Winterize Your Small Engine Equipment

Protect your possessions from the ravages of winter (or risk costly repairs in the spring.)

Swap Out the Gas in Small Engines

Standard gas at the pump can gum up a carburetor on a small engine in just a few months. To avoid this, suck the gas out of the tank with a turkey baster and run the engine dry. Then add a bit of non-oxygenated gas, which has a longer shelf life but is too expensive to burn all year. You can also add a splash of fuel stabilizer and run the engine for a while on the good stuff before storing it.

Winterize Your Pressure Washer

There are a few things you should do before putting away your pressure washer for the winter. First, make sure all water is drained from the pump. Second, disconnect all of your hoses and spray an antifreeze into the pump. Taking these home winterization steps will ensure that your pressure washer makes it through the winter and works like a charm next spring.

Protect Batteries From Seasonal Storage Damage

You’ve emptied the gas, sealed the exhaust and prepared the engine for seasonal storage. But before you throw the tarp over your boat or roadster for the long winter sleep, think about how to care for the battery. Batteries lose their charge when they sit idle. And when that happens, you could wind up with a worthless battery in the spring.

Batteries should be charged every six weeks to keep them in optimal condition. But leaving a standard battery charger connected for the whole season isn’t a good idea — that will overcharge the battery and shorten its life. Instead, invest in a battery maintainer. You leave battery maintainers engaged for the entire offseason by design. They monitor battery voltage and automatically adjust the charge to avoid under- and over-charging.

Do you have small engine equipment that you need help protecting this winter? Contact Monnick Supply.

Source: familyhandyman.com