Bilge Cleaner | Boating Made Simple!

Upkeep ... It's the Law

Keeping your boat's bilge well maintained is not just a good mariner's tip. 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 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 newly pumped water.
This is not just rhetoric.
There are state and federal regulations that mandate boat operators to ensure their vessel does not pollute the waterways. Heller Glanz Cleaner can help you avoid potential fines ... up to $25,000 ... while reducing the growth of nasty mildew and bacteria in your vessel. Maintaining your outboard or inboard engine can pose some special problems, mostly due to the materials involved, e.g., cleaners, oil, grease, transmission fluid, and antifreeze. Clean bilge pump cleaning tips can eliminate oil can be a particular problem, since a single quart, when spilled, can pollute an area of up to two acres, equivalent to nearly three football fields of water surface. (You may be surprised to know that only 12% of petroleum spilled into the world's waters comes from tanker spills. Much of the rest comes from the shipping and fishing industry and recreational mariners.) Federal law prohibits discharge of oil or oil-based products into marine waters and includes most engine maintenance products. It also prohibits dispersing the oil by using detergents or other chemicals.

A clean bilge pump cleaning tips is the rounded portion of a vessel's hull. The lowest part of the hull, it forms the transition between the bottom and the sides of the boat. Clean bilge pump cleaning tips can eliminate oil can be a particular problem, since a single quart, when spilled, can pollute an area of up to two acres, equivalent to nearly three football fields of water surface.
Limber holes, found in the ribs of the boat, allow water to flow into the lowest areas of the boat hull. Mold, mildew and petroleum-based substances cling to the limber holes and bilge surfaces in this dark, moist environment. It is important to ensure that limber holes are kept clean and free from contaminants and debris. It is this combined collection of gunk not only creates an unhealthy environment within your boat maintenance tips, but it also can clog and damage bilge pumps.

A key to headache-free boating is to keep a boat free from mold. Mildew, oil and marine slime.
Cleaners work by dissolving the crud, grease and oil buildup that gathers in the boat's hull. Clean bilge pump cleaning tips can eliminate oil can be a particular problem, since a single quart, when spilled, can pollute an area of up to two acres, equivalent to nearly three football fields of water surface.
Choosing a biodegradable and environmentally friendly cleaner is recommended. Once the bilge pump cleaner breaks down the oil, mold and bacteria, the debris will become suspended with a bilge pump cleaner solution. The sludge-cleaner mix is later pumped out of the hull. Noting bilge pump cleaning tips for a clean bilge pump cleaning tips can avoid bilge repair.

(Remember it is illegal to pump oil-tainted 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.)

We found that most major brands of boat detergent such as 3M and Maguiar, do a fine job. Boat maintenance tips mean using a bilge cleaner. Noting bilge pump cleaning tips for a clean bilge pump cleaning tips can avoid bilge repair.
However, Heller Glanz Bilge Cleaner, one of a new line of premium boat maintenance tips products, was particularly impressive because it dissolves some substances ... breaking them down and loosening their properties ... and emulsifies others, reducing oil-based substances to a milky sludge.
About a half-cup of this product poured at the beginning a boat trip is all that's needed to prevent buildup with a bilge pump cleaner. The rolling action of the vessel churns the treated water to cleanse the inner hull of oil, mildew and associated crud. What's more, Heller Glanz Cleaner leaves it smelling fresh and clean.
The product can also be used beyond as an all-purpose bilge pump cleaner and degreaser
throughout the boat.
If you choose a bilge pump cleaner that requires scrubbing, invest in a quality brush that can get to those hard-to-reach areas. Be sure to turn off the before starting your project, doing so will prevent tainted water from being inadvertently pumped overboard. Scour the area with the cleaner, paying close attention to the deepest areas of the inner hull. 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 cleaner to do its job before vacuuming the dirty bilge water from the craft. Rinse the bilge cleaning tips area well following the cleansing.

Regular cleaning will avoid the unhealthy buildup of mold and mildew, and grease, oil and other debris. A vessel should be inspected regularly, usually about once a month.
Check the pump by lifting the float manually to ensure that it kicks on automatically.
Ensure that no debris blocks the pivot arm from rising and falling.
Look for corrosion and rust. Boat maintenance tips mean having a bilge pump cleaner to avoid bilge repair.
Take note of the amount of water. If there is an excessive amount, check the source.
Inspect limber holes to make sure they are free of crud and debris to thwart bilge repair.
Make sure any fittings below the waterline are double-clamped and free of leaks.
Check the amount of mildew, mold and oil or grease buildup.

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 or contact your local Coast Guard Station on Channels 9 or 16. Boat maintenance tips mean using a clean bilge pump cleaning tips cleaner to keep the boat detergent clean using boat bilge tips. Failure to do so may result in a civil penalty and/or imprisonment.