Diesel Odor in Cushions & Boat
How do I eliminate the diesel odor in my aft cabin
cushions?
Also see DIESEL ODOR IN BOAT...halfway
down this page!
We purchased our boat in late September and have been trying to
eliminate diesel odors (I think) in the aft cabin cushions. We
cleaned them and used an odor counteractent but the odor remains.
The zipper is frozen and we fear that if we remove the foam and dry
clean the fabric we will never get the foam back with out lumps. Has
anyone solved this problem? On haul out we will replace dripping
packing gland and have placed gasket foam on the cockpit lockers to
keep water out. The engine was cleaned and will give it another go
round. No fuel is leaking, can odor come from fuel hoses? We also
removed the panels in the aft cabin and found no fuel leaks. This
forum has been very helpful to a new owner as well as the FAQ. I
hope to contribute in the future
Jim Brener Wind Spirit #504, jbrener@erols.com
Subj: Re: [C34] DIESEL ODOR IN CUSHIONS
We have had great success in airing out all of our cushions by
taking them off the boat and home for the winter! We have lots of
room in our basement to stand them up and lightly spray them a few
times with Lysol spray to rid them of the odors from the diesel
fumes. I also wipe them on the plastic side with Clorox and water to
rid them of any mildew and/or smells! Good luck.
P.S. This also helps air out the entire boat. We remove everything
so in the Spring we can clean and get organized again!
Palmer & Carol Esau, Cheers #471, MyOpa@aol.com
Subj: Re: [C34] DIESEL ODOR IN CUSHIONS
We have had our boat for eleven years and I can't ever remember
diesel fumes lingering for any length of time, anywhere. I would
investigate further, perhaps your exhaust, tank, fuel lines or vent.
amaarch@impop.bellatlantic.net
Subj: Re: [C34] DIESEL ODOR IN CUSHIONS
The only time we had any kind of diesel fuel odor in the aft cabin
was when our fuel tank had a pinhole leak and diesel was leaking.
Have you checked the tank?
Allen Wissner, awissne1@tampabay.rr.com
Subj: Re: [C34] DIESEL ODOR IN CUSHIONS
Jim : I'd take your cushions to an upholstery shop. They can fix the
zipper so you can take the foam out . Then dry-clean the fabric. The
foam may be the problem - if so replace the foam. Yes, your boat is
of the age that your fuel lines should be replaced. Look at any bend
and if you see small cracks it's definitely time to replace them. I
did mine a few years back and mentioned it in the Mainsheet.
Ron APACHE #788, ronphylhill@erols.com
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Subj: Re: [C34] DIESEL ODOR IN BOAT
From: dillport@ffni.com (Larry Dill)
I know a few hog farmers who raise their livestock in confinement
buildings over pits with slatted floors. The mess down below is
generally anaerobic and stinks to high heavens when one stirs it.
Get a little on your hands and you'll know it for a week or so. If
you really find the smell of diesel fuel objectionable, perhaps I
could send you a jug of this stuff and you could spread it around in
your bilge. I'll guarantee that afterward, you'd never notice the
diesel smell.
Seriously, I suspect that the greatest problem will be getting the
residue of the diesel out of the cracks and crannies. I would think
that a good biodegradable industrial high strength detergent (like
Castrol's 'Super Clean' -- I think it is -- available at Wal-Mart
and Kmart for $5 - $7 per gallon) would remove most of the stuff.
The problem would be penetrating the deep cracks and crannies, which
probably soaked for a long time in the fuel. I'd not be afraid to
try thorough cleansing with full strength Castrol detergent (full
strength it is much like Gunk 'Engine Brite', for example, and can
actually strip greasy surfaces clean enough to paint), then try to
eliminate residual odor by using something like Febreze (Proctor and
Gamble). If you can find it in bulk (it ain't cheap in the small
pump-spray bottles), I think you might have some real success. I
have used it on many stinky things--it really seems to kill odors.
With the wood, if you clean it thoroughly with strong solvents
(acetone, etc) and get the surface oil out, it will still probably
weep odors for a long time. A possibility would be to clean it as
well as possible on the surface, then fully encapsulate the wood in
a good sealing barrier coat -- maybe two part paint, polyurethane,
etc. I did this in a building some years back which had extensive
fire damage. Everyone said that the odor would never be removed
without complete removal of all interior. I had the surfaces cleaned
thoroughly, then painted with several coats of "Kilz' or the
like – a sealer-primer. Thereafter, the interior was finished as
usual (incidentally, scorched paneling was merely sanded, then
varnished), and all odors were immediately gone forever. Fire damage
and diesel fuel are obviously much different, but both can create
very obnoxious odors, and both are expected to bleed through any
surface.
This problem is largely curable, but one may only speculate as to
the effort which will be involved and degree of success which may
reasonably be achieved. Keep in mind that things like laminated
flooring may be successfully dealt with only by removal and
replacement. Other wood may need removal as well (if for example its
location and/or installation will not allow compete cleansing and
sealing). The price of the boat should truly reflect this fact.
Finally, there is a way which you could definitely remove ALL diesel
from the boat. Simply saturate and flush the affected areas
repeatedly with ether. It will carry off the diesel. If you could
contain the ether after flushing in a separate container, you could
then let it evaporate, leaving the oil behind, and then recondense
and use over (this is a common method for extracting oils from
grains). Only problems I see include: You will need to maintain the
ether in a liquid state until after flushing, meaning you will need
a refrigerated and/or pressurized container large enough to contain
your boat and keep the ether below its very low boiling point; a
brand new Catalina may be cheaper; you will need a reservoir where
the ether will be allowed to boil off, then return for re-liquefying
and recycling through the boat; the whole idea is infeasible; and
you will probably explode the boat and anything within a few hundred
feet into oblivion.
There may be someone on the list who can advise you of a suitable
non-flammable solvent, liquid at standard temperatures and
pressures, which could be pumped over the affected areas, then
gathered and separated from the oil, then recycled (in other words,
a safe solvent which would allow a prolonged saturation and flushing
at normal temps and pressures). For some reason carbon
tetra-chloride comes to mind as a possible candidate, but I have
never used it since high school, it may be unavailable, and it may
be illegal these days--I dunno. It could be caustic, as well. Maybe
the stuff used in parts cleaning benches? BarSol? Perhaps someone
will have some insight into the ideal solvent for such an
undertaking.
If you go ahead, good luck.
FWIW
Larry D
dillport@ffni.com
Important: The opinions expressed here are
those of the individual contributors to this page, and not those of
the Catalina 34 National Association or Catalina Yachts, Inc.
Additionally, this material has not been reviewed by Catalina
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suggested modifications or upgrades. Please obtain assistance from a
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