fuel smell

[Eric B]

I had some fuel spill into my bilge last weekend. I cannot seem to get rid of the odor. Tried degreaser and fresh water twice. Anyone have a cure???

[bgreene]

Originally Posted by Eric B

I had some fuel spill into my bilge last weekend. I cannot seem to get rid of the odor. Tried degreaser and fresh water twice. Anyone have a cure???

Check with an auto parts store.....

[kmoose]

Fuel will evaporate over time and usually only last a couple of days. Try using a fan to pull air out of the bilge during the day and leave a hatch on the opposite side of the boat open.

If the smell does not go away you have a leak somewhere which is not uncommon or a new build or refurb. This is especially the case when you redo the tank and all the hoses. The last time mine was changed with everything I was very meticulous in double clamping and tightening everything with the best of hardware. After a few weeks I had a smell that wouldn't go away and cut the top off the deck again. I had found that every vent, fill and supply hose end needed tightening and not just a little. Once I let it sit in the sun I re-tightened everything again and have been leak free for years. Hopefully this is not the case with yours but if so, its not the end of the world if you can get to all your fittings without cutting glass.

[Bushwacker]

Originally Posted by kmoose

. . . I had found that every vent, fill and supply hose end needed tightening and not just a little. Once I let it sit in the sun I re-tightened everything again and have been leak free for years. . .

That's a common problem with the screw type clamps on new hoses . . . the rubber slowly compresses after the clamps are tightened, so the clamps become loose again after a couple of weeks. The spring clamps often used on factory automotive radiator hoses maintain constant tension on the hose and never leak, even under pressure. Might be why BRP is using the crimp-type Oetiker clamps on their entire fuel system. They can be a pain to get off sometimes, but they never seem to leak!

[bigeasy1]

I had a fuel leak around the sending unit on my fuel tank in my Tsunami, and had some gas spill into the bilge when we accidentely overfilled the tank at the gas dock.
It took many cleanings with several cleaners to get the odor of raw fuel out of the bilge.

I had the best luck with two applications of bilge cleaner followed up by a couple more cleanings with the degreaser called Greased lightening.I got right in there with the garen hose and flushed it out many times.
Once you get it as clean as possible open up any hatches and motor boxes and let it air out.I also found a fan placed in the bilge helped to get the smell out. If you can pull the hatch above the fuel tank, that will also help to vent any odors and fumes, and expose any leaks in hoses etc.

Did you try Simple Green? my mechanic said he uses it to get fuel spill odors out of the bilges and it works pretty well.
Time is the key, that fuel smell can linger for quite some time even after you clean it very well.Even a tiny amount of gasoline will leave a residual odor for a while

When I did the restoration of my Tsunami I made the floor in the compartment forward of the fuel tank removable so I was able to access most all of the keel and bilge area from the stern to the cabin and expose it to the air.

It just takes time, but degreasers like simple green, greased lightening,or another liked Super clean (purple container) should work well. Good luck

[bigeasy1]

Oops'
sorry moose, I must have replied without seeing your reply.

[Eric B]

Thanks everyone. I will try them all!

[uncleboo]

Put an open container of charcoal in there for a spell.