A lawn mower is a bliss for those looking towards mowing or cutting grass or debris in their lawn or garden. However, many of us who use lawn mowers may not pay attention to the fact that the gasoline we use in the mowers may get stale or oxidized in about 30 days.
Oxidized gasoline or fuel can create issues, including stuttering engines, misfires, or a complete shutdown. So is there any way to prevent your lawn mower fuel from total ruin?
Yes, there is, and in fact, an easy way to save your fuel when your mower is off use for a long time. It is called fuel stabilization. In this article, we will talk about fuel stabilization and how to use fuel stabilizers in lawn mowers, and their benefits.
So without wasting any time, let us start our journey to preserve your mower engine for a long time.
What is a Fuel Stabilizer?
But before we start with our comprehensive guide to the stabilization process, let us explore what is precisely a fuel stabilizer?
In simple words, a fuel stabilizer is a solution that prevents gasoline from going stale or rancid in vehicles that are not in use for more than 30 days. These stabilizers are usually made with petroleum.
They prevent the oil from varnishing or gumming up the internals of your engine. Fuel stabilizers chemically slow oxidative degradation, break down water into dispersed droplets, or bond with absorbed water to generate a combustible product.
How to Use Fuel Stabilizer in Lawn Mower?
So, by now, you have learned about fuel stabilizers and what do these solutions do. But, if you are a beginner, the next thing that can strike your mind is how to use fuel stabilizers in lawn mowers.
To help you out, we have broken the process of fuel stabilizing into some easy steps to make it better comprehendible.
You can follow the below-mentioned four steps to stabilize your fuel quickly.
Step 1: Drain the Old Gasoline
The foremost step in this process is to drain the old fuel from the lawn mower. It is important because the fuel stabilizers should always be mixed with fresh gasoline. We say so because if you combine the stabilizer with fuel more than one-month-old, you may notice the fuel getting broken down.
Step 2: Use the Properly Measured Stabilizer
Once you have emptied the mower, the next step would be to find the recommended stabilizer. Again, you can find the types, specifications, amount of stabilizer needed, etc., in the owner’s manual. That being said, never use fuel stabilizers randomly in your machine.
Mix the stabilizer with the fuel as per the instructions given in the owner’s manual.
Step 3: Fuel the Tank
The next step in the process is filling the tank of the lawn mower with gasoline. In this step, it is essential to note that you should add fresh gasoline to the tank if you plan to garage your mower for a long time.
Pouring the gasoline on the top of the stabilizer would help disperse the latter. Furthermore, you can look for adding ethanol-free gas for better stabilizing impacts. Moreover, filling the tank only 95% with fuel is always recommended to give it some space to expand and prevent any spillage when used.
Step 4: Run the Engine
The next thing to do is run the engine of your lawn mower.
This spet is essential to ensure that fuel (with stabilizer) passes through the engine and the carburetor. This process also ensures that the entire machine and carburetor get tuned and optimized for better performance.
And yes, do not forget to run your lawn mower for at least 10 minutes after stabilizing its fuel.
So, it is pretty easy to stabilize your lawn mower fuel. You just need to keep in mind a few things you can take a glance at below.
- Use fresh gasoline to stabilize.
- Use a stabilizer suitable for your lawn mower.
- The stabilizer and fuel ratio should be perfect, as per the user manual.
- Choose a good company fuel stabilizer like STA-BIL® Storage, etc.
- Pick a stabilizer as per the need of the situation- “for storage” or “for performance.”
- Run your mower after stabilizing it.
Types of Fuel stabilizers
As we have mentioned above, you can pick a fuel stabilizer according to the need. That being said, fuel stabilizers are generally categorized into two groups:
1. For Storage
If you plan to stabilize your mower fuel before garaging it, we recommend choosing a stabilizer meant for storage. The formula used in this case is to enhance the engine’s longevity for as long as 24 months when kept unused.
2. For Performance
However, if you are focusing on enhancing the performance of your lawn mower, then you can go with fuel stabilizers meant for performance. The lifetime of such stabilizers is not as long as 24 months, as they ensure efficiency and performance enhancement over engine longevity.
You May Also Read: How to Unseize a Riding Lawn Mower Engine?
Benefits of Fuel Stabilizer
So, why use a stabilizer? We have mentioned already that a fuel stabilizer is a must to optimize the life span of your machine when not in use for long. Apart from this, let us explore some of its other benefits below.
#1. Remove Impurities From the Engine
Gasoline or fuels are comprised of impurities. Hence, fuel additives are used to prevent fuel from leaving behind gunk or impurities. This, in turn, ensures better engine performance along with increasing its longevity.
#2. Saves You Money
Fuel additives or stabilizers can save you money. But how? Well, by preventing build-up in the mower’s engine and ensuring that the fuel runs through the whale engine and carburetor without any wastage.
#3. Prevents Engine Stuttering
As we mentioned earlier, mixing fuel additives with gasoline ensures that the latter does not get oxidized. So, when using a garaged lawn mower, stabilized with a fuel stabilizer, you will not have to face the problem of sputtering or cold-starts.
#4. Easy to use
Another benefit to stabilizers to your lawn mower’s fuel is that it is pretty easy to use, irrespective of the level of your expertise. Just follow the steps mentioned above, and you are good to go with your newly fuel stabilized lawn mower.
Common FAQ’s
A. As per the thumb rule, you should use a fuel stabilizer before storing fuel or your machine (with a full tank) for more than a month. But, here, you should keep in mind that most fuel stabilizers start to lose their efficacy after 15-18 months.
A. The lifespan of fuel additives or stabilizers varies with brands. However, it is often taken that these solutions last for a maximum period of 24 months.
A. No. It is not recommended to use a fuel stabilizer with old gasoline. Doing so may reduce the efficacy of the stabilizer, as the old may already start to break down.
A. The ratio of the stabilizer and fuel generally varies from one fuel stabilizer to another. So, it is best to learn about it by going through the user guide that comes with the machine and/ or the fuel stabilizer.
Also Read: How to Change a Spark Plug in a Lawn Mower?
Conclusion
To wrap up, we can state that adding a fuel stabilizer with the fuel of a lawn mower is a pretty straightforward task, which beginners can undertake even.
This process could save you time and money by reducing fuel consumption and improving the performance of your equipment. However, several different types of fuel stabilizers are available in the market, each with varying characteristics. So, it is recommended to choose the best one that goes with the fuel used in the lawn mower.
