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Diesel exhaust

Discussion in 'Technical Discussion' started by Gerdie, Nov 4, 2015.

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  1. Gerdie

    Gerdie Member

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    Our 1986 Viking with two 671TI smells like diesel And exhaust in the salon and stateroom. I realize the engines are in the salon and the bed rests on the fuel. Sometimes the strength of the fumes varies even when parked.

    Is this normal? Is there something that can be done to eliminate the odor?
  2. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    With D.D.'s usually you will get a teeny bit of smell inside the boat. But NO, it does not sound normal. I would take a hard look at your exhaust manifolds and the rest of the exhaust as well as any fuel connections etc. etc.
  3. Gerdie

    Gerdie Member

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    What is strange is not hardly any smell when moving. The strongest odor is when we open the drawers in the master stateroom when docked and when first coming into the salon. Thanks for the info.
  4. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    Look behind them, see if there's soot. I'd give the bilges and entire engine room a good cleaning with Orpine bilge soap. See if that cuts down on it. They could have had an exhaust leak years ago that is stuck in all the fabrics. I'd take a good look at the fuel tank fittings, hoses, condition. Does water run foward to the bilges under the staterooms from the engine room while the boat is at rest?
  5. Gerdie

    Gerdie Member

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    We looked behind and around the drawers. There was not much soot, but we cleaned everything.

    Yes the water does run forward. Does a combustible gas detector help at all to determine where it is coming from. Everything that comes off of the boat smells like diesel fumes.

    We will also try cleaning the engine room. It is currently pretty clean.
  6. chesapeake46

    chesapeake46 Senior Member

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    Does it smell like exhaust fumes or raw fuel ?
  7. NYCAP123

    NYCAP123 Senior Member

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    In a 30 year old boat the smell of diesel could be coming through the old hoses, but check for actual leaks or evidence of past leaks. Used to run a boat that fumes came into the stateroom from the line form the fuel neck when the tanks were too full The smell of exhaust is of more concern, and can kill you. Check your exhaust system for tell-tales of leaks (most likely around connections). If you have engine room blowers they may be drawing the exhaust fumes in when stopped. Yes a gas detector is useful, and pretty much necessary to locate the source, but I'm not sure of the type you need. Fire Departments have them. Maybe if a member works for a FD they can give some insight, otherwise a call to the local FD may be a good idea when you smell it.
  8. K1W1

    K1W1 Senior Member

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    The OP has a diesel boat given what he says its powered by. I am not aware of anyone who has been overcome by CO produced by a diesel engine.

    Also, I have been in a few engine rooms where the fumes were strong enough to make my eyes water and am still here.
  9. rgsuspsa

    rgsuspsa Member

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    Any combustion engine fueled by a hydrocarbon based fuel produces carbon monoxide, (CO), which is preferentially absorbed as compared to oxygen by human's red blood cells as they flow thru lung tissues. Under no circumstances should diesel engine exhaust be considered benign, or less dangerous to humans safety than engine exhaust produced by alternative fuels such as gasoline, which is a hydrocarbon fuel, as is diesel.
  10. Gerdie

    Gerdie Member

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    Exhaust fumes or raw fuel. Good question. I am not sure, but all of our clothes, etc. smell like it. Would it only be exhaust fumes if the motors are not started or running? No engine room blowers I don't think. What is odd, is it is a stronger odor sometimes than other times and the boat has not been started.

    I do agree this is something I believe to be serious and cannot determine what it is. The entire boat with the exception of the galley has carpet.
  11. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    Is this a boat you just purchased or one you've owned for a while? To your knowledge, how long has this problem existed?
  12. Gerdie

    Gerdie Member

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    We have owned the boat since July. It was driven from New York to Texas on its own bottom and was in transit for about a month. I noticed it times when we were stopped during the trip. The boat and motor was surveyed before and during trial runs with no issues.
  13. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    Seems likely if you didn't notice it when purchasing and the surveyor did not comment on it that it worsened with use, which certainly leads to the theory of it being an abnormal leak, whether fuel or exhaust, and not a normal characteristic of the boat. One of the yards in your area may well have leak detection equipment. That would be ideal.
  14. chesapeake46

    chesapeake46 Senior Member

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    Is there any liquid in the bilge (s) ?
  15. Gerdie

    Gerdie Member

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    No liquid in the bilges. We have cleaned the bilges and a small amount of soot in the master stateroom.
    I also went back through the survey to make sure I did not miss anything. All connections, etc. were in order.
  16. chesapeake46

    chesapeake46 Senior Member

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    High humidity can magnify smells which might account for the above.
    If there are no wet spots on the engines genny, no puddles anywhere, then maybe the soot is the issue. Take a sniff of some raw fuel and see if that's the same smell. At least that might narrow down the search.

    Can you start the engines and observe ? Maybe there is an exhaust leak that might be more evident when they are cold ? Does it even get cold in Corpus Christi ?
  17. Gerdie

    Gerdie Member

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    We have started the engines to observe, but do not find anything leaking. Would we still smell it days later? It is most always hot and humid in Corpus Christi. Not much of a winter here or fall for that matter.

    Since it is the strongest in the stateroom drawer area, is there some sort of exhaust or fuel hose in the back. From what we can tell the spaces are pretty small to get to.
  18. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    Well, first, what does it really smell like? Does it smell like raw diesel fuel? Exhaust gases? Oil? If it smells like raw diesel fuel and you're sure there isn't any in the bilge, I'd check the top of the fuel tanks, the senders, I'd check the vent hoses and make sure they're not blocked. Exhaust gases, you're going to have to check everything on the motors and exhausts, don't rule out the generator either.
  19. Marmot

    Marmot Senior Member

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    While the above advice is not wrong or harmful, a healthy dose of reality should also be applied.

    "Lastly, an extensive literature review produced no scientifically reported cases of fatal CO poisoning attributed to diesel fuel exhaust."
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18643868

    Carbon monoxide poisoning is probably among the least of the hazards of a diesel exhaust leak and the least threat to people on the boat. The other nasty stuff in diesel exhaust has a well documented history or causing health problems and that should be the driving force behind finding and eliminating exhaust leaks.

    Installing an ultra sensitive CO detector in the area(s) of the strongest smell might be a good way to determine if the source of smell is an exhaust or a fuel issue.
    Last edited: Nov 6, 2015
  20. rgsuspsa

    rgsuspsa Member

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    Marmot: Your citation is without credibility, as history has demonstrated since its invention more than
    one-hundred-twenty years ago. During World War II the Nazis employed it as a means of effecting human homicide. The remainder of your post is misleading, and tacitly encourages a reader to minimize or disregard the fact that any combustion engine utilizing diesel fuel produces carbon monoxide (CO), which is preferentially absorbed by the human body as compared to oxygen, and is cumulative over time. This is why seemingly minute concentrations of CO are potentially hazardous.

    Regarding the recommendation to install a CO detector as a means of distinguishing between exhaust or diesel fuel as the source of smell, note that carbon monoxide is an odorless substance to humans, thus by definition it is not the cause of smell, although other chemicals contained in diesel engine exhaust gases might be detectable by smell, however not by a CO detector. Also, liquid or vaporized diesel fuel by definition does not contain CO, thus a CO detector is irrelevant to discerning presence, or absence of diesel fuel in any form.

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    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 22, 2015