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Do I Drain the Fuel Out of My Power Equipment.

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Published on Wednesday, 29 June 2011 03:58

Written by seedspreader

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This article was published by Otter Bob.  He retains the right to publish elsewhere.

Do I drain the fuel out of my Power equipment ?

To drain or not to drain the fuel of your lawn mower and other garden equipment for seasonal storage is a question that has been debated from the beginning of gasoline powered equipment.
I have read in manuals and have been taught both positions.
In this article we are talking about seasonal storage, not long term storage or transportation.

This question came about many years ago when customers complained that they did nothing yet their equipment needed carburetor work after setting in the garage or barn all winter. Mechanics realized early on that “fuel degradation” was the culprit. Most shops decide not to explain this to customers because they feel that the customer would “wise Up” and it would cost the shop money from lack of repairs.

“Fuel Degradation” What is it?
When you buy fuel it is like most other items on your shopping list, it starts to go bad immediately, whether in your fuel can or mower. In our area fuel is oxygenated to reduce pollution during cooler times of the year, however most people do not know that fuel is also “re-blended” as often as once a month to adjust it's volatility. Fuel produced in July must be blended so that it will not vaporize to quickly in the 100 degree temperatures yet fuel produced in January must be made more volatile so that it will burn at 0 degrees temperatures. With all this blending and re-blending fuel degrades quickly and should be used within 30 to 45 days. When fuel degrades it forms “gums” and “varnishes” that will clog the tiny ports inside the carburetor. Some of the chemicals in the blend begin to dissolve rubber gaskets and parts inside the fuel tank, fuel line, and carburetor. The only protection you have is to remove the fuel or add to the fuel a product that slows the degradation and helps protect your mower parts from the degradation and corrosive action of the fuel. Most people are not mechanics so removing the fuel is a problem. Running the machine until it dies from lack of fuel actually causes more problems in some machines, because there is always some fuel not picked up by the vacuum of the venturi inside the carburetor. This small amount of fuels degrades to a varnish much more quickly.
As a certified small engine mechanic in the business for the last 25 years my position is to leave the fuel in the machine and add fuel stabilizer to the fuel. Fuel stabilizers can be found at most hardware stores and repair shops. After you add the fuel stabilizer be sure to run the equipment for a few minutes to allow it to reach all areas of the fuel system.

Otter Bob