Gas causes mold to form

[1975oday22]

who would have thought. ? i have this problem with my boat. but under the cockpit. and this is how i recieved the boat. here is the article about this exact problem that i also have.

Gasoline causing black mold

I have searched the forum and internet and can't seem to find info on the black mold caused by...

www.correctcraftfan.com

 

[Chris1956]

Any mold inside the tank where the gasoline is actually kept? I have never seen that.
Even plastic tanks sweat, and mold spores are everwhere.

use some bleach on the exterior of the tank, let her sit a bit and then hose off.

 

[jlh3rd]

central Pa.. pontoon boat with plastic gas tank, 3 portable tanks around the garage.
Never seen this.

 

[Chris1956]

I have the black stuff on the outside of the gas tanks. I live on the water, so the air is pretty moist.

On a related note, products like Startron claim to kill mold in gasoline, however, I have never even heard of that. Diesel fuel can grow mold, but not gasoline, in my experience.

 

[1975oday22]

go check out the link i posted .... and then look at my post in sailing. you will see the problem

 

[Scott Danforth]

the mold has nothing to do with gasoline and everything to do with moisture and condensation.

 

[1975oday22]

if thats the case why wouldnt i see mold anywhere else in my boat? the heaviest concentration of it is under cockpit sole. and thats where the previous po kept the fuel tank. . there was nothing stopping the fumes ect from entering the main cabin as there was no bulkheads after the settees leading under the cockpit.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Don't confuse the thermal mass of the tank for fuel vapors. If there were fuel vapors, the boat would have exploded

 

[airshot]

In my opinion, the fuel tank caused condensation drawing the mold from the humidity. Enclosed liquids in containers change temps more slowly than the outside of the container, thus causing moisture. Back in the old days, we kept our wooden Lyman boats in a hoist hanging over the river. This was a major draw for spiders under our boat covers. My Dad was terribly afraid of spiders, so an old timer suggested we leave the cap on our fuel tank ( 6 gal omc tanks) loose and the fumes would keep the spiders away. Well it worked, did that for years, no spiders and no mold !!

 

[1975oday22]

What means do you use to fight mold, otherwise it’s already killing me

in my case, im going to be sanding it out , then paint with mold resist paint and gelcoat

 

[dingbat]

What means do you use to fight mold, otherwise it’s already killing me

Mold is a fact of life for a boats kept in humid areas. My bilge and the two battery enclosures under the back seats take the brunt of it.

Five gallons of water and a bottle of bilge cleaner allowed to slosh around for a day or two cleans the bilge pretty well.

A bucket of water, bilge cleaner and a scrub brush work well under the seats.

 

[flashback]

sailboats are more enclosed than other types, they have a lot of leaky deck fittings and ports, rain water accumulates in the bilge and the humidity in the boat goes skyhigh causing mold to grow. I found that a vented companion way hatch and a solar fan mounted in the forward hatch helped, along with re- sealing all deck fittings and ports..

 

[Chris1956]

Household Bleach works pretty good at killing mold. Be careful on soft surfaces, as it can remove color.

Pressure washers also have mold killing solutions that can be used. They are likely cousins of bleach.

 

[dingbat]

Household Bleach works pretty good at killing mold. Be careful on soft surfaces, as it can remove color.

Pressure washers also have mold killing solutions that can be used. They are likely cousins of bleach.

Bleach works well, but I shy away from using it as a cleaning solution, if possible, after chlorine gas exposure put dad in the hospital.

He is lucky they found him when they did.

Dangers of Mixing Bleach with Cleaners

Don't mix bleach with ammonia, acids, or other cleaners. Mixing bleach with common cleaning products can cause serious injuries. Be sure to always read the product label before using a cleaning product. Chlorine Bleach Sodium Hypochlorite is the active ingredient in chlorine bleach. It is found...

doh.wa.gov

 

[Scott Danforth]

in my case, im going to be sanding it out , then paint with mold resist paint and gelcoat

you will want to kill the mold before you sand or you just mush the mold spores around.

spray nine or oxalic bleach (most toilet bowl cleaners) works

 

[Chris1956]

Mixing bleach and ammonia is very bad, as it releases toxic fumes. Some sink dishwashing detergent has ammonia in it, so keep that in mind, if you want to mix it with bleach.

Laundry detergent is formulated to mix safely with either bleach or ammonia, or other additives.

I have not tried Spray-9 on mold, but Super Clean (which is similar), will kill some mold, but not quickly or completely, in my experience.

 

[flashback]

Mixing bleach and ammonia is very bad, as it releases toxic fumes. Some sink dishwashing detergent has ammonia in it, so keep that in mind, if you want to mix it with bleach.

 

[flashback]

Back in the day that combination was called mustard gas.