Has your lawn mower refused to start even after excessive chain pulling? Even after changing the air filter, the oil, the spark plug, and the spark plug wire, your lawn mower is still not starting – how frustrating!
Understanding how and when to drain gas correctly and safely is crucial if you have a gas-powered mower and would like to take good care of it.
Draining the gas is a vital part of winterizing your lawn mower, as it is with many other internal combustion engines.
The gas deteriorates, thus you must drain it. If you leave some in the gasoline tank and carburetor of your lawnmower during the winter, there is a very good risk that it won’t start in the spring.
Gas’s combustibility is reduced as a result of oxidation, which alters the composition of the gas over time.
We can inform you right now that if your equipment has been left idle over the winter or if you have had someone else take care of your yard while your equipment and gas cans have been left idle, you probably have bad gas.
To find out how to empty the gas from a lawnmower, keep reading.
5 Easy Steps For Draining Gas From A Lawn Mower
Due to snowfall, people typically don’t use their lawn mowers during the winter months, and they neglect to maintain them.
A crucial part of lawn mower upkeep is draining the old gas after each use, but most individuals never do this, which causes the bad gas to collect and occasionally cause rusting, which makes their lawn mower impossible to start.
Therefore, if you are having trouble emptying the old gas from your lawn mower, you have come to the correct spot because we have a detailed, step-by-step guide on how to do it here.
So let’s get started without wasting any time.
How To Drain Gas From A Lawn Mower, Step By Step
Step 1. Safety First
Your top goal while working with any machine should be safety. There is no way to prevent getting gas on you, therefore you should wear some high-quality gloves.
Because getting the gas into your eyes hurts and can damage your eyesight, you should wear protective clothing and eye protection. You must exercise extreme caution because you will soon be handling gasoline.
Step 2. Cleanup Of The Gas Tank Area
Cleaning the area around the fuel tank should be your first step before draining your mower. This phase can be completed in numerous ways.
You can clean it off with some water, a towel, mineral spirit on a paintbrush, gasoline on a paintbrush, or even a garden hose, but only under very mild pressure. You may use this technique to clean a gas can as well.
Step 3. Use A Pan Or Container To Catch Any Oil In Step Three
Any kind of oil collecting pan or container can be used to collect used, bad gas and salvage it for reuse. Put it on the lawnmower’s dipstick side.
Step 4. Removing The Gas
There are numerous methods for removing the gas from your mower, but we will provide you with the two simplest and most straightforward methods.
Using The Lawn Mower’s Tilt
To ensure that the air filter is constantly positioned upward, tilt the lawnmower over to the side with the dipstick. The air filter should never be set to the lowest setting because that will cause it to become saturated.
This technique can be used on any lawn mower, with the exception of riding lawn mowers, which are significantly heavier and thus much riskier to tilt for a single person.
If you intend to tilt it, you can enlist someone else’s assistance or use one of the other methods we’ve listed to drain the gas.
Using The Siphon Pump
The simplest way to empty the gas from a lawnmower or other gas-powered gear is with this technique.
You will need a siphon pump for this method, though, so if you have one already that’s great. If not, you can either create one yourself or get one from a hardware store.
There are numerous hoses included with the siphon pump. For this particular job, just the top and bottom hoses are required.
The bottom hose will go into the pan or bucket to catch the recycled liquid, while the top hose will be inserted through into your gas tank to siphon the old fluid out.
And after three to four pumps, it will begin to pump all of the gas from your mower’s tank into the container. Be patient; this process could take some time.
Step 5. Remove The Dipstick Cap
The dipstick cap will need to be removed if you’re draining the gas via tilting the mower, but before you do that, ensure your pan is securely positioned below the fuel tank opening so that no fuel spills onto your floor.
Remove the dipstick cap now, keep it in place for a few minutes, and allow all of the oil to drip into the pan or bucket.
Some Crucial Considerations When Draining Gas From A Lawnmower
To avoid an accidental and unwanted start of your mower, take out the spark plug.
If you’ve just tried to turn on your mower, wait until the engine has cooled, and be sure you park it on a level or stable surface to avoid it moving while it drains.
In any event, employ protection and wait to remove it once the job is finished entirely.
If there is still gas in the gas tank after you have finished draining the gas, double-check to make sure. If the gas doesn’t drain out of the tank properly, it could undo all your hard work.
Final Thoughts
You can use the following procedures to remove the gas from a lawn mower. But it’s crucial to follow these instructions carefully; or else, you risk damaging both the lawn mower and yourself.
It’s very important to wear the correct safety gear to prevent any accidents.
You won’t have to drain the mower after operating it for at least two years if you use fresh gasoline after draining it and remember to use a fuel stabilizer. A fuel stabilizer will make your fuel clean for a longer time.
