Bilge pumping illegal?

[ron ll]

This came up in another thread, but I'd like to hear more opinions. A case could be made that since pumping ANY oil overboard is illegal and that almost all bilge water from an older wood boat will contain at least trace amounts of oil, pumping the bilge overboard is illegal. My automatic bilge pump pumps overboard on a somewhat regular basis, either from rainwater, loose stuffing box, seam or whatever. I would be very surprised if there aren't others here with a similar situation, altho I'm willing to believe its possible to have an older wood boat that doesn't ever pump.

I also notice that my marina now has a large tank ashore labeled, "Bilge Water Only" leading me to believe that either now or the near future we may be required to capture our bilge water and cart it to the tank rather than simply pumping overboard. Is this alarming to anyone? Or am I really the only wooden boater left that pumps the bilge overboard in the marina?

Of course last year there was the bill before congress that would have outlawed all runoff and graywater, but that was finally excepted for pleasure boats. But because even the smallest trace of oil can cause a visible sheen on the water, are we in danger of the rabid irrationalists outlawing our boats?

[S/V Laura Ellen]

There is a company making a bilge water filter that is meant to remove oil from the bilge water. The in-line filter is installed on the discharge side of the pump.

[Don Kurylko]

Right, and with every rain fall just how much oil and crud gets washed off of city streets, into storm drains and into the nearest body of water. Not to mention industrial, agricultural and municipal waste and pollution. Boaters are just easy targets for bureaucrats needing to justify their salaries! Same old story. :mad:

[ChaseKenyon]

Right, and with every rain fall just how much oil and crud gets washed off of city streets, into storm drains and into the nearest body of water. Not to mention industrial, agricultural and municipal waste and pollution. Boaters are just easy targets for bureaucrats needing to justify their salaries! Same old story. :mad: (http://www.woodenboat.com/forum/Right,%20and%20with%20every%20rain%20fall%20just%2 0how%20much%20oil%20and%20crud%20gets%20washed%20o ff%20of%20city%20streets,%20into%20storm%20drains% 20and%20into%20the%20nearest%20body%20of%20water.% 20Not%20to%20mention%20industrial,%20agricultural% 20and%20municipal%20waste%20and%20pollution.%20Boa ters%20are%20just%20easy%20targets%20for%20bureauc rats%20needing%20to%20justify%20their%20salaries%2 1%20Same%20old%20story.)


All too true.

If you read about the degradation of the Chesapeake basin and watershed, because of population and other growth along the estuary it has become the single most signifcant and difficult problem to deal with environmentely for the whole watershed of the Chesapeake. Google it and it will shock you for sure.

Chase

[Ian McColgin]

Yeah but it's so easy if you use (wringing out into a waste oil jug regularly) those white diapers or even handier the rolled up version in a mesh. Marmalade does not leave a bilge oil slick despite having had last year a small leak in one seal.

[ron ll]

Okay.....an inline filter "might" work, altho I'm a little hesitant to put anything on a bilge pump system that may cause backpressure, or accidently cause a siphon, or get clogged and quit working in any way. My bilge pump doesn't pump a lot of water, but I certainly want to be confident that it ALWAYS works.

And Ian, I do use the oil absorbant pads right near the pump and they do a great job. The vast majority of the time the bilge water my boat pumps over is clear.

[Dan McCosh]

They are issuing warning pamphlets in northern Ontario that advises against swimming with suntan oil on, and washing using soap. No, I am not kidding.

[Yeadon]

I don't own a boat with an engine anymore, but I have leaned over the stern of many boats and watched a trace of a oil or unburned fuel create a small slick on the water. Lots of little drips lead to an actual amount of pollution. I can't blame those charged with finding ways to minimize environmental damage to cast at least a small amount of their energy toward boaters, though pollution comes from a wide spectrum of sources.

[Bob Cleek]

If anybody complains about a sheen on the water, just tell 'em it's fish oil and to go stuff it!

[ron ll]

"The solution to pollution is dilution." :D

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for doing rational things to help the environment. And of course if all 1500 boats in Shilshole marina all pollute it's not dilution. But from a realistic standpoint, are we all to follow your lead and give up our engines? What can we expect the future to be for all the wonderful old boats that the people on this forum lovingly restore and operate? Are we going to have to put them in a museum (...and charge a dollar and a half just to see 'em)?

[cs]

FWIW it is mentioned above about storm water run off from our paved areas and the oil and crude associated with that. This changing. Most areas now require something in the way of an oil skimmer or a "first flush" system prior to run-off water entering the retention/detention pond.

Chad

[ron ll]

If anybody complains about a sheen on the water, just tell 'em it's fish oil and to go stuff it!

I kinda have mixed feelings about this. Occasionally there is a sheen on the water at Shilshole that runs for many docks and can gag you just walking down to your boat. On the other hand, my bilge pump might occasionally cause a little tiny sheen that you actually have to hold your head just right to see. So where is the line? A no tolerance policy?

[Bob Adams]

I think sometimes the "greenies" go a little too far, but face it, we as boaters want an unspoiled enviroment in which to play. I keep an asorbent log in trhe same section as the primary bilge pump. Yes I have Detroit Diesels, and despite popular beliefs, with a little care they are no messier than any other. The log is there for "just in case".

[ron ll]

:D My boat also has a Detroit Diesel and I am always baffled by the question I often get when stating that. "Does it slobber?" No, it doesn't in spite of being about 70 years old. I do keep a plastic pan under the engine to catch the occasional drops of oil or antifreeze, but slobber? no.

Also, I certainly don't want to turn this into a "Should we save the environment?" question. Of course we should. But it needs to be done rationally and without hysteria. If absorbent logs and filters on bilge pumps solve the problem, then fine. But I'm not sure I could sleep nights without a couple of automatic bilge pumps on my boat. And if they don't pump overboard, what good are they?

Here's another thought: If a boat doesn't have bilge pumps and sinks at the dock, how environmentally friendly is that?

[Lew Barrett]

A reasonable compromise could be a primary bilge pump with a filtering system and a secondary, or emergency pump, that goes directly overboard. Failure of the primary when doing the usual duty wouldn't result in a sinking, and 99.9% of the time the bilge water will be scrubbed before evacuation.

Just a thought about how to go about this sensibly. Yeadon is absolutely correct in mentioning raw fuel going out the pipe. My new but naturally aspirated Diesels met every standard in place in 2005 when I installed them but are not 100% efficient at idle, especially when cold.

New common rail motors do have the potential to run cleaner though. I could perhaps foresee the day when we are asked to install clean systems for the good of the planet notwithstanding the horrible expenses entailed. So let's ask which is the higher and greater good; having some fun boating with older dirtier motors, or being required to have equipment that is certifiably clean with a no impact goal as the end result?

[py]

No more seagull outboards!

[Yeadon]

If anybody complains about a sheen on the water, just tell 'em it's fish oil and to go stuff it!

Ugh.

[John Bell]

As long as there are millions of two-stroke outboards still in use, this is little more than silly posturing by "we've got to do *something* crowd."

My boat leaves a sheen wherever it goes, sad to say. It has a 5 quart oil tank that needs to be refilled before I run through two tanks of gas. I'm under no illusion all that oil is burned in the combustion process.

[Scott Rosen]

I have a confession. I don't give a s*%t about the few drops of oil that pump out of my bilge.

If the government ever become so much of a nanny that they were testing wooden boat bilgewater for traces of oil, I'd sell my boat.

The only human being that has no negative impact on the environment is a dead human being.

It will be great when the day comes that we can have non-polluting motors for boats. Until then, we try our best and cut ourselves a little slack.

[Captain Intrepid]

A reasonable compromise could be a primary bilge pump with a filtering system and a secondary, or emergency pump, that goes directly overboard. Failure of the primary when doing the usual duty wouldn't result in a sinking, and 99.9% of the time the bilge water will be scrubbed before evacuation.

Thats what large ships have. Alas you run into some engineers who'll use the emergency pump regularly, cause it has a lot more flow than the one going through the oily water separator. I know a master who had to chain to chain off the emergency pump and keep the key in their cabin, as he is inevitably responsible for everything onboard.