Just have to vent - cabin broken into - fuel oil spill in cabin

[rdzone]

All,

sorry for the post but I just need vent.  Some A--holes broken into my cabin, couldn't kick a door in so smashed a window and unlocked the door.  Stole an assortment of stuff mainly food, gator aid, and bosch jobsite radio.  That wasn't the worse part they tried to take my toyo stove and almost got away with it, but one of my neighbors must have spooked them off, so I still have the stove, but also a major fuel oil spill.  The stove was on the 2nd floor so fuel soaked plywood and I joists, plus fuel in the basement concrete floor.   What a @#$%^!

I had the state troopers come out and they got some good prints so maybe they might catch the bastards, but now I have to deal with the aftermath.   I got all the fuel absorbed and hauled out the absorbent, but now I am working on a solution to deal with the fuel spill. I have done a lot of reseach since this happened last thursday.  I am looking a a green product called hydrocarbon cleaner it gets rid of the smell and nuetralizes the fuel oil.  Pretty pricey but if it works it will help eleviate a major headache. 

Has anyone else ever had to deal with this?  Any recommendations?

[flyingvan]

When I worked at HazMat (still do occasionally---I'll be there Monday as a matter of fact) we sometimes use something called 'micro beasties'.  I think the trade name has changed, but same mix of microbes that eats hydrocarbons http://microbes.wonderchem.com/

I know they eat paraffin wax too though, and I wouldn't want anything eating the parafin wax out of my OSB in the TJI's or the plywood in the subfloor.  It wouldn't hurt dimensional lumber at all though

[Tickhill]

Sorry to hear about your break-in rd. I know this is after the fact but if you will now install some trail cameras in strategic locations, you will at least have footage of the culprits. Fingerprints are great but video footage of the actual destruction of entering your cabin will be a double down. Bad to say but now they know how to get in, it is just a matter of time before they do it again if they are not convicted and put behind bars. You owe your neighbor a good meal. tick

[Checi]

I second the suggestion about hiding a trail camera. I knew that 4-wheelers had been on my land and I was afraid to leave my lumber and stuff out there where no one can see it. I bought my trail camera from Cabela's and the resolution is so good that if a truck were to pull up at my cabin site, the license plate would be readable. All I'd have to do is print out the pics and go to the sheriff.

[Danfish]

Have had some success pulling out light oils by covering with a layer of baking powder and then covering that with taped down saran wrap.  Left for 24 hours the baking powder will absorb oils.

[firefox]

Baby powder is also effective. Learned this from an auto mechanic who has
his own shop. Uses it to soak up the oil spills on the concrete all the time.
Bruce

[Tome]

If you want to find the culprits and try to get some form of mental closure rewards often get results.

When the meth heads broke into our club hunting cabin we put up a sizeable reward and had informants coming from everywhere. They were reporting each other! I recommend if you do use rewards tht you coordinate the efforts with the local authority.

Also, alarm systems have gotten pretty affordable.

[Huge29]

Also, alarm systems have gotten pretty affordable.

Well said!  Assuming that you are on the grid and have internet....Vivint has pretty good deals that even include remote operation of deadbolts, motion activated cameras, etc.  If you are not on the grid or have internet trail cameras would be the ticket.  Good luck!  Not a worse feeling I have ever felt than the sense of violation after my truck was burglarized.

[Tinga]

I worked with a contractor doing some helping work and our take on it was, people that broke into Job-sites/homes were almost ALWAYS known to the person. They knew that there was construction going on and the schedule of things.

[buckroe]

Terrible, what kind of mindset convinces people they have a right to something someone else worked for? I hope you get em'.

bumped post because I've been reading horror stories of break-ins on remote cabins for a few hours now. In another forum a poster recommended this alarm:
http://www.cabinalarm.com/CabinAlarmKit.html louder than crap; which is fine by me.

You might have some crooked neighbors out there; submit a request for the state troopers to check on your place every now and then.
Also, secure the windows; even something as basic as shutters would delay entry. Iron grates all the better.

[firefox]

Signs are sometimes helpful like the following:

We put food and water out in the back for the mountain lions so
please try not to startle them. Thank you.

A recording of a mountain lions scream programed to play a random intervals
and varying volume helps, but make it sound like it is a little bit away from the cabin,
not coming from the cabin.

Bruce