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Lawn mowers are not waterproof because they have different parts that a manufacturer cannot guarantee will resist water. When you read your user’s manual carefully, you will realize that manufacturers recommend storing mowers in dry, airy spaces that will not prevent combustion.
What happens to your mower when you leave it out in the rain?
Some of the water may seep into the carburetor, its intake ports, and even the spark plug chamber, causing the engine to fail.
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When you try to start it the next time, it will fail to respond, and if left this way for long it might actually be ruined beyond repair. You want to also think about oil, if your mower had any in it, as you will certainly need to replace it the next time you run the machine.
Your mower can be salvaged depending on how fast you act when this happens.
If you are in the habit of leaving it outside or being careless with how you store it, then you may not need to buy one to begin with. Most lawn mowers owners already know this, but accidents do happen and their machines get drenched occasionally.
Not to worry. You can still make it work perfectly.
What to do if your Mower was out in the Rain
If you act expeditiously, then you won’t have to worry about your mower that much. In a few simple actions, you can restore it.
Dry it out internally
Some of the most important parts of a lawn mower are the combustion chamber, the spark plug, air filter,crankcase, the fuel filter, and the carburetor. You want to reach to them fist and ensure they are dry before you start working on anything because their collapse means the mower is no longer salvageable.
You will need to remove the air filter, the spark plug, and gasoline cap, as well as the carburetor depending on the amount of damage you anticipate. Dry these thoroughly using dry compressed air or a volatile cleaning solvent before working on the external parts of the mower.
Check Oil and Gasoline
If the above internal parts are wet, then the chances are your gas and oil are contaminated too and they need changing.
A four-stroke engine may still start even when the oil has water in it, but it will soon seize because the oil is not pure enough to lubricate the parts sufficiently.
You want to change them both to be on the safe side.
Should you use motor oil or mower oil on your lawn mower?
This nature of moisture will mostly only happen when a mower is exposed to harsh elements for a long time. If it is only rained on once, you may not need to the extra mile.
If the mower has only been exposed to a little rain session when you were mowing, then there is no need to panic over its damage. Still, you want to be cautious in case water reached other levels that might be damaging.
The first thing you want to do is spray starter fluid into the carburetor and then start it to see how it behaves. If it does start, let it run for a few minutes – 5-8 – to facilitate drying.
Any internal parts that may have been affected will dry as a result and your mower will no longer be in any danger of ruin. You want to do this as soon as possible because storing it with any level of moisture, however insignificant, could accelerate.
Does Wet Grass Affect a Mower?
While water could affect the internal workings of your mower, simpler matters such as working it on wet grass will have no effect, unless the ground is completely clogged with water.
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Wet grass may require higher performance from your engine, but it doesn’t ruin it. The same applies for washing it using water, as long as you wait until the engine is cool to spray it with cold water.
Final Word
Your user manual is clear on the conditions that you should store your lawn mower. Leaving it out in the rain or all sorts of weather exposes it to the element, and naturally reduces its useful life.
As long as you ensure it is dry after every session and the storage is dry, then your mower will serve you well for a long time.