Home brew bilgewater filter?

Michael Abramson · Post by **Michael Abramson** » Oct 7th, '11, 19:08

Occasionally I spill oil or diesel fuel under the engine tray and it finds its way into the bilge. There are some bilge cleaner liquids that allege to remove/dissolve the oil, but I have not had great success with them, and oil seems to remain in the water.

I resorted to pumping the oily water into a jerry can, but disposing of this becomes a problem too. If there is much oil present, I would normally take it to an auto parts store for recycling, but if it is mostly water, they don't really want it.

Has anyone seen a way to filter the oil out of the water, such as by pouring it through a long PVC tube (maybe 6" x 3' long) filled with bilge pads, charcoal, kitty litter, etc.? I'd like the first stage of the filter to be something I can easily pull out and discard where it will be burnt in an environmentally safe manner.

Or is there another approach to this problem?

Thanks.

Neil Gordon · Post by **Neil Gordon** » Oct 7th, '11, 19:25

Put an oil absorbing pad in the engine bed and you'll get most of it. Absorb what gets into the bilge with a second pad. Is that not working for you?

Joe Myerson · Post by **Joe Myerson** » Oct 7th, '11, 20:02

Like Neil, and most of us, I keep an oil-absorbing pad in the pan underneath the engine.

This season I put a so-called "bilge sock" in the bilge, instead of a pad. Of course, it seems to me that the "sock" is merely a rolled-up pad surrounded by some plastic mesh.

I also put a sponge-rubber pad supposedly permeated with oil-eating microbes in the bilge. Unfortunately, the company that was selling these pads seems to have gone out of existence, which doesn't bode well for their effectiveness.

--Joe

Oswego John · Post by **Oswego John** » Oct 7th, '11, 20:33

Fifty years ago we used to cut brown paper bags in roughly 8" x 8" pieces. We'd carefully lay the brown paper on the surface of the bilge water. Seeing that the oil floated to the top of the water, the paper would mainly sop up the surface oil. Then the paper was good to light the fire in the shop.

Maybe this process may be a bit tedious for those who are in a hurry but it's pretty cost effective.

O J

Neil Gordon · Post by **Neil Gordon** » Oct 7th, '11, 20:51

Oswego John wrote:Maybe this process may be a bit tedious for those who are in a hurry but it's pretty cost effective.

Oil absorbing pads are free at the marina fuel dock.

Oswego John · Post by **Oswego John** » Oct 7th, '11, 21:40

Neil Gordon wrote:
Oswego John wrote:Maybe this process may be a bit tedious for those who are in a hurry but it's pretty cost effective.
Oil absorbing pads are free at the marina fuel dock.

They weren't fifty years ago.

O J

Michael Abramson · Post by **Michael Abramson** » Oct 7th, '11, 23:42

Thanks to all.

I had been using a pad under the engine when this occured, but it seemed to get saturated quickly and not catching nearly all of the oil/fuel. I also tried the sock in the bilge, with mixed results. Even when no oil was apparent on the surface, it seemed like the bilge water had a slimy feeling and it certainly did not seem clean enough to pump overboard. A few test drops over the side left a sheen on the surface.

I guess I will give the pads a further effort, along with more detergents. I will still pump out the water but maybe can pour it into the trash.

Thanks again.

The Cape Dory Board

Home brew bilgewater filter?

Home brew bilgewater filter?

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