DIESEL SPILL!

[r0GuE]

I spilled 2 or 3 pints of diesel on the plywood floor of my shed (and on the loader bucket). Will it just evaporate? Do I need to be concerned long term about flamability? Will the bucket rust because of the diesel?

Thanks,

 

[shvl73]

The bucket won't rust, as for the spill, grind cat litter (clay type, non clumping) into it as you would on a concrete floor. That will get most of it. Diesel is hard to ignite, I wouldn't be concerned about flammability, but it doesn't evaporate much either.

 

[Soundguy]

Ditto what the other poster said. I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for diesel to evaporate. However the wicking action of the wooul should disperse it pretty well into a mere stain after a while.

Keep in mind it is fuel oil.. no rust issues...

By the time you've written this.. the cat litter idea will probably be useless.. hit it with some dusty sand...

soundguy

 

[beenthere]

Keeping a coat of diesel on the bucket will keep it from rusting.

Just don't call HAZMAT or you might be jumping through some major hoops. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

A distant neighbor made the mistake of suggesting that his gas barrel may have leaked some gas, and it caused a major (and I mean major) uproar with private engineering firms getting involved to 'remove' 20 or so 55 gal. drums of dirt and 'hold' them for a trip across two states to burn the dirt. Cost to the individual was $30,000 the last I heard. Truth was the gas barrel had been empty for most of 10 years, and the old neighbor thought there should still be gas in it. No sampling of the soil showed any gas. I think the scare tactics used then are a bit more reasonable now. Not so many upstart 'enviro' engineering firms anxious to make a name for themselves, maybe. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[r0GuE]

Thanks guys!!!

 

[KubotaBling]

won't evaporate it's more like oil than gas.. it does have some fumes but nothing like gas.. it doesn't corrode eather it should be just like light oil in general doesn't evaporate, doesn't corrode..

 

[JJT]

sounds like a good wood preservative and rust preventer to me. Don't lose any sleep over a couple of pints.

 

[Dargo]

Until the enviro guys told me that I'd be sent to the death chamber if caught, my neighbors and I used to use diesel fuel to kill weeds in the driveway. Odd thing was, one neighbor used to use diesel fuel to kill weeds along his fence line; it only killed the weeds for about 2 months. After that everything green, grass, weeds etc. grew right back where he used diesel fuel.
My great grandfather who used to be a mechanic on locomotives used diesel fuel every day to clean his hands after each shift. He lived to be 97; and he didn't die of cancer either. Is diesel really that toxic to everything living??

 

[cp1969]

Kerosene (#1 diesel ) is an excellent solvent. Not quite as good as gasoline, though. I've used both extensively as such and ain't dead yet.

Don't tell anybody, but I still use #2 as a good, cheap weed killer.

 

[Soundguy]

It's kind of a dilution issue, and point source vs non-point source, and environmental responsibility... even some economics too.

A single tablespoon of fuel oil can contaminate upward of 2000 gallons of drinking water.

There are other sources of non-poluting weed killer, that have negligible environmental impact. using fuel as weed killer is also a tad wastefull... besides wasint the fuel.. you are wasting the energy expended to refine it.

Lastly accidental drips / spills, and other sources that are hard to prevent and track are non-point source contaminants. those are bad enough.. but we have to live with them. Point source problems.. like walking outside and dumping fuel on the ground can and should be prevented.. for the most part.. refined fuel is a non-renewable source of energy.

And for those that use waste oil for these types of chores... the epa and classified used oil as a hazardous waste product.

For leagal implications.. think about this. A contractor working in south florida was caugt using diesel fuel to control weed growth.. the two employees found got multi-year prison sentences, and the contractor was fined some astronomical amount of cash, and prevented from doing business with the state.. I think he also had to pay for water testing in the area for a couple years, as wel as have contaminated dirt removed, cleaned, and new dirt replaced.... I wonder what that did for his business potential?

You don't want grass in your drive? salt it.. much cheaper.

not soapboxing.. or lecturing.. just pointing out some info.

Soundguy