Powerwash Engine Room

[gerryb]

I've heard conflicting reports on the viability of using a powerwasher to clean off the floor/stringers, etc. int he engine room. Obviously not viable for a smaller engine room but if you can walk around a bit, is this really possible assuming you don't blast the engines with water? My ER is a mess and I'm planning to clean her out next weekend. Any tips?

 

[katricol]

I do not reccomend powerwashing. Just spray down the entire place with either simple green or a degreaser. Both of these can be bought at home depot or loews in aq gallon jug. Let them soak in, keep spraying and brush and wipe wit rag whereeve3r you can. Then spray with water hose . Drain out or suck up with shop vac, wipe down with dry cloth and enjoy. Now ge3t some paint and detail that eng. room!

 

[Escapade]

Ditto's on simple green. I use a 1 gal sprayer to apply the simple green. Then use a cheap toilet brush and tape to a dock pole. After a good scrub I let is soak for 5 before a clean out the gallon sprayer and fill w/ water. It takes about three fills to rinse and clean. The hand reach accessible areas are dried w/ a towel and I put a small oscillating fan in and run on high for 2 hours?

 

[Air O'Nautical]

Careful,

The problem with a pressure washer is it projects such a fine spray at high pressure it will get into things that don't like water.
Cleaner and a brush followed by very careful rinse or as recommended above just a wipe down.

Cheers,
Mark.

 

[The Bill Collector]

I use a Home Depot degreaser Zepps (sp?) and spray it around the gray bilge areas (never on engines) scrub/wash mitt, then rinse very well and dry (with heater/fan/natures heat). I touch up the gray bilge paint areas as needed and though it is not as clean as Todd O's I would still eat my food off of it.....

 

[Sea Ray Mark]

I power washed the bilge in my 37' Sundancer and it worked out great. My power washer will dispense chemicals so I used it to soak everything with a degreaser solution and then carefully power washed it all. Need to use common sense regarding the settings on the machine because you can do damage if you use to much pressure or if you direct it at water sensitive parts. I found that it did a great job reaching the places that are sometimes impossible to reach and I was done in less then half the time it would normally take. I would do it again in a heart beat except for now I have an aft cabin and don't want bring a power washer into my wife's living room (salon). Mark

 

[kevsgone]

I used a wimpy electric power washer and simple green to clean my bilge. I just cleaned the bilge and did not spray the engines or any components, but it really allowed me to get under the engines and between the outside stringer and the hull better than I ever would with a brush and hose. I used the shop vac to get it all the excess water out, in my case the pressure washer put in less water than a hose nad brush would have to do a better job. But remember just because I had success and nothing was damaged, ymmv.