Cleaning a dirty bilge drain
 

Anyone have tips on how to clean a slow draining bilge?

After some unexpected life events (gout can go **** itself) the bilge was left exposed to the elements and is not draining properly. I imagine its a mixture of oil (hatch was off to fix an oil leak), dirt and probably a few leaves.

Is there something that woll cut the grime, dissolve the leaves but not eat thr fiberglass?

First pull the plug and stick something in to clear any obstructions and drain. Put plug back in.
Mix Dawn dish soap and any mild degreaser detergent with a couple of gallons of hot water and pour in bilge.
Use a long handle brush to scrub as much as you can. A toilet bowl brush works good.
Drain again, or use a shop vac to suck out everything.
Take the long handle brush and wrap a towel or rag around it and wipe up any residue.

Drink a beer and finish cussing .

Ryobi 18-volt pressure washer works well. I set it up to suck warm soapy water from a 5-gallon bucket. does a good job blasting dirt but isn't so powerful that you will damage things.

https://www.homedepot.com/pep/RYOBI-...7-EdgeBingFlow

Padraig

Try this for clearing the plug hole.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-20-i...0830/324601746

You can try pre-treating by pouring warm water and simple green into the bilge with the plug in. Drive the boat/jet ski on the trailer down some bumpy roads for a bit and pull the drain plug.

I’ve used Dawn and Tide with great success (Tide smells nice too!).

circus midgets and scrub brushes work great

I want my bilge to smell like fumes and burnt wiring harnesses, not clean dishes. Man up Tom…….

I've used Dawn and hot water in the past. If it's really oily, I'll first hit it with mineral spirits using an air powered chem sprayer, then follow-up with Dawn/water.

Getting the leaves out will help prevent the drain hole from getting blocked over and over again. If you can get a shopvac under the eng, great. If not then maybe a leaf blower or an air hose to move them somewhere they can be picked up/vacuumed.