Bilge cleaning Tips?????

General boating discussion
fatcow
Posts: 38
Joined: Fri Mar 05, 2010 5:53 pm
14

Bilge cleaning Tips?????

#1

Post by fatcow »

What do all you guys use to clean the bilge out? All suggestions welcomed.
kmorin
Donator 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Posts: 1735
Joined: Mon Aug 18, 2008 1:37 am
15
Location: Kenai, Alaska

Re: Bilge cleaning Tips?????

#2

Post by kmorin »

FC, is the bilge open where you can get to it and see what's happening as you clean? For example, can to take off any decking and use a pressure washer? and see to clean the entire bilge?

OR is this a boat where you have to leave the deck on and rely on whatever solution was poured into one end to clean out all the way the stern?

Different methods for different circumstances.

Cheers,
Kevin Morin
Kenai, AK
kmorin
fatcow
Posts: 38
Joined: Fri Mar 05, 2010 5:53 pm
14

Re: Bilge cleaning Tips?????

#3

Post by fatcow »

Boats a pacific . 2 hatches need to pou something in to clean it out
kmorin
Donator 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Posts: 1735
Joined: Mon Aug 18, 2008 1:37 am
15
Location: Kenai, Alaska

Re: Bilge cleaning Tips?????

#4

Post by kmorin »

fatcow,

does the bilge wash have to be pumped out of the 2nd hatch or does the hull have a drain fitting at the stern? The difference being the former will be a pain to fully drain and dry up and the latter would allow you to just put the garden hose in the forward hatch and let it run for a few days to get a rinse of the bilge.

Whatever you do... don't consider Simple Green as the soap agent- unless you read the MSDS and labels thoroughly! Not recommended for aluminum - unless you can "rinse like a river"; even then there are probably solutions containing less copper compounds that will adequately clean your bilge!

Cheers,
Kevin Morin
Kenai, AK
Last edited by kmorin on Sun Apr 11, 2021 12:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: forgot to metion copper
kmorin
jj225
Posts: 145
Joined: Wed May 02, 2012 12:36 am
11

Re: Bilge cleaning Tips?????

#5

Post by jj225 »

Pour some salt away in the bilge then add water. Keep the drain plug in and drive the boat around. Find a hill and go up that. Get the water to move around. Take trailer off tow vehicle and crank as high as it'll go and then unplug. Works pretty good. K.I.S.S. I've done that more than once just because I got saltwater in the bilge not because it was dirty.
Post Reply Previous topicNext topic