(Radio Iowa) – With warmer-than-normal temperatures forecast for the weekend ahead, it may be the ideal time for Iowans to transition their lawn mower to the back of the barn or shed and get the snowblower ready for duty. Kris Kiser, president and C-E-O of the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute, says to prep the mower for storage by sharpening the blade, putting in a new spark plug and air filter, and running it until it runs out of gas.

“Fuel has ethanol in it now, which is hygroscopic. It’ll absorb water over time and phase separate. The key is to not let that happen,” Kiser says. “So run the product dry, clean it and try to store it in dry place, that’s key for power equipment.” If your mower or other tools, like weed trimmers, run on those large, rechargeable batteries, there’s a right way and a wrong way to store those for the winter ahead — and those batteries are pricey, so don’t just leave them attached.

“Follow your manufacturer directions to the letter here,” Kiser says. “There are some differences with that, but likely it’s going to be — charge them up, don’t put them on a metal shelf, and again, store in a cool, dry place.” If your snowblower was put away properly in the spring, he says it should be an easy chore to get it ready for the winter ahead. Fuel stabilizers, products like Sta-bil, may be helpful but Kiser would refer you back to the instruction manual.

“The key, I think most engine manufacturers today will say, run it dry, store it dry with nothing else in it,” Kiser says. “It should, when you introduce fresh fuel, remember fuel stales now, and so when you’re ready to bring it back out for the season, use fresh fuel. Don’t have fuel that you’ve kept in a can in the garage for 30 days or more, fresh fuel should bring it back.” Does much need to be done to a snowblower to get it ready for action?

“A lot of it’s going to be determined by how you put it up, so if you run it dry and you’ve stored it in a dry place, you should likely have no issues whatsoever,” Kiser says. “Not all snow blowers have them, but check the air filter, check the oil, but if you put it up, it’ll likely fire right when you fill it with gasoline. Give it a pull or two, it should fire right away.” While Iowa has no snow in the immediate forecast, the flying flakes will be here soon enough, and Kiser says when that day arrives, you’ll want to take another precaution for the health of your snowblower.

“If you’re going to get a snowstorm, clear the area that you intend to plow or blow, because that machine is going to find sticks, debris, the garden hose, dog toys, whatever is left out there. That machine is going to find them, and once the snow covers them, you’re not going to see them,” Kiser says. “So the key is, before the storm, get out there, clear it, you don’t want the machine finding those items.”

If you have questions about your power equipment but can’t find the original instruction manual, he notes it’s probably online.

https://www.opei.org/