One Thing to Know Before You Mow
You might be able to skip the lawnmower tune-up and save a little money this year by following this one tip.
If you still have gas left in the tank, empty it out (and dispose of it according to your city ordinances) and fill up the mower with fresh gas. This is frequently the cause of sputtering and problems during the first use of the season.
Get more tips on ways to save money in May.
Photo: Courtesy of Real Simple.
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Forget this tip! You should never leave any fuel in the tank of any lawn care equipment. Run it dry before you put it up for the season. If you do this then you will have solved the problem before it becomes a problem.
The fuel most available to us contains up to 10% ethanol and if left sitting in the fuel tank and float bowl over the winter it is a guaranteed problem. Ethanol is hygroscopic and absorbs moisture from the atmosphere. This means you will have water in the fuel mixture anywhere you live and have humidity.Short term this is not a problem but over time it goes bad. If you have ever smelled bad gas you know and the ethanol is corrosive to most lawn care equipment. In many parts of the country there are a few service stations that have ethanol free gasoline. It's more expensive but substantially less than what a repair bill could be.
Also, if you have fuel leftover at the end of the season, always add a fuel stabilizer to protect it from going bad.
I don't believe the mower in the picture is battery operated. It's probably plugged into an extension cord that has been run over and patched many times.
