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Petrol is not only used for vehicles as it also provides an excellent solution for powering up petrol-powered garden tools too. It is important that these tools are well looked after in order to keep them working as they should be, in the same way that cars or other petrol powered vehicles should be maintained. Our guest post today from Wrong Fuel Expert is about getting petrol garden tools going again after the winter.
While we are only just reaching into autumn now it is worth thinking and planning ahead so that your garden tasks are up to date, your home maintained and ready for the winter and your garden tools properly stored ready for the spring.
One the most common issues with petrol powered garden tools is that on breaking them out of the shed or workshop after winter many find that they simply don’t want to get going again.
Usually the main reason for this type of issue with a petrol powered garden tool is stale or contaminated petrol. The unleaded petrol which we have access to today has a very limited shelf-life and so leaving fuel in the tool tanks over winter is counterproductive at best.
If you’ve remembered to empty your tanks before storing the tools the likelihood is that you’ll experience less problems come springtime. It is important to remember that if your tools don’t start pretty much straight away that investigation and repair should be taken rather than risking snapped recoils and ropes by repeatedly trying to force the tool to work.
If you didn’t remember to empty out then these simple steps should help get you and your petrol powered garden tools back on track.
- Drain out any of the fuel that has been left behind over winter. How quick and easy this task will be will depend on the type of tool. Many hand tools such as hedge-cutters are usually easy to tip upside down over a funnel to allow the fuel drain out. Other more modern or complicated tools might have a primer pump and this should be used to pump and clear any remaining droplets. With larger pieces of equipment such as lawnmowers check the manufacturer’s instructions for the best and safest way to empty the tank.
Fuel siphon kits and syringes may also come in handy dependant on the size and the type of the tool or piece of equipment. - Once completely cleaned out the best way to get the show back on the road again is to re-fill the tanks with fresh new petrol.
If all goes to plan this should have you back on track and ready to get started in the garden again. If not firstly check the ignition units and spark plugs to make sure that these are still in good working order. Spark plugs do occasionally need to be cleaned and put back in or replaced altogether in favour of new ones as they are an essential part which will wear down over time.
It is also worth checking out your fuel can too for contaminated fuel, dirt or rust. Maintaining your jerry can or fuel can is important as rust flakes will also cause havoc with an engine the same way mixed fuel will. This blog on removing diesel from a jerry can could be useful here. If you don’t feel you can properly clean out the can or that it has reached the point where it is very much past its best throw it out and get a new one. Mixed up petrol and diesel, rust and any other contaminants will damage your petrol powered garden tools and storing petrol in a poor condition can leads to wastage.
As with cars, look after your petrol powered garden tools well and you’ll be more likely to find them as ready and raring to go as you are come springtime.
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