[MasterTrim]

I came out to the garage this mornin and about 20gal was on the floor and running out the door. Took a second look and said screw this, and went back to bed. Later, I squeegied the oil out the door and took the power washer and hooked up the hot water and washed it into the driveway, lukily I don't have concrete, just dirt. So, after getting the floor clean I had to address the drive. I didn't know what to do so, I hooked up the garden cart and haul a bunch of sand from the back of my land. Sand is all we go out here. After that I went to work. When I got home it had been raining on and off and was currently raining so I'll see tommorow how bad it is. So, it made me think, I havn't read much about large oil spills here and was wondering what others have done for clean up?

 

[MrPlowJr_EZ_V]

Allways used REAL hot water in the restrauants when the fryers blow a pump seal or a valve gets left open.

 

[babyarm]

Kitty litter works pretty good.
Uh, I mean that's what I heard. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif

 

[Spencnaz]

There is a really good degreaser called Purple Power. It's very similar to Castrol Super Clean, but half the price. Most autoparts stores like Schucks or Pep Boys carries it.

 

[frobozz]

Whenever they have a giant grease spill out on the interstates, they invariably bring in a tanker truck of Dawn. I kid you not. I'd think one of the big squeeze bottles would probably be more than enough for your size spill.

On the bright side, this is one of the huge benefits of biodiesel! Cleanup with Dawn and hot water with no environmental impact is a lot better than guys in hazmat suits and portable dams and backhoes and barrels.

Duncan

 

[BlueMule]

Harbor Freight also sells a "purple" cleaner like the Castrol Super Clean, its called heavy duty degreaser and it comes in a plastic jug like the kind windshield washer fluid comes in. Its as good as the Casrtol stuff and a lot cheaper.

 

[MasterTrim]

Well, I have the Purple Power and it worked good on the floor. The problem is the oil in the drive. I put a bunch of sand on it and now it soaked in but it's still all oily. Kinda like the DAWN idea, don't know if it'll work now tho.

 

[TurboHans]

Spray some Dawn/water mix on the soaked sand, it will break up the grease!

 

[flyingisbest]

Been there, sympathize completely. Had a 3 inch flexible 25 foot hose let loose under pressure and spray about 35 gallons of dirty veggie around the rear of my shop, all over the exterior log walls of the building, covered my truck completely, and half the adjacent shed. You need to make quick work of it while it is fresh, first of all. A quick hose down with simple water gets most of it moving. Purple power from WalMart really is the best solution, it dissolves the stuff. Dawn kinda works but not really. Kitty litter sorta absorbs it but then it plasticizes into a solid mass that's hard to clean up later. Best is to get it right away, hose away most of it, hot water is of course better if available, and the purple power, which is just sodium hydroxide, works FANTASTIC. And about $3 a gallon.

Veggie or similar oil is used as a drying agent in paint from what I understand, and that's exactly what it does fairly quickly when exposed to the atmosphere, it turns to glue. So get it early.

 

[Beamer]

I used the wash water from the first and second wash to clean up my Valdez experiance. Still have WVO drips on the rafters of my 12 foot shop. (I'll try to post photos) Cannot say enough about having a well designed system. It allowed me to kill the motor and isolate valves within seconds. Also have to hand it to having the right protective equipment on. Gloves, raincoat, full face shield, hat, levi's, and work boots. The operation has been evicted from inside and now has a permanaent home outside. :0

 

[bluenavigator]

For oil spills, I use gray powder from exhausted coals from my BBQ grill pit. They are very fine powders and work very well to absorb oil. I just put them over the spills and leave them until they get hardened from the weather exposure, including rain. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

It is good idea to have a bucket to store all gray powder from BBQ grills, no reason to throw them away for nothing. At least, you get to make money worth every coal you used. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Ctek]

[ QUOTE ]
So, it made me think, I havn't read much about large oil spills here and was wondering what others have done for clean up?

[/ QUOTE ]

Most of us do not like to admit to our spills openly, but rest assured, we all have experienced them. Forget to close a valve, forget to check the wash mister, leak in a pipe, broken hose, many different ways that a spill can get started.

I am thinking heavily about secondary containment and drainage, I really don't want to clean up any more spills!!!