How to get water and diesel out of deep bilge

[too_tall 15]

Wet and dry vaccy is brilliant. I'd go by a cheapy. Always a very handy thing to have on hand.

 

 It has Alkaline Salts that help break down the Oil/grease sludgy gunge that tends to build in the bottom. I have not tried it, but have been told simple green have a product that is supposed to work well.

That being the most useful part - not only a detergent but also something that will break down the thick suldgey crap which detergents hardly will make a dent in. 

 

Alternately, assuming you have made sure there is no source of ignition, hydrocarbon based degreasers are awesome. I buy a 5L tin of them from either Repco or Supercheap ( I think its repco ) and that goes a very long way. Its the same as the spray cans of degreaser, but obviously a lot more cost effective. I use it in a small pressure sprayer to keep machinery clean or in the parts cleaner. Works brilliantly and makes the grease and oil water soluble. Best not to put it into storm water drains at a guess though!. 

[zk-cessnaguy 1]

I had great success cleaning up a vegetable oil spill (about 1/2 a litre) in the bilge using kitty litter. They soaked it all up then i was able to vacuum up the pellets after for disposal and a sponge/washing up liquid to finish off.

[all fired up 6]

I use a wet @ dry vacuum cleaner to get water out of all those hard to reach corners you get on most yachts. Looking at your pic i think you could easily get a slim nozzle down there to pick up the water/oil mix.

 

a.f.u

[Compass Rose 0]

Had similar problem, set up a pump that would reach into the bilge and pumped it all out then pored in water and bilge cleaner and let it soak and soften , agitated the mess and pumped it out again. repeated this proves many times until the water appeared clean. The pump I used was a long pump similar to a bike pump but it was a bit of a reach so try a diaphragm type bilge pump

[John B 108]

If it was me and the boat was on the hard I'd be very close to drilling a hole and putting a bung in. Thats what I had in our old ( wooden) boat, each season I'd hose the whole boat out.

The product I'd use for grease and engine oil  is engine clean/ degreaser, like Too tall says. Being lazy I'd just pick up a couple of aerosol cans, its often on special at repco or supercheap.

[Zozza 324]

^{My electric bilge pump down there is still working as my battery still has some juice left in it - its just the crap right at the bottom below the level of the bilge pump that I want to get out first, then once I have the worst of the muck out I will then use a degrease and hose and wash it out in full.}

[Zozza 324]

^{I can report the combo of the degreaser Wheels recommended, plus wet 'n dry vacuum did the trick.  I now have a nice clean bilge, and diesel smell gone.} 

[wheels 543]

Great to hear.