Why Small Engines Will Not Start in Spring
Stale fuel is why most mowers, strimmers and generators fail after storage. What happens inside the carburettor, and the two storage methods that prevent it.
Guide
Outdoor machines · OM-08
Outdoor Machinery Winterising Checklist
A free printable winterising checklist for petrol machinery — fuel, oil, batteries and storage for every machine, on one table.
Download Free · no sign-up
2 pages. Choose your paper size — both versions are laid out identically, so neither one gets shrunk to fit.
Print it and write on it
Fill it in type and save
The fillable versions have real form fields — open them in any PDF reader, type into them and save. Printing help.
What this sheet is for
Do one pass through everything with an engine before the cold, so nothing needs a carburettor rebuild in spring.
Who it is for
Anyone with more than one petrol machine — mowers, saws, washers, generators, strimmers, tillers.
How to use it
- List every machine you own in the left column.
- Decide per machine: run it dry, or treat the fuel. Half-measures are worse.
- Change oil before storage, not after.
- Take batteries out and keep them charged.
What is on the sheet
The layout is fixed at a size that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the A4 and Letter files are visually identical and print at full size on either. Rows are set at a height that an adult can actually write a date and a few words into with a pen — most printable tables are built in a word processor and never tested with one.
Questions
Run dry or add stabiliser?
Either works; doing neither does not. Running dry suits machines you will not touch for months; stabiliser suits machines you may need at short notice, like a generator. What causes trouble is leaving untreated fuel sitting in a carburettor.
Read next
Winterising Your House and Outbuildings
Frost damage is a drainage problem more than an insulation problem. What to drain, what to isolate, and how to leave a property that will not burst.
Guide
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