Summers seem to be getting longer and longer, but that doesn’t mean that winters are any shorter; we have a compressed autumn but nights draw in at the same rate and with that comes an inevitable cooling.

There’s less time for outdoor pursuits and, thankfully, less need to fit the same amount of garden maintenance into a shorter timespan as your lawn grows more slowly and hedges and trees need to be groomed less often.

Good Winter Practice

A good time to store your lawnmowers, trimmers, chainsaws and more away, but before
you do that, it’s important to take care of your engines.

We all know that we should clean blades and check for anything that might cause
rust, but what’s still being overlooked is the importance of protecting your
engine’s internals.

The Briggs fuel stabiliser works as a shield against the harmful effects of ethanol, which is now used in all petrol fuel available from UK filling stations.

Ethanol: The Pros and Cons

Ethanol is an effective fuel additive made from renewable
sources, which is what makes it attractive; it allows us to reduce our use of
and dependence on fossil fuels without significantly reducing the effectiveness
of the fuel itself.

However, ethanol can harm the engine over time. While new power equipment tends to be designed to compensate for some of these effects, left to its own devices, ethanol will damage plastic/rubber and metal components.

In all cases, the hygroscopic (water-attracting) effect of ethanol causes more
water to be drawn in, especially in the winter months when excess moisture is
often in the air, increasing the risk of rust while ethanol’s own corrosive
nature can continue to do damage.


And what's more, ethanol-blended fuels decay faster, which not only leads to the
loss of fuel but also leaves deposits in the engine which must be cleaned to
return to full efficiency.

Solving the Problem

Before you store your machines for the winter, use an ethanol shield. These chemicals
work to counter the corrosive effects of the ethanol, prevent hygroscopic
action bringing more water into contact with your engine, and keeping the fuel
from decaying.


By using the correct amount for each engine you can keep your power equipment at
the same high level of performance when you start it back up as it had before
you stored it away.


In the event that damage has already occurred when you begin, replace the spoiled component using our interactive parts drawings to identify the relevant part number, then treat the remaining fuel with your ethanol shield. You can order both from us at the same time!