Tackling Bilge Cleaning: A DIY Adventure
Ep11 Our bilge is overflowing - https://youtu.be/4G7ttYKopAU
Hey everyone,
I recently had my first visit to West Marine, and let me tell you, it was quite the experience. But before I dive into that, let's talk about the reason behind my trip: bilge cleaning.
You see, our boat had a bit of oil in the bilge waters, which meant we couldn't just pump it out until we dealt with the oil. So, armed with determination and a few tools, I set out to tackle this task head-on.
First up, I picked up a bilge eel from West Marine. This nifty tool is designed to suck up oil while leaving the water behind. However, I couldn't help but notice a discrepancy in the packaging. Two different products claimed to soak up varying amounts of oil, yet they had the same SKU and price. Go figure, right?
With the bilge eel in hand, I headed out to the boat, greeted by calm waters and a gentle breeze. It was the perfect day to get to work. But as I tried pumping the water out of the bilge, I quickly realized that the soaking pads weren't doing their job as expected. They were soaking up some oil, but not enough to make a significant difference.
Undeterred, I switched gears and opted for a handheld pump instead. This multi-purpose pump proved to be a game-changer, allowing me to quickly pump out the bilge into five-gallon buckets. However, there was a minor mishap along the way when I accidentally spilled some water onto the floor. Oops.
After several rounds of pumping, I managed to remove nearly 90 gallons of water from the bilge. But there was still some cleaning left to do. I sprayed some cleaner into the bilge and got to work scrubbing away the remaining oil and grime. The transformation was remarkable, with the bilge looking cleaner than ever before.
Once the heavy cleaning was done, it was time to pump out the water one last time. With the bilge now free of oil, I could finally bring in a hose and give it a thorough rinse. After a bit more pumping and cleaning, the bilge was spotless, and my DIY adventure was complete.
Overall, it was a challenging but rewarding experience. I learned a lot along the way and gained a newfound appreciation for the importance of regular maintenance. And hey, I even managed to snag a few goodies from West Marine while I was at it.
Until next time,
Todd