Bilge Water Smells
Barry E. Morrison
tank smell so I don't think it is is that. You cannot notice it inside the boat until the bilge is
pumped out. Any explanations for the smell and suggestions for cleaning it up? Thanks.
Barry Morrison
dog...@michiana.net
Recently our holding tank overflowed its inspection port very slightly
(wasn't tightened sufficiently, apparently, and of course we let it
overfill) resulting in an horrific odor from the bilge, ostensibly due
to bacterial growth in the bilge water. At other times fungal growth in
stagnant bilge water has resulted in a foul odor.
The fix is the same in either case. Pour a gallon of chlorine bleach
into the pumped-out bilge and take the boat out for a brief jaunt,
hopefully rocking in powerboat wake, at least a little. Then add
several gallons of water from a garden hose into the bilge and pump it
out again. Repeat this several times. This should kill most bacteria
and fungal species. As a preventative, we add bilge cleaner to the
residual water on a monthly basis and pump it out a week later. The
result is an oil-free, clean-smelling bilge. And no, I don't care to
get into a discussion of environmental issues, thank you.
Jeff
Jeff
Peggie Hall
>
> When I pump out my bilge I notice the water has developed a strong odour. It is not the holding
> tank smell so I don't think it is is that. You cannot notice it inside the boat until the bilge is
> pumped out. Any explanations for the smell and suggestions for cleaning it up? Thanks.
Yep...you have little stagnant "ponds" that stink when disturbed.
Molds, fungi, and bacteria that thrive in wet dark places, along with
dead/decaying micro sea (and even fresh water) organisms, can make a
boat smell like a swamp--or even a sewer--especially in hot
weather...'cuz the little buggers multiply faster in hot weather than in
warm. Add in even a tiny bit of diesel and Pheeeeeeeew! We get calls
all the time from people who've torn their hair--and just about
everything in their sanitation system--out trying to cure "head" odor,
when all they really needed to do was clean the bilge. Not just pour
bleach or bilge cleaner into it (that's only the equivilant of using
more deodorant instead of taking a bath), but CLEAN it, with a good
detergent bilge cleaner that will not only remove any oil or diesel
that's gotten into the brew, but also the dirt, grime and slime and a
hefty dose of bleach to kill off any remaining spores, followed by a
thorough rinsing and then leave all the hatches open so that air can
circulate till everything is dry.
Shower sumps and chain lockers are another source of boat odor...clean
them a bit more often too. To cut down on the water in the bilge,
reroute ice box drains and a/c condensate drains into sumps...put catch
basins under stuffing boxes (or spring for dripless packing).
But the real key is better "housekeeping." Boats, like houses, need
maintenance. It can be a major PITA sometimes but at least boats don't
have lawns that have to be mowed every week. :-)
Peggie
Gary W. Sandvik
Peggie, what cleaners do you recommend to clean the bilge area? I've tried
several products but never seem to find anything that really does the job
well.
I recently had to replace the prop shaft and seals so we got rather dirty
working in the bilge. Noticed a lot of grime and slime. Thought it had been
under control. I would love to get the bigle really clean now that my shaft
is new with good packing. I've set the gland on the packing so it drips but
not very fast, about 1 drip every 2 minutes. The shaft doesn't get hot so I
think this setting will keep a lot of the water out of the bilge area. I
know the deck overflow or slop cannot be prevented but whatever is done
surely helps.
--
Regards and God Speed,
Gary W. Sandvik
garyws...@worldnet.att.net
garyws...@att.net
Peggie Hall <peg...@worldnet.att.net> wrote in article
<35C74B55...@worldnet.att.net>...
:
bbr...@usa.net
I can second everything Peggie has said above. While taking care of a fleet
of bareboat charterboats we were often complemented on how "clean" our older
fleet was. Most of that "clean" was an intolerance for bilge odor. Every
boat had its bilges scrubbed weekly, grey or refrigerator water was never
allowed into the bilge, and oil leaks were always fixed immediately and oil
obsorber pads always used in engine room pans. There are particular smells
that come from foul freshwater (one of the worst), saltwater and oil (the
most common "boat odor") and just plain dirt. It doesn't have to be. (A
side note to the gentlemen here. If you have trouble getting your wife or
girlfriend to spend time on the boat. Get your sniffing gear out and
remember Channel doesn't make anything that resembles "boat odor" :-)
Just a note about chlorine. Getting into the habit of dumping chlorine into
the bilgewater instead of cleaning the bilge and eliminating the leaks will
reek havoc on rubber pump and hose parts over time.
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Peggie Hall
>
> Hi,
>
> Peggie, what cleaners do you recommend to clean the bilge area? I've tried
> several products but never seem to find anything that really does the job
> well.
Weelll...at the risk of sounding self-serving, "Practical
Sailor/Powerboat Reports" rates our "B.C." VERY highly. But while B.C.
is good, even letting it just slosh around while you bounce on powerboat
wakes isn't gonna clean a really sour bilge--at least not the first
time. And if you think it will, try throwing a dirty rag into the mix
and see if IT comes clean! The only way to really clean a really dirty
bilge is to get in there with a brush or a pressure washer. Then use a
good detergent bilge cleaner and a hose with a nozzle on it a couple of
times a year to KEEP te bilge from getting sour again. (Hey...beats
mowing the lawn!)
Peggie
> I recently had to replace the prop shaft and seals so we got rather dirty
> working in the bilge. Noticed a lot of grime and slime. Thought it had been
> under control. I would love to get the bigle really clean now that my shaft
> is new with good packing. I've set the gland on the packing so it drips but
> not very fast, about 1 drip every 2 minutes. The shaft doesn't get hot so I
> think this setting will keep a lot of the water out of the bilge area. I
> know the deck overflow or slop cannot be prevented but whatever is done
> surely helps.
>
> --
> Regards and God Speed,
>
> Gary W. Sandvik
>
> garyws...@worldnet.att.net
> garyws...@att.net
>
> Peggie Hall <peg...@worldnet.att.net> wrote in article
> <35C74B55...@worldnet.att.net>...
> :
Joe Engel
Peggie's free advice over the years.
Her BC bilge cleaner really does work darn good. I bought some out of guilt
(mentioned above) and it made a big difference in our bilge smell and made
the water in the bilge clear right up. Kinda neat.
The only problem is that it is not on the West Marine store shelves out
here. It is in the catalog so we had to order it.
Peggie Hall wrote in message <35C7C137...@worldnet.att.net>...