Bilge Cleaning and Maintenance

• Limber Holes
• How Cleaners Work
• Bilge Cleaning Tips
• Coast Guard Regulations
• Bilge Products
• Cleaning the Bilge.
• The Bilge Pump
• The law,fines & reporting a spill

No boat owner wants to hear those words. But if you've noticed a musty, damp smell when aboard your vessel or a foul odor when the wind shifts ... then it's time to take care of that disgusting cocktail that's been sloshing around below deck.

If the bilge is ignored, your boat will reek. Worse ... the accumulated gunk can choke the bilge pump and you could face heavy fines for allowing the bilge to breed oil and other environmental contaminants. Why take that risk when bilge care and cleaning is easy and convenient?

• The bilge is the rounded portion of a boat's hull. It forms the transition from the bottom and the sides of the boat.
• Limber holes, found in the ribs of the bilge, allow water to flow into the lowest areas of the boat hull or bilge.

1. Turn off the bilge pump before cleaning ... it helps prevent tainted bilge water from being pumped overboard.
2. Pour cleaner into the bilge area and scour.
3. Use a brush for hard-to-reach areas.
4. If your vessel allows access, don't forget to check and clean the limber holes ... they become encrusted with grease, oil and marine gunk.
5. Wait a few minutes to allow the bilge cleaner to do its job before vacuuming the dirty bilge water from the craft.
6. Rinse the bilge area well.

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A key to headache-free boating is to keep a boat's bilge free from mold, mildew, oil and marine slime.

Bilge cleaners work by dissolving the crud, grease and oil buildup that gather in the boat's hull.

Once the bilge cleaner breaks down the oil, mold and bacteria, the debris will become suspended in the water-cleaner solution. The sludge-cleaner mix is later pumped out of the hull.

(Remember it is illegal to pump oil-tainted bilge water overboard and doing so can subject you to a fine levied by the United States Coast Guard. It is also illegal to not report an oil spill, regardless of the size of the spill. See "Reporting Spills" on this site for more information.)

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Bilge Cleaning Tips

Bilge cleaning should be a routine boat-maintenance chore. Most major brands of bilge cleaners, such as 3M and Meguiar bilge cleaners, do a fine job.

However, Heller Glanz Bilge Cleaner dissolves oily substances ... breaking them down and loosening their properties ... and emulsifies others, reducing oil-based substances to a milky sludge. It is also biodegradable and environmentally friendly.

About a half-cup of this product poured into the bilge at the beginning a boat trip is all that's needed to prevent buildup. The rolling action of the vessel churns the treated bilge water to cleanse the inner hull of oil, mildew and associated bilge crud. What's more, Heller Glanz Bilge Cleaner leaves the bilge smelling as fresh and clean.

The product can also be used beyond the bilge as an all-purpose cleaner and degreaser throughout the boat.

If you choose a cleaner that requires scrubbing, invest in a quality brush that can get to those hard-to-reach areas of the bilge. Be sure to turn off the bilge pump before starting your cleaning project, doing so will prevent tainted bilge water from being inadvertently pumped overboard. Scour the bilge area with the cleaner. Don't forget to check the limber holes as they can easily become encrusted with grease, crime and assorted gunk. Wait a few minutes to allow the bilge cleaner to do its job before vacuuming the dirty bilge water from the craft. Rinse the bilge area well following the cleansing.

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Maintaining the Bilge Pump

The insurance industry points to faulty bilge pumps as the number one cause of boat sinking. The following guidelines will help you keep the bilge pump in great shape:

• Inspect the bilge pump regularly, about once a month.
• Check the bilge pump action by lifting the float manually to ensure that the pump kicks on automatically.
• Make sure no debris blocks the pivot arm from rising and falling.
• Look for corrosion and rust, particularly on wires and connections.
• Check for loose wires and replace or resplice corroded wires. Make sure the wires are positioned above the high water mark.
• Take note of the amount of water in the bilge. If it is excessive, check the source and address the problem.
• Make sure any fittings below the waterline are double-clamped and free of leaks.
• Bilge pumps should have power at all times ... make sure that yours is wired directly to the battery (or the main battery switch).
• Check the condition and voltage of the fuse to ensure it meets manufacturer specifications to avoid blowouts. Always have a spare fuse on hand.
• For continual bilge maintenance and odor control, pour about a half-cup of a quality bilge cleaner into the bilge at the beginning of a each boat trip. This will prevent debris buildup and avoid bilge pump malfunctions.

Click here for Bilge Cleaner info.

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Federal Regulations

Federal regulations governing boating include adherence to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act and the Refuse Act.

The Federal Water Pollution Control Act hones in on the discharge of oil or other hazardous substances into the waterways.

The United States Coast Guard requires that a vessel's bilge be kept "reasonably clean." What's more, boat operators can face heavy fines should they pump oily bilge water out of the vessel and into the waterways. In fact, a boat operator can be fined for illegally polluting waterways if a even a small amount of contaminants ... just a visible sheen ... is seen floating atop the water near a boat. Fines have been known to exceed $20,000 for dumping oily bilge solution into the water.

Owners of recreational vessels are urged to equip their boats with with oil absorbent pads, bailer or pumps, and plastic bags to gather and transport hazardous substances, including oil, to an authorized reception facility. Most marinas and boat yards are authorized waste reception facilities.

• The act also specifies that no person may intentionally drain oil or oily waste from any source into the bilge.
• The Refuse Act prohibits discharging or depositing any trash, garbage, oil or other liquid pollutants into the nation's waters.
• In addition, no plastic items may be dumped overboard in US waters, including synthetic ropes, fishing nets and plastic bags.

The following guidelines must be followed to comply with the law: Dunnage … loose packing material used to protect a ship's cargo from damage during transport … prohibited less than 25 miles from land. Food waste, paper, rags, glass, metal, bottles and similar materials … prohibited less than 12 miles from land. Ground food waste, paper, rags, etc., prohibited less than 3 miles from land. If you spill any amount of hazardous waste or oil into the water, you must notify the US Coast Guard National Response Center at 1-800-424-8802, contact your local Coast Guard Station on Channels 9 or 16 or click here or e-mail the center (lst-nrcinfo@comdt.uscg.mil). Failure to report a spill may result in a civil penalty and/or imprisonment.

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