Hydraulic fluid leak into my bilge. How do I clean the mess?

Skipper July 21, 2009 Ask The Skipper

Ian Dalton asked:

I have a real mess in the bilge of my 17 ft runabout. Hydraulic fluid leaked into the bilge. I have soaked up most of it but some dried on the sides. Do you have a product that will clean this?

Answer:

For your convenience, I’ve highlighted the hyperlinks. Click on the hyperlink to get more information about the selected product.

The product that you are looking for is Aurora’s Bilge Bath because it gives your bilge a bath. In addition to emulsifying the oil so you can pump it out, it will also loosen the sludge on the inside of the hull. It contains Odolime to knock out any smell associated with the oil as well.

Simply pour some into the bilge with some water and take your boat out for a run. Let it sit for a few days and repeat until all the oil is emulsified with the water. Pump it out into a pail and dispose of it on land at the marina. Do not dump the oil into the lake or on land. Even though Bilge Bath is biodegradable, the oil that is in the mixture is not.

You can also give the bilge a scrub with a brush, using Bilge Bath and water to accelerate the action.

Thanks for your question,

Captain Aurora
Richard Kittar