Getting rid of gasoline smell in the cabin

Julesofdenial

We have a 2001 Rinker Fiesta Vee 242 that had a fuel gauge not working. We took to a boat repair place and they took the sending unit out to test it.  It tested fine in water, but once it was back in the tank, it wasn't working. They said we needed a new sending unit and had to order it.  It was a gorgeous weekend and we didn't want to miss being out on the water.  We filled up with gas so we knew we'd be ok fuel wise. We launched, cruised for a little while and back to our slip for the night.  Once we got tied up at the marina, I noticed a strong gas odor. Checked the engine area and gas was in the bottom.  Immediately put water hose into it and flushing it through the bilge.  Long story short, we discovered that the repair place left screws out of the sending unit when they put it back in, which caused the boat to fill up with gasoline.  We have since had everything repaired, but there is still gasoline odor in the cabin area.  What can we do to rid the cabin of the odor so that we can go back to sleeping on it.  Thank you in advance for your help.

Michael T

First off, if you can smell gasoline that is very bad. I was pretty decent in chemistry and let me assure you if you can smell gasoline that is a sure sign of " off gassing " from the its liquid state. You MUST shut off any power but to your bilge pumps and make sure no spark is caused until any areas the gas may have soaked into  - like hidden pieces of carpet under bulkheads - have been thoroughly dried and neutralized. I can not overstate the danger that gasoline fumes pose - as they are far easier to ignite than liquid gasoline. As for that repair shop - if they had ANY idea that you were going to gas-up your boat - and they left the screws out they should lose their licence. Stupid, stupid, stupid. get this attended to.

[Deleted User]

Wow, I've heard of negligence, but this is off the charts. I hope the culprits paid to make you whole. I'm glad everyone is OK, but this was a potential lethal disaster. So you just "diluted" the gasoline and ran it through the bilge pump? And sent that over the side? No bueno!

Andy

jme097

I would of used a wet/dri vac to to get rid of the water in the bilge. I can't imagine pumping out gas through a bilge pump would be good at all. I would air everything out. Gasoline is not a small issue

dropout

Really? You knowingly dumped fuel into the water, not cool.

The wet/dri vac is a bad idea also. Never suck fuel or diluted fuel through a vacume.

Call the fire department, and then a salvage company to properly dispose of the fuel and clean up.

Dream_Inn

Vacuums are not spark proof.  I agree with dropout, it should've been disposed properly! (sorry for ranting to you when you have a question, but fuel is not something to mess with - I've dealt with an explosion on a boat, not fun)  How much gas was there?  maybe a bilge absorbent would've worked? 

Now, as far as getting rid of the smell, I'd use something that is biodegradable that you can pour in the bilge and pump out.

[Deleted User]

Shop vac motor ---> gasoline fumes---> KABOOM!

Andy

MarkB

jme097 said:

I would of used a wet/dri vac to to get rid of the water in the bilge. I can't imagine pumping out gas through a bilge pump would be good at all. I would air everything out. Gasoline is not a small issue

Careful, if he pulls gas through that, the vac pump is not ignition proof and fumes can cause a kaboom!

MarkB

What I would have done is immediately stopped and held the mechanic liable for cause and clean up.

If you wanted to take care of it yourself, use a manual bilge pump (like a bicycle pump) to extract the contaminated water into a bucket or drum.  I would have drained it through those petrochemical mop up clothes, which would have collected most/all of the fuel, as the water ran through.

Going forward, don't put fuel in the water. If they track it back to you, you are going to get slammed with a huge fine and be responsible for cleanup. Around my marina, petrochemical clean up is approx. $1000/h and can take 8 to 24 hours - so do the math.

Getting back to your problem, yes all the screws obviously need to be in, but they also need to put a sealant in those holes.

Now that you have gas fumes in the boat, you have a fire risk. There are many possibilities for shorts/sparks in the engine compartment, even though things should be ignition proof. Ignition proof requires good grounding, and grounds on boats over time get ruined.  So the best thing is to cut power on your 12V and 120V circuit. Cut shore power at the plug in point, not in the boat. Best way to generate a spark is plugging in or unplugging something on a live circuit.

Ventilate area well, if possible and safe.

I am not an expert, so do not rely solely on my advice. Just stating what I would do in that situation, and hopefully you understand you shouldn't mess around with this. Seek professional assistance when you are not certain. A boat fire is a very real risk.

[Deleted User]

This battery operated pump might be a solution. It is designed for fuels:

http://www.amazon.com/Sierra-Tools-Battery-Operated-Liquid-Transfer/dp/B000HEBR3I/ref=sr_1_4?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1438210672&sr=1-4&keywords=siphon+pump+gas

tundra250

I just had the same problem...see GAS IN BILGE....

howardrams

Julesofdenial, And you can avoid much of the electrical spark hazard by renting a small air compressor and leave it out of the boat, run the long rubber air hose into all the bilge areas, access hatches, etc to blow any residual flumes or pockets of liquid back towards the engine compartment and leave the engine cover open.  The more air you get circulating through with all the hatches, door to the head, everything wide open, the better.  Take all your cushions and mattress out to air out in the hot sun somewhere to make sure they don't smell like gas.  Sometimes they hold the odor long after the fumes are gone.