Please help settle argument about gas/mowers

16 years ago

My husband and I had a somewhat heated argument about a lawn mower today, silly as it may sound. My husband has a new mower and wants to take good care of it, which I certainly understand. However I disagree with one of his methods. After mowing the grass today, he left the mower run for about 5 minutes after he was done so he could use up the rest of the gas. He said the gas was about a month old and it needed to be used up to prevent the gas from turning to varnish and gunking up the works. When I asked how long this would go on, he said maybe as long as 20 minutes. This seemed like a waste of gas and an environmentally unfriendly thing to do. Much to his displeasure, I ended up turning off the mower. I guess men don't like people messing with their mowers - he's been annoyed all day about it. Was it really necessary for him to use up all the gas today instead of just waiting until it ran out? He's mowing about once a week. Wouldn't it be better to just not fill it up with as much gas each time? Do I owe him an apology?

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Comments (30)

kubotabx2200
16 years ago
Not if you wear the pants in the family.
mariana6b
Original Author
16 years ago
Guys, while it may be tempting to make jokes like that, I would appreciate a real answer.
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bill_kapaun
16 years ago
WOW!
Personally, I'd dump any "suspect" gas in the tank of the car where it will be "well diluted" and get fresh for the mower.
I'd rather fill my tank to the brim after mowing and eliminate any "air space" that promotes evaporation.
Usually, running the tank dry, still leaves a few "dribbles of gas in the tank/line that readily evaporates.
IF it makes you feel better, there's a big difference in opinion about run dry or fill up.
Buy some fuel stabilizer and go in peace my child:-)
baymee
16 years ago
I always run my tanks empty at the end of the season. Don't see any need beforehand.

My John Deere uses 2 gallons of gas to cut the lower part of my yard. All the old gas I pull out of customer's snowblowers (6 months old)in the Fall and lawnmowers in the Spring (6 months old), and all old 2 cycle oil/gas, goes into containers which then goes directly into the John Deere during the Summer.
kubotabx2200
16 years ago
Well I suppose if you routinely hand launder your clothing with a washboard and brown laundry soap and hang it out to dry on a clothesline, you would hold the high ground in the spousal argument about energy conservation.

Compare the "environmental impact" of washing and drying several loads of laundry in a washer/dryer every week versus your husband burning off 15c worth of gasoline once a week to protect his new lawnmower engine.

Suppose he gums up the carburetor with bad gas? Then you will need to drive 2 round trips to the small engine repairman to drop off the lawnmower and pick it up again, and that is using up some gasoline too.
indy452
16 years ago
Are there any overgrown yards in the neighborhood?
Those are a good place to use up the older fuel.

Why would he put old fuel in a new mower anyway?
If he wanted to take such good care of it he would have put in fresh to begin with.

Month old gas is still o.k. to use, I don't have any month old gas turning to varnish that fast.

To me it sounds like he likes to waste money.
I mean gas isn't cheap anymore.

Neal
mattv21
16 years ago
I agree with adding gasoline stabilizer to every can of fuel you get. Then it can sit on the shelf and/or in the mower's tank for months and not have any problem. It's also probably a good idea to fill the tank at the end of the day of use so condensation and such doesn't collect in it. So basically, what Bill said.

One more thing I can suggest, though. If he's set on running the carb out of gas at the end of each session, then install a fuel cutoff valve in the rubber fuel line running from the tank to the carb. Then he can just shut that gas off while the mower is still running, and when the float bowl (part of the carburetor) runs out of gas the engine will shut off. Then he can top the gas tank off, and eveyone is happy! A generic inline valve like that can be bought for a few $ at any mower shop.
1saxman
16 years ago
Your husband is right to be concerned about old gas, but in this instance he is wrong. If the gas is good enough to run the mower properly it won't hurt the carburetor in a week. It should be run dry for extended storage, and he should use STA-BIL in every fresh can of gas. This way he never has to worry about the varnish and bad gas.
montesa_vr
16 years ago
Running the engine dry is a common practice prior to winter storage. It is recommended in some owner's manuals. I can see why someone who wanted to take extra good care of a mower might be tempted to do it after every mowing.

However, my mower holds enough gas to mow for two hours, and I sometimes run it for only half an hour. If I ran the mower dry every time I started it, eventually I would have a lot of hours on the engine from running the gas out, even if I added what I thought was just enough gas for each mowing.

If I was concerned about keeping my carburetor clean I would go with Bill's idea and add the proper amount of Stabil to each can of gas right there at the pump. That way I could have confidence it wouldn't hurt my engine during the length of the mowing season, and if I still had any left over I could dump it in the car.

And yeah, you absolutely owe your husband an apology. Whether you were right or wrong has nothing to do with it. Marriages are dying because husbands don't feel respected and admired by their wives. I can't imagine a much more disrepectful thing to do than to tell your husband he doesn't know how to operate his mower and and then shut it off for him.
mariana6b
Original Author
16 years ago
Thank you all for your input. You can certainly tell this a male dominated forum! To the last poster, the reason I turned off the mower was because 1) we have an elderly neighbor who is easily annoyed and I was pretty sure the mower running for 20 minutes while just sitting there was going to annoy him and 2) I was worried that one of neighborhood kids might be tempted to mess with the mower if he wasn't right there watching it, which he wasn't. I didn't knows guys were so touchy about mowers and such. And to the other poster, I do actually hang clothes outside to dry and try to be energy conscious around the house.
shelbyscott
16 years ago
Wow i wish that you were my wife! my wife and i got into it today about
how many snacks should be in the snack cupboard!! Gas has
a shelf life of about 30 days in a plastic container (out
of the sun) Sta-bil is ok if you follow the directions on
the label--You sound like a nice lady good luck to you
montesa_vr
16 years ago
The concern about the unattended lawn mower and neighbor crank and kids move this into the "worth arguing about" category. Sorry for jumping on you without complete information. Lawn mowers have deadman levers for a reason.

Also, I hadn't seen Matt's post when I was writing mine, and as usual he has great input. Your husband could shut off the fuel as he is finishing his mowing and time to run the carburetor dry would be minimal.
fisher40037
16 years ago
Yes, males are touchy about areas that they are supposed to be the "master" of.
You are correct in your concerns about the waste of
fuel and safety of the neigborhood kids. How you settle
the arguement is the tricky part, as us males are not
prone to conceding on matters mechanical, and bringing
in other "male" opinions on an online forum, might just
make it worse, like hashing out problems on TV a la Dr.
Phil.

Fish
rdaystrom
16 years ago
shelbyscott- "Gas has
a shelf life of about 30 days in a plastic container (out
of the sun)"
I don't think so. Gasoline lasts far longer than 30 days.
stripped_threads
16 years ago
Back to the original post, the gas is ONE MONTH OLD, and he will mow it next week. Totaling 5 weeks old. I think everyone here agrees that there is nothing wrong with 5 week old gas. Yes I've read the 30 day stuff they talk about in the owners manual but really people use your heads!
If there was only a bit left and you were seriously worried about varnish, fill with brand new to dilute, then run a minut to get the new in the carb. But seriously folks. It is niether here nor there. Nothing wrong with 5 week old gas.
1saxman
16 years ago
'You can certainly tell this a male dominated forum!'

Just a small part of a much bigger picture - the world!
kenmc5
16 years ago
I use 2 oz of SeaFoam per gallon of gas all year for all yard equipment I never dump any gas or run the mower out of gas. Been doing this for 5 years with no starting or carb. problems. I top all the tanks at the end of the season and run that gas at the beginning of next season.

Prior to 5 years ago I used to run all the gas out of the mower at the end of the season but I have better results by stabilizing all gas and never draining or running the mowers out of gas.
echoman
16 years ago
Great stuff, that Sea Foam is!
okcdan
16 years ago
I too use Sta-Bil fuel stabilizer in every can of gas I buy for my lawn equipment. I never run the mowers out of fuel for the winter & I've never had any carburetor problems at all. I even have an 8 year old "el cheapo" Murray 20" with a 3.75hp briggs I got at Walmart for $89.00 (back then) and it's tank's never been drained & still, even it starts on the first pull. The Murray's no longer used every week, but the tank never gets drained & it's used for about 4 hrs per month & no problems.
okcdan
16 years ago
Oh, and no, you don't owe him an apology. If he was the gung ho lawnmower man he seems to profess to be, he should know about fuel stabilizer and/or fuel shut-off valves in order to completely avoid running the mower endlessly so he could use up the rest of the gas. He said the gas was about a month old and it needed to be used up to prevent the gas from turning to varnish and gunking up the works.

My 2 cents

Good day, Dan
jimc_vt
16 years ago
It's great how we solve all the issues of the world on these forums....and how "petty" arguments can be between two loving souls....so with that said ,the gas will be fine,there is no need to drain the fuel out of the system unless it is for long term storage (greater than 6 months)....leaving an engine running shouldn't be that big an issue with children,unless they are very young (I assume the deck was off !)
I'm a lucky guy ,my wife doesn't get to touch my power equipment and I don't do domestic chores (her rules) ....The rules state...I fix/repair she cleans and cooks ....we've been married 28 years ....my wife is a PEACH! Take your husband out to dinner,and kiss and make up!!! Life's to short ,Jim
bill_kapaun
16 years ago
"You can certainly tell this a male dominated forum!"
What did you expect in a LAWNMOWER forum?
Planet earth to....

"I didn't knows guys were so touchy about mowers and such"
What did you expect in a LAWNMOWER forum?
Planet earth to....

Speaking of being touchy, you might look in the mirror!
mariana6b
Original Author
16 years ago
Bill, I was kidding. I know who hangs out here! So the plan is to buy hubby some fuel stabilizer, kiss & make-up and leave the house when he's cutting grass.
honey_didnt
16 years ago
Gee Bill, I hate to be the one to burst your angry misogynistic bubble, but I will. You won't find a mower manual in the world that states the requirement of a penis or testosterone to have interest and operate lawnmowers or repair small engines. There are many women that handle this type of thing daily, and that doesn't make them man hating dykes, they just have an interest. Even in your most traditional families it's not always the husband that's repairing the equipment and mowing the lawns. In my household for example I'm the one that enjoys the order and neatness of a nicely groomed lawn, and as such I handle all of the yard work and maintenance of the equipment. To respond to someone's surprise over getting snapped at for stating she felt her husband was mistaken in his handling of something mower related (which the general consensus seems to be that he is) by saying what did she expect, or DUH! is just plain dinosaur behavior. While this forum may very well be mostly men, that this woman couldn't ask a question without some people jumping all over her is ridiculous.
bill_kapaun
16 years ago
Amazing!
You've registered to this forum within the last 90 minutes and had time to find this post, compose your dissertation, and respond.
Simply amazing!
Even more amazing is how much you THINK you know about me.
You accuse me of being hateful to women.
Your unfounded accusation is far more HATEFUL!
carol_okc
16 years ago
Ah, come on... Bill can have a sharp pen, as I can certainly vouch for regarding my 'finding a short' problem (with which, incidently, he's still helping me off-list). But a sharp pen (and generally an accurate one) doesn't make him hateful. Frankly, I think you owe him an apology!

Sure, some of us tractor-jockeys-mechanic-wanna-bes are gals, but we're the exception rather than the rule. No big deal...
paul_in_tx
16 years ago
I've never used stabilizer, never burned off the gas and never had any such problem. And what's this storing for the winter, LOL? I mow my lawn year round; I have even mowed it on Cristmas day. Although the grass grows slow in the winter, if you don't mow it often the weeds and clover will get out of hand. That extra 5 to 20 minutes that he is burning off gas, is extra wear on the engine in addition to being wasteful. With gas at $2.80 per gallon, I don't like to waste it.
fishn
16 years ago
Quote:
Gas has
a shelf life of about 30 days in a plastic container
----------------------------------------------------
Your husband must be old, and so is the guy that wrote that !

Todays gas is still very good at 1 yr old yet. And todays gas doesn't leave varnish either. Running stuff outta gas is as obsolute as Carters liver pills ! But I agree, keep your hands off his mower,.....except to turn it off :)

Rich
quirkyquercus
16 years ago
I found this post just now I was going to ask if running my generator dry was necessary. It has a lot of gas is in and hasn't been run in a couple of years. I'm running it now so apparently it's working but this is such a pain because if the power goes out I'm going to have to fill it.

As to the OP's question back from last summer, lawn mowers don't last forever and your husband will replace it with somehting new long before it dies from using stale gas. Just my opinion. We live in a disposable society. So wasting $ on gas is probably not as sensible as having to replace the mower a few months sooner.
hoss_57
16 years ago
NEVER use fuel stabilizer,it will ruin carbs.After mowing let mower cool for five minutes,refill tank to about a half inch from top and replace cap and your ready for next mowing.It is not necessary to run tank empty after each use,just makes for hard starting. When storing mower for the winter do the same fill up tank and store mower in a shed or garage,never leave outdoors.35 year experience small engine tech

Please help settle argument about gas/mowers

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Please help settle argument about gas/mowers

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