Every homeowner needs to know how to care for outdoor power equipment. Let Pat Simpson teach you what you need to know. Visit yardsmarts.com to learn more.

Video Transcription

Hello there. I am Pat Simpson. You know your outdoor power equipment will last so much longer if you will just take the time to maintain it, provide a little care for it on a regular basis. And that it is true whether it is a pressure washer, a lawn mower or a generator and Briggs and Stratton makes it so easy for you to provide that maintenance for this equipment because they provide the step-by-step instruction usually found in the owner’s manuals. Now every piece of equipment comes with an owner’s manual. Sometimes two owner’s manuals because there is one for the engine and there maybe one for the equipment on which the engine sets. Your lawn mower should be tuned at least once a year. It is only going to take you about 30 minutes. It is a very simple do-it-yourself project. Now what most people do not realize, the gasoline in a lawnmower will go stale after 30 days. So you need to keep that gasoline fresh. If you do not, it is going to gunk up the carburetor and makes it much harder to start. So what you need to do with the tune-up let us quickly cover this 30 minutes or less. Briggs and Stratton provides this kit for you which has everything in it. You have the filter, sparkplug, fuel stabilizer, and oil. All in one convenient kit and again, it only takes 30 minutes. As far as the fuel stabilizer goes to keep that gasoline fresh, this is something new, it is called Fresh Start. What this is, is fuel stabilizer inside of a cartridge. This cartridge snaps into place into the fuel cup and this is what it looks like when it is done and then you replace the existing cup with your mower, your pressure washer, or your generator. It drips accordingly and keeps that fuel fresh and makes that equipment run so much cleaner. Now, if you are aware of the environmental issues which we all should be, it is very important to be aware of the type of container you are storing your gasoline in and still on your equipment with. This particular one does not use a vent so no harmful vapors or escaping into the environment, plus, once the tank is full, this one stops going so you have no spillage on the ground or the area on which you are working. Let us take just a minute to talk about oil, what type of oil I should use, how often should I change the oil on my outdoor power equipment. One type of oil is synthetic oil like this one. Now synthetic oil will work in all air cool, four-cycle engines, whether it is your pressure washer, your lawnmower or your generator. If you choose to use a non-synthetic oil, then select a top quality high grade detergent 30 weight oil like this one. Now in the case of a lawn mower, Briggs and Stratton make it very easy for you because it says right on the container, lawnmower oil. So that is very simple to select. Now how often should I change the oil on my outdoor power equipment? Well, minimum, one time a year or every 25 hours of service. In the case of a generator, if you experience a power outage for an extended period of time, then you need to check the oil level in that generator regularly and add to it as needed. And here is a very important point. When you get your new equipment, your new engine from Briggs and Stratton, they check every engine at the factory before they let it go but then they drain the oil. So when you get at home, be sure to add oil first because your engine simply will not run without oil. And finally, here is a great tip for you. When you are performing your maintenance on your outdoor power equipment, it is probably a good idea to use a service mat. Simply put the mat in the area in which you are working and in this case, for your lawnmower, right on top of it. And if oil or grease happens to drip on to the floor, it is much easier to roll this up and put it away as opposed to trying to scrape that oil and grease off your floor. Briggs and Stratton knows that there is an engine inside each of us that drives us to get the job done right. Remember, regular maintenance on all of your outdoor power equipment will make it last for many, many years to come.