# Should I be shutting off the fuel after every use?



## grayhairedfreak (Oct 15, 2018)

Another newbie question. Deluxe 24, circa 2011. I know the manual recommends fuel shutoff for off-season storing, but is there a benefit to doing this during the winter? I could conceivably go 2-4 weeks between use. SIAP, I did a search and couldn't find anything related to this. Thanks in advance!


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

Some.of my machines have shutoff valves but I never use them. I had an old tiller with a Kohler that leaked gas into the crankcase so I used it but that is the only one. My honda mower has one, my sno tek has it and my new tiller all have unused fuel valves. The first 30 years no OPE we owned even 
had valves.on them. I guess that's why I do 't use them now. Another thing, I don't use Ethanol gasoline.


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## uberT (Dec 29, 2013)

I've always shut the fuel off following every use, certainly not solely at seasonal storage time. Seems like a very practical routine from a general safety perspective should one spring a leak...


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## tadawson (Jan 3, 2018)

40+ years, never shut off other than running dry at the end of the season. Always start next season, and never had any issues otherwise . . .


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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

* I turn off the valve and let the carb run dry after every use. NEVER EVER Had any problems doing it that way. k:k:k:k:k:*


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## gibbs296 (Jun 22, 2014)

What Shifty said...


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## broo (Dec 23, 2017)

I don't have a shutoff valve, so I can't use it. No problems due to this yet.


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## 132619 (Nov 20, 2018)

POWERSHIFT93 said:


> * I turn off the valve and let the carb run dry after every use. NEVER EVER Had any problems doing it that way. k:k:k:k:k:*


DITO here! never know when mother nature orders a dry spell so i shut the valve off and run the carb dry. next storm turn on the gas pull it out of the shed or garage fire it right up.


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## SayItAintSnow (Dec 15, 2017)

Agree with what Powershift' said....... I do the same thing.
In fact, every piece of power equipment I own has a shutoff, and if they didn't come with one, I installed an aftermarket one, and usually with an inline fuel filter. Exceptions would be chainsaw, hand held leaf blower, or weed trimmer, but I just don't let fuel sit in them for very long, and run them out of fuel before seasonal storage.


Never used to do any of that in the old days, but the gasoline we are getting now is crap. :icon_cussing_black:

Between the ethanol attracting water, and various compounds designed to break down in 30-60 days, you're taking a big chance leaving it in the machine with or without stabilizer. It's just not worth it.....:wink2:


Besides, nothing beats the feeling of taking out that piece of equipment that has been in dry dock for 5 or 6 months, putting fresh gas in it, and having it fire up on the first pull. :yahoo:
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## russ01915 (Dec 18, 2013)

I don't use the fuel shutoff. If by chance they malfunction (not turning on) you're machine is useless until repaired.


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## cranman (Jan 23, 2016)

I install a shutoff on EVERY machine I work on...(mowers and blowers).....I buy them by the dozen at a time.Not because of bad fuel..or thinking that I have to run the carb out every time used.....but think of it.....gravity never sleeps, and your gas tank is higher then the carb.....and you got a crappy little needle....not very new....holding back a lot of gas. In a Lawn tractor, it leaking will fill the engine oil with gas without you knowing.....bang...blown rod.....or fill the cylinder with gas....won't turn over with hydrolock...you think the engine is blown and give it to Cranman for junk. Snowblowers with updraft carbs...just lose fuel....a side draft Tec....I don't know if it would fill the engine or not...cause I always shut them off..


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## guilateen02 (Nov 23, 2014)

What Cranman said to the t. Also yes the Tecs will dump fuel into the crankcase. Another thing is especially if you are storing in an attached garage. You will smell that gas leak at the worst possible time like 2am usually. That's about the time carb Elves come out tinker with float bowls and needles.


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## rslifkin (Mar 5, 2018)

I don't run stuff dry after every use, but anything with a carb and gravity feed from the fuel tank (snowblower, lawnmower, etc.) gets shut off after every use. Just in case anything happens to the carb and the needle / seat doesn't seal, it can't dump gas into the crankcase or all over the place around the equipment.


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## JLawrence08648 (Jan 15, 2017)

Every equipment that I'm able to put a shut off valve, has one. I buy them a dozen at a time, cheap. In case the inlet float valve leaks, I don't want gas on the ground, shed, floor, patio, driveway.


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## Rob Okray (Nov 30, 2018)

Ethanol is not your friend. I plan on running a shutoff on my build and using it.


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

rslifkin said:


> I don't run stuff dry after every use, but anything with a carb and gravity feed from the fuel tank (snowblower, lawnmower, etc.) gets shut off after every use. Just in case anything happens to the carb and the needle / seat doesn't seal, it can't dump gas into the crankcase or all over the place around the equipment.


I strongly agree especially with issues from older Honda snowblowers. Sometimes gas leaks over into the crankcase into the oil and then pours out of the breather tube. Causes all kinds of problems. So I shut off mine and recommend others the same.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

I used to close it and run the carb dry after each use. That eventually seemed a bit overkill, and it felt like maybe it needed an extra pull or two to start? So now I only run it dry at the end of the season. But I do like the idea of simply closing the shutoff after each use. You help avoid gas being able to leak into the crankcase, which is good, and it adds minimal hassle.


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

Rob Okray said:


> Ethanol is not your friend. I plan on running a shutoff on my build and using it.


I have the verh good fortune.to have an Ethanol free station about 5 miles away.


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## Miles (Sep 16, 2016)

I shut my valve off and run the carb dry on the snowblower. On the generator without a valve, I loosen the screw at the bottom of the carb bowl and there are plastic tubes that run out to the ground.


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## JayzAuto1 (Jul 25, 2016)

I tell the customers to shut them off after every use:

1) Don't have to worry about a weak or leaky carb filling crankcase with gas
2) Never really sure WHEN the last snow storm will be...Most consumers aren't fanatics about Snowblower care/Storage
(See #1 above)
3) Gives the engine another 30-60 seconds of run time to help cool down engine, without a load on it


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

micah68kj said:


> I have the verh good fortune.to have an Ethanol free station about 5 miles away.


my station is 40 miles away but I consider it worthwhile. ever since using E free I do notice a difference. Used to use Stabil and Seafoam.


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## 132619 (Nov 20, 2018)

micah68kj said:


> I have the verh good fortune.to have an Ethanol free station about 5 miles away.


i wish! nearest E 0 is about 45 miles by stewart airport in newburg ny, leaving me with my pump gas mixture , (93 pump, stabil, choke cleaner and motor medic lead substitute) ,even better yet giving my can to the neighbor/american airlines pilot to fill with avgas when he goes flying in his bird


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## 132619 (Nov 20, 2018)

JLawrence08648 said:


> Every equipment that I'm able to put a shut off valve, has one. I buy them a dozen at a time, cheap. In case the inlet float valve leaks, I don't want gas on the ground, shed, floor, patio, driveway.


diti here! cheap job that has saved a lot of carbs , to me IMM dry = no leaks no load on the tiny rubber needle seat to make them wear out


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## drmerdp (Feb 9, 2014)

There’s no harm in closing the valve after use. 

I wouldn’t feel the need to run the carb dry after every use though. 

Storage is a different story.


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## Letit Snow (Nov 25, 2018)

I like to use the shutoff on any gravity feed carb machine.On older equipment if the float seat failed an over flow tube would let the gas run out to the ground..This could cause bad things to happen such as an old garage with a basement entrance where the fumes could find the hot water tank.The epa eliminated this overflow tube on newer equipment..Now if the seat fails the excess gas can find its way into the cylinder causing a condition called hydrolock and will damage the engine on start up.....imho....Sorry,Cranman covered this earlier in thread...I have to stop speed reading..lol


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## Ariens hydro pro (Jan 24, 2014)

With myself some machines that get light use are turned off by turning the fuel valve off. My main snowblower had a bad shut off that wouldn't shut the fuel off. I replaced it.
But on my main blower it snows so often here I just shut it down by flipping the key.
I drain the fuel at the end of season to prevent carb issues.


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## The_Geologist (Feb 6, 2016)

I use the fuel shutoff each time, at least on those machines that have one. I figure, it takes only a second to turn the lever, so why not?


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## GustoGuy (Nov 19, 2012)

The_Geologist said:


> I use the fuel shutoff each time, at least on those machines that have one. I figure, it takes only a second to turn the lever, so why not?



I always shut mine off on the Predator 212cc. Way better than having a fuel flooded engine if the float valve sticks


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## partypants (Nov 18, 2018)

Sometimes I remember to shut it off, most times I don't. Same result either way - no issues.


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## Aviator (Nov 17, 2018)

Oxygenated winter fuels in Colorado are even worse than what most of the rest of the country has to buy. I used to just turn off the fuel valve when I was finished. My main jet got so clogged last year the blower would not run smoothly without choke. Removing and cleaning the main jet solved the issue. Since storms here can be 4 days to 4 weeks apart, I run the carb dry on each use now. No carb problems since then. I will search out alcohol free gas this winter.


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## LtJake (Dec 7, 2018)

russ01915 said:


> I don't use the fuel shutoff. If by chance they malfunction (not turning on) you're machine is useless until repaired.


Point taken...but I’ve never had one gas shut off malfunction I can remember in the last 55 years I’ve been fooling around with all the junk I’ve had. I have had leaks and bad carbs and crank cases with gas in them because I haven’t turned the gas off though.


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## Aviator (Nov 17, 2018)

To search for alcohol free gas near you, try Pure-Gas.org and buyrealgas.com. good luck


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## tadawson (Jan 3, 2018)

LtJake said:


> Point taken...but I’ve never had one gas shut off malfunction I can remember in the last 55 years I’ve been fooling around with all the junk I’ve had. I have had leaks and bad carbs and crank cases with gas in them because I haven’t turned the gas off though.


My experien has been the opposite. I have had at least 3 shutoffs fail and drip on the ground, but ever a carb in 45 years . . . and can only recall needing to clean carbs in equipment that has sat for 5+ years . . . I do run dry in the summer, but in the UP, it's pretty rare to go more than a day or so without using the blower.


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## IDEngineer (Oct 16, 2018)

I generally don't use the fuel shutoff on a snowblower. They don't sit very long in the winter between storms around here, and I always completely drain the fuel tank AND the carb bowl when summerizing, so no real need.


The one time I have used fuel shutoffs is when there's a small leak in the fuel system/carb and I haven't found the time to fix it yet. So far that's not been a problem with a snowblower for me....


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## Ian Ariens 924 (Dec 22, 2015)

I use my shutoff everytime I use the blower, up here in Southern Canada we only get to use it under 10 times a year lately. I keep the blower in the garage,well actually 2 of them,if they leak,for any reason like a stuck carb float, it saves a cleanup .
Oh and my wife uses the other side of the garage and does not like the smell of gas if one leaks.


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