Question for truckers

[Mackka]

I have a shed that I want to use to store firewood. Problem is, it was used to store diesel and the concrete has soaked it up.
I degreased it and power washed it, then spread kitty litter to soak it up.
All to no avail.
You fellas got any secret solutions?
Thanks in anticipation.
Mackka

 

[davsgold]

Put old rubber conveyor belt down first on the concrete and stack the wood on top of the rubber conveyor belt.

cheers dave

 

[Mackka]

Thanks Dave
I was thinking of concrete pavers 900 x 600 but your suggestion makes better sense.
Thanks for the advice.
Mackka :Y:

 

[yass00_Au]

Not a trucker personally but you could always hire a concrete grinder to grind out the contamination depending how deep it has soaked in then seal floor with epoxy or tile it even.

Shouldn't hit rebar mesh as it should be 5" or so bellow the surface.

 

[Goldpick]

Look up Bio-active absorbents, you can get 10kg bags of the cellulose product containing microbes that absorb and convert hydrocarbons. We used to carry the product for any spills doing exploration/drilling work.

https://spillready.com.au/product/organic-floor-sweep/

https://www.ecospill.com.au/shop/spill-kits/ecosweep-bioactive-absorbent-10kg/

 

[moeee]

Is it a dangerous fire risk storing dried timber on a concrete floor with diesel stains on it ?

 

[Wishfull]

Put some corrogated iron over it and then stack your wood. You won't have a problem with termites coming up through any cracks in the cement floor, they don't like diesel.

 

[Goldfreak]

Is it a dangerous fire risk storing dried timber on a concrete floor with diesel stains on it ?

Never heard of diesel spontaneously combusting, green hay can though.

 

[Mackka]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. The diesel is deep.
I have seen a hay shed go up and burnt my my hand in hot wool.
I was thinking of concrete pavers to cover the old concrete floor however now I have many options.
Thanks to all contributors.
Mackka

 

[Ridge Runner]

Why not stack it all on Pallets keeping it up off the floor so the Air can circulate, OR lay 2 4x2's on edge parallel to each other and then stack the wood on them, Y/N... :Y:

 

[Ded Driver]

I have a shed that I want to use to store firewood. Problem is, it was used to store diesel and the concrete has soaked it up.
I degreased it and power washed it, then spread kitty litter to soak it up.
All to no avail.
You fellas got any secret solutions?
Thanks in anticipation.
Mackka

you will never get all the diesel out of concrete, but there is a product (from car shops) called Liquid Magnet that is basically a powerful degreaser designed to suck oil out of concrete & brick paved driveways, floors, etc
I haven't used it but have been told it works fairly well.
Then you could spray a bitumen based sealant over the area

 

[aussiefarmer]

Chook/turkey farms use a wash down soap called "Total clean" we got a drum of it and it is unreal.
Where the oil has dripped out of shearing stands for the last 50 years onto and into wooden floor boards a bit of a soak and some hot water and it is almost back to normal timber :Y: .
I am almost positive its food grade type cleaner that they use in dairys and butchers too.
Good stuff :Y:

I personaly wouldnt worry , the diesel wont affect the wood or vise versa

 

[golddiggerart]

Chook/turkey farms use a wash down soap called "Total clean" we got a drum of it and it is unreal.
Where the oil has dripped out of shearing stands for the last 50 years onto and into wooden floor boards a bit of a soak and some hot water and it is almost back to normal timber :Y: .
I am almost positive its food grade type cleaner that they use in dairys and butchers too.
Good stuff :Y:

I personaly wouldnt worry , the diesel wont affect the wood or vise versa

I only heard of "Total Clean" the other day as the lady uses it to clean her oven. :Y:

 

[ctxkid]

I personally wouldn't worry , the diesel wont affect the wood or vise versa

me either , just pack it in :Y:

i really cannot see an issue

 

[snafu]

Mackka, I am a diesel mechanic with more than 40 years experience working with trucks, mining gear, agricultural machinery and marine engines in some of the messiest workshops and conditions imaginable. The flash point of diesel is just over 50 degrees celsius which means that given the right ignition source, it will combust, but only if fuel to air ratio is within the required parameters. The auto-ignition temperature where diesel will ignite without any ignition source is 5 times the flash point at over 250 degrees celsius. The chance of spontaneous combustion is highly improbable and in all my years in the industry I have never heard of it happening, but..........

The 'but' is that although improbable, it is not impossible.

There was a freakish incident in Adelaide quite some years ago where an auto electrician set up shop in an old service station and he was unaware of a common practice in servos of using kerosene to clean oil stains from the concrete drive through area. The kero had saturated the concrete and on one extremely hot day it reached the flash point of just above 38 degrees celsius and from memory it may have been an apprentice doing a soldering job that caused the resulting explosion which completely demolished the entire building killing the apprentice, and severely injuring his boss. For it to happen, the conditions had to be perfect with the right flash point, the correct fuel to air ratio and the ignition source in the right location.

You've probably got a better chance of picking the lotto numbers than you have of causing any sort of fire hazard with the diesel soaked concrete.

Jeff

 

[Mackka]

Thanks for all the great advice fellas, I really appreciate it.
Mackka :Y: