... some of

>it on dirt and some on concrete. The smell is fairly obnoxious and I'm

>wondering what the best course of action would be to clean up this stuff.

>Someone suggested spreading some lime over the dirt to mask the odor. I'm

>leaning towards removing a thin layer of the dirt and then perhaps putting

>lime over that.

>
>We're not talking about an environmental disaster here...just a few cups of

>fuel oil that leaked out from the tank.

I've had similar problems a few times. There's a compound that oil dealers
use to absorb this sort of oil spill, but I'm told that Kitty Litter works
almost as well and is much easier/cheaper to obtain. Just put a pile down
on the spill and work it in for a bit and/or leave it there for a while and
most of the oil will be picked up.

Dave

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dave Anderson (da...@daveanderson.com)

Currently seeking employment in the Greater Boston (MA) area.
Experience in client/server, compilers, networks, operating systems, and more.
Interest in databases and hardware design.
Proven ability to learn new environments quickly.

[John McKenzie]

e...@baka.com (delete) writes:
> An old oil tank for what is now a gas-fired boiler was removed from my
> basement. In the process, a samll amount of fuel oil was spilled... some of
> it on dirt and some on concrete. The smell is fairly obnoxious and I'm
> wondering what the best course of action would be to clean up this stuff.
> Someone suggested spreading some lime over the dirt to mask the odor. I'm
> leaning towards removing a thin layer of the dirt and then perhaps putting
> lime over that.
>
> We're not talking about an environmental disaster here...just a few cups of
> fuel oil that leaked out from the tank.
>

Have heard that cat litter does a reasonable job. Even better would
be the similar stuff that garages use on their floors.

JHMcK

[Uncle Bob]

Go to your friendly gas station and buy a small amount of Oil-DRY. Just
throw some on the spot and brush it away in a week.

Great-Uncle Bob

Michael R. Erb <dele...@baka.com> wrote in article
<-ya02348000080...@news.clarityconnect.com>...

> An old oil tank for what is now a gas-fired boiler was removed from my
> basement. In the process, a samll amount of fuel oil was spilled... some
of
> it on dirt and some on concrete. The smell is fairly obnoxious and I'm
> wondering what the best course of action would be to clean up this stuff.
> Someone suggested spreading some lime over the dirt to mask the odor. I'm
> leaning towards removing a thin layer of the dirt and then perhaps
putting
> lime over that.
>
> We're not talking about an environmental disaster here...just a few cups
of
> fuel oil that leaked out from the tank.
>

> Thanks in advance.
>
> Michael
>

[Dave Kosenko]

John McKenzie wrote:
{ as a solution to cleaning up some spilled heating fuel }

> Have heard that cat litter does a reasonable job. Even better would
> be the similar stuff that garages use on their floors.

Interesting bit of trivia: Kitty Litter (the original stuff) was
originally invented by a fellow as a compound to clean up spilled
oil in gas stations. Some of his friends started using it for
their cat's litter boxes (sawdust was usually used previously) and
a new industry was born.

This was from a story on NPR last year, which was some sort of
anniversary of the introduction of Kitty Litter.

--
Dave Kosenko, Informix Software, Inc.

[Helen N. Lovisek]

Dave Anderson (da...@daveanderson.com) wrote:
: >An old oil tank for what is now a gas-fired boiler was removed from my

: >basement. In the process, a samll amount of fuel oil was spilled... some of
: >it on dirt and some on concrete. The smell is fairly obnoxious and I'm
: >wondering what the best course of action would be to clean up this stuff.

I'm told that Kitty Litter works

: almost as well and is much easier/cheaper to obtain. Just put a pile down
: on the spill and work it in for a bit and/or leave it there for a while and
: most of the oil will be picked up.

: Dave

Yes, use kitty litter. I've used it in the garage for
a car gas leak (when the gas line had a break), and for
other car "oils." Depending on the size of the spill,
you might find it better to use just enough litter to cover
the spill. Leave it a few hours and sweep up the
litter, Then repeat the process. After you've swept up
the final batch, use TSP to clean up any marks on the concrete (as
directed on the box).