Diesel smell

[jgolm]

I have a 2005 28TE. When I run the air conditoner, I get a fuel smell in the cabin. Has anyone else had this problem? The engine is not running and I do not appear to have a fuel leak. The air handler is supposedly in a vapor free area but the fresh air intake is under the table and pulls air from the cabin. Any ideas?

Jim Golm
Sarasota

[rt11002003]

Jim,

I don't remember what the A28TE cabin sole looks like. My A27AC forward cabin sole has a drain that goes to the bilge. This past summer I overfilled the port fuel tank and wound up with some fuel in the bilge.

My AC air intake is very close to the cabin sole and pulled fumes from the bilge back thru the cabin drain into the AC unit. After cleaning the bilge the order is pretty much gone, time and more cleaning will help eliminate the rest.

You may have a similar problem. Diesel fumes love to migrate.

Gene

[Butch]

Jim, I have the same boat, year, and A/C set up. If the shower sump has an odor, the air conditioner seems to permeate the smells throughout the boat

[chiefrcd]

Yep...bilge smells.....

All your bilges are tied together...even way up front has a small area that connects to the bilge under the cabin sole. Anything that goes into the bilge goes into the whole bilge. Oil from a slight engine leak...oil from a steering cylinder....crap (literally) from any issues with your holding tank or hoses...leaks from the shower....water flowing into the bilge from those leaking deck hatches in the cockpit....ALL ends up mixing together into a toxic smelly stew in your bilge. Nice huh!!

But it's pretty easy to fix. I tried about every bilge cleaner I could find and had no luck. First thing I did was to place another bilge pump directly on the bottom of the boat in the cabin area. This pumps out that 5 ish gallons of bilge soup that stays in a Albin 28 ( at least my era 1999). Then about every two months I mix a 5 gal. bucket of water and half a bottle of Soft Scrub GEL cleaner ( not the grit kind) and I pour it into my bilge from the compartment between my seats or sometimes even from the very back of the boat. I let this slosh around a day or two, and pump it out. Makes a world of difference in the smell of the bilge, thus the entire boat.
Also, a tad bit of Downy Fabric softner helps too....

[Mariner]

That's one thing i miss about our old Camano; compartmentalized bilges. Oil spills under the engine wouldn't even make it back into the lazarette, much less forward under the stateroom. This, of course, necessitated several bilge pumps, but the boat was so watertight, none of them came on even once in the four years we owned the boat.

[jgolm]

Thanks for your answers. I will work on it tomorrow. Regarding the placement of a new bilge pump, I wonder if my 2005 already has one where you put your new one? I have one ( I believe) under the floor starboard of the refrigerator. First thing I will try is flushing out with your proposed concoction. I will let you know.

Thanks!

[Pitou]

As Chief says, a few gallons always stays up in front of the shower sump and forward bilge that does not get pumped out and needs to be "freshened" now and then with something sweet. Somewhere in this forum was a discussion of someone installing a bilge pump under the dinette. I recall there being a hatch beneath the pedestal. This is the lowest point / it's on my winter project list.
This past spring I brought the pressure washer hose on board and blew the bilges clean stem to stern. A season of fresh air, what a difference.

[johnmurray]

I installed an additional bilge pump a couple of feet ahead of the existing forward bilge pump and also it is down closer to the bottom of the bilge. This arrangement reduces, but does not eliminate water in the bilge.

[Dave39]

Having spent several years riding a diesel/electric submarine I thouroughly enjoy the smell of diesel fuel because it brings back both good and bad memories. On the other hand, I'm married, and need say no more about whether the smell is welcomed in the cabin. I intend to install a bilge pump lower than the one mid-ship as I've gotten tired of bringing my small wet/dry vac down after a heavy rain or thorough washdown.