How to store petrol garden tools

NIMAN

Wondering if there is a recommended way to store your petrol hedge cutter/strimmer etc?

Is it best to store them horizontally?

Can you hang them vertically from the roof of a garage, with the cutting end at the roof, with the petrol tank at head height?

Hocus Focus

Drain the tank almost to the end then run the motor until the last of the fuel runs out. It's probably better to store them so that the tank is lower than the motor, so that any remaining drops of fuel do not drain into the carb. The same applies to small petrol motors generally.
Boat owners sometimes use fogging oil when storing outboards over winter:

https://www.goldeagle.com/tips-tools/fogging-engine-proper-use-fogging-oils/

https://marineparts.ie/engine-systems/oils-lubricants-and-protection/engine-protector/fogging-oil/

RiderOnTheStorm

Hocus Focus wrote:

Drain the tank almost to the end then run the motor until the last of the fuel runs out. It's probably better to store them so that the tank is lower than the motor, so that any remaining drops of fuel do not drain into the carb. The same applies to small petrol motors generally. Boat owners sometimes use fogging oil when storing outboards over winter:

+1 on draining over winter

If only I knew this a couple of years ago....ruined a good petrol strimmer!

Hocus Focus

RiderOnTheStorm wrote: »

+1 on draining over winter

If only I knew this a couple of years ago....ruined a good petrol strimmer!

The fuel evaporating and clogging up the carbuerettor is not the end of the line for a strimmer (etc.) . The carb can be dismantled and the jets cleaned out. A cheap ultrasonic bath, such as the ones sold on line for cleaning jewellery will suffice, or your local tattooist might put the jets in his "sonic" for a small consideration.

RiderOnTheStorm

Hocus Focus wrote:

The fuel evaporating and clogging up the carbuerettor is not the end of the line for a strimmer (etc.) . The carb can be dismantled and the jets cleaned out. A cheap ultrasonic bath, such as the ones sold on line for cleaning jewellery will suffice, or your local tattooist might put the jets in his "sonic" for a small consideration.

Oh, thx HF, great tip! Will try that. Have been weighing up the cost of a new carb v new strimmer.

my3cents

RiderOnTheStorm wrote: »

Oh, thx HF, great tip! Will try that. Have been weighing up the cost of a new carb v new strimmer.

Try also running it with Aspen 2 stoke fuel you can buy it by the liter in a lot of mower shops.

The Aspen fuel tends to clean out muck as it has a very different composition to forecourt petrol.

Supertoucher

my3cents wrote: »

Try also running it with Aspen 2 stoke fuel you can buy it by the liter in a lot of mower shops.

The Aspen fuel tends to clean out muck as it has a very different composition to forecourt petrol.

This.


Pump petrol mixed with 2 stroke oil, goes off and can sludge the carb. Also contains ethanol which eats components alive.


Aspen is an alkylate fuel which has a very long shelf life (over a year), can be left in machinery over winter, won't corrode equipment and burns with fewer emissions.

NIMAN

I use Aspen in a Stihl blower I bought new a couple of years ago, as I wanted to keep it as good for as long as possible.

Guys in garden centres told me if you use it all the time, the tools remain so clean. Standard unleaded from the forecourt is dirty apparently.

Anyway, I was wondering if you used standard unleaded mix for your tools, and then used aspen for say the last 2 or 3 uses before the winter, would it do any good? Could it clean out some of the months of dirt created by using standard unleaded?

my3cents

Some professional users like tree surgeons will use say one fueling with Aspen every 4-5 fills. You get the benefits of the Aspen fuel cleaning the 2 stroke engine and carb out without the costs of using Apen fuel all the time. Obviously they aren't worried about storage as they are using their gear year around.

I don't know but I doubt the cleaning effects of Aspen fuel are so strong that it will clean months of dirt in one go, if it did it would cause problems.

CJhaughey

The biggest difference between Alkylate and standard petrol is the lack of Ethanol.
On it's own Ethanol doesn't do much apart from reduce power but one of its properties is that it is hygroscopic which means it attracts water.
This is bad news for carbs as it means water accumulates in the carb and starts to corrode the internals, brass really doesn't respond well to water it goes green and corrodes away.
If you use standard petrol during the season with good two stroke its fine, but at the end of the season run a few tanks of Alkylate through it and then leave it alone.
Running carbs dry can lead to the diaphragms drying out and not pumping next season.
I have had to rebuild a few due to this problem and ultrasonic cleaners don't work particularly well on the tiny jets used in most small power equipment, sometimes a new carb is the only solution.

Supertoucher

I suppose ultimately it depends on your volume of usage. Perhaps obviously, if you aren't using your 2 stroke motors too much, than running Aspen year round isnt too much of a burden. However, obviously if you're constantly fighting nature then you might want to look at the alternatives above.