After a long Summer of running the lawn mower and weeding your gardens, Fall might seem like a much-welcome break from lawn care responsibilities. However, the opposite is true. Rather than stopping your maintenance routine altogether, you should just change it with the season. By grabbing your lead blower and following Autumn lawn care best practices, you can keep up your grass looking gorgeous until the first snowflake falls.

Remove leaves as soon as possible
While Fall’s colorful leaves look lovely in the trees, they aren’t quite so appealing while sitting on the grass. To prevent them from rotting on your lawn, it’s best to clear them off regularly. Whether you use a rake or a leaf blower, take the time to keep your grass as leaf free as possible.

Keep mowing as needed
While your grass’ growth may start to slow, it will likely not stop during the Fall. At least in the early weeks of the season, keep your lawn mower on hand to cut the grass when necessary.

Aerate the soil
Fall rains and cool temperatures keep the grass moist, making this time of year perfect for aeration. A 50 by 50 foot lawn releases enough oxygen for a family of four, absorbing carbon dioxide, hydrogen fluoride, ozone, and peroxyacetyl nitrate. By poking holes in the lawn with an aerator, you can keep it oxygen rich and serving these health benefits.

Continue with weed control
While most of your Summertime weeds won’t be a concern, other species tend to pop up later in the year. Moss can be especially concerning during the Fall, so use a rake to remove it from the surface of your back and front lawn. Lift it from the roots to prevent spread.

Apply a layer of top soil
You may also consider using this time of year to spread a layer of top dressing to your grass. This will fill in any patches that dried out during the summer. You can either make your own or purchase it from a garden store.

By taking care of your lawn in the Fall, you can keep it looking beautiful and better prepare it for the Winter ahead. With the right tools and process, you will have your lawn routine set in stone all season long. And once the snow falls, you can tuck your tools away for Spring.

In the last post, we started to discuss the initial steps of preparing your lawn mower for the off-seasons of late fall and winter. However, there are a few more steps that must be performed carefully to complete the process and preserve the lifespan and condition of lawn mowers through the fall and winter months. Here are steps four through seven of getting your lawn mower ready for off-season storage.

Step Four: Drain The Motor Oil
This step is only necessary for lawn mowers with 4-cycle engines, as 2-cycle engines have oil mixed into the gas. Once you’ve prepared a tray with a tarp under it to catch the drippings, This Old House has a simple method for completing this step efficiently: “Set the mower on its side with the air filter and carburetor facing up, so oil and residual gas don’t spill into them. Remove the oil reservoir plug and slowly tilt the mower until the oil begins to drain into the pan. Replace the plug when all the oil has drained.”

Step Five: Clean The Bottom Of The Mower
It’s important to clean your mower before putting it in storage so that it’s ready to start running when you need it in spring. Plus, any left over grass or dirt will be much harder to remove after sitting on the mower all winter long. Start by scraping off the excess grass and mud with a wire brush, putty knife, or similar tool. Once you’ve done that, use a cloth to very carefully wipe off any remaining debris.

Finally, put the blade back on and return the mower to its upright position and refill the oil. For safety purposes, always handle the blade using safety gloves.

Step Six: Clean Or Change The Air Filter
If a lawn mower’s air filter is dirty, it won’t burn gas efficiently. Paper filters should be replaced with the edges facing out, and oil-soaked sponge filters should be washed and dried completely before adding a small amount of oil and reinstalling it. You should also clean the cooling fans if they’re filled with debris by using a screwdriver or popsicle stick.

Step Seven: Replace The Spark Plug
Finally, the last simple step to preparing your favorite lawn beautification tool is to replace its spark plug using a socket wrench equipped with a spark-plug socket. Even if you feel as though your old spark plug has some life left in it, new ones are very affordable and perform much better, saving you a potential headache next spring. In general, the spark plug should be replaced in lawn mowers once per year.

About 83% of Americans think having a yard is important, and 90% of those with a yard think it is important that it is also well-maintained. That being said, it’s critical to protect the machinery that makes it all possible, and following this simple guide is the best way to keep your lawn mower running at its best as soon as you remove it from storage next spring.

It’s no secret that lawn mowers are one of the most essential pieces of lawn beautification equipment in the country. In fact, the average American green thumb spends four hours per week taking care of their lawn. That adds up to an average of 208 hours per year, or over eight days. But after a successful season of keeping your lawn freshly maintained, it’s important to do the same to the tool that makes the magic happen — the mower. Here’s a simple, seven-step guide to help you safely store your lawn mower for the fall and winter months.

Step One: Empty The Tank
Although some professionals disagree with this suggestion, many recommend emptying the fuel tank before storing your lawn mower during the off-season. As with many other pieces of machinery, unused gas can easily turn stale and gunk up the engine and carburetor. This Old House recommends adding a fuel stabilizer, running the mower in order to evenly distribute it, turning the engine off, letting it cool, and siphoning any leftover fuel into a clean can. You can even put the leftovers into your car, assuming it hasn’t been blended with any oil. To make sure the tank is empty, restart the mower repeatedly until the engine will no longer start and the fuel lines are completely empty.

Step Two: Disengage The Spark Plug
After you’ve emptied the gas tank, it’s time to move on to the spark plug. Make sure the spark plus is completely disconnected to prevent the risk of injury from an accidental kick-start.

Step Three: Take Off The Blade
Once the spark plug is disconnected, you can safely remove the blade from the mower. Start by unscrewing the bolts that hold it into place on the undercarriage. Make sure to wear thick safety gloves to avoid risk of injury. If you’re feeling productive, this is also a great opportunity to clean and sharpen the blades to get them ready for the next mowing season. Either way, removing the blade makes it much easier to change the oil, which is another critical step in the storage process.

Ultimately, these are just the first few steps of preparing your lawn mower for fall and winter storage. Keep an eye out for the next post, where we’ll discuss steps four through seven of the preparation process.

Even though it is summertime, it is never too early to talk about heating your home! If you are in the market for a new residential furnace, consider changing things up this year and investing in the wonderful world of outdoor furnaces. Currently, there are about 200,000 outdoor wood furnaces in use, meaning that a lot of Americans have chosen this non-traditional route. Here are some of the benefits that come with using this unique heating option.

Immediate long term benefits

Investing in an outdoor furnace will immediately get rid of any heating bills you may have as you don’t need electricity to run it! You will only have to invest in a consistent wood supply, and what’s even better is that you can easily heat multiple homes with this one heating source, making it great for those who live on farms and rural areas.

Eliminating carbon monoxide exposure

Outdoor furnaces completely get rid of the silent killer — carbon monoxide. It can be hard to know if there is any carbon monoxide in your home, so an outdoor furnace can provide a peace of mind not many homeowners get to experience!

Gets rid of a fire hazard within the home

This is especially helpful if you have a child to worry about. Your outdoor furnace will be located out of reach of both children and pets, making it one less thing for you to worry about. But don’t worry, these furnaces come with multiple safety features such as fail-safes for increases in pressure, loss of electricity, and over-burning.

Longevity compared to other options

A traditional residential furnace lasts only about ten years or so, but an outdoor furnace can last indefinitely if properly maintained! So while the cost to install an outdoor furnace will differ from what you are used to, the return on investment is incredibly high. All you’ll need to do is have a biannual inspection, and clean it once a month or so to have a perfectly working unit.

If you are interested in investing in this sustainable source of heat, please contact our furnace experts today with any and all questions. We’ll come and get your home ready for the winter that is ahead!

It’s no secret that power tools such as leaf blowers and chainsaws are incredibly versatile. However, many people underestimate the amount of maintenance involved to keep these tools working at their best. Here are just a few basic routine maintenance procedures to help optimize the performance of your chainsaw.

1. Use A Degreaser:
   If your chainsaw starts to slow down or lose power, it may just need a good degreasing. Spray on a liberal amount of degreaser when the engine is cool. Let the degreaser work its magic for 10-15 minutes, then simply wipe it down with a clean rag or cloth. Don’t forget to give your chainsaw a thorough rinsing to make sure all of the degreaser has been removed. Finally, make sure it’s completely dry before firing it up once again.
2. Examine The Chain:
   A chainsaw won’t work properly if there’s an issue with the chain, and the best way to avoid chain issues is to examine it consistently. Chains should frequently be checked for lack of sharpness and other damage such as bent or broken links. Repairclinic.com says, “Chainsaws are designed to smoothly cut wood; if it requires some elbow grease from you to penetrate the wood, the chain needs to be sharpened. Chainsaws can be professionally sharpened or you can buy a kit to do it yourself, but it’s often less expensive and easier to simply replace the chain.”
3. Check the filters:
   Like many tools and appliances, chainsaws have filters that must stay clean to keep it working properly. Experts recommend replacing your chainsaw’s filter after 100 hours of use, or every three months. If you need help finding the right filter for your specific chainsaw model, contact a landscaping or lawn beautification professional, or take to the Internet.

Ultimately, chainsaws are a great tool with many versatile uses. While they do take some basic maintenance, like all power tools, they’re well worth the investment — spending as little as 5% of your home’s value on landscaping may get an ROI of as much as 150%, and chainsaws are a key tool for many landscaping projects. For more information about how to improve your home’s curb appeal, contact Outback Heating Of Virginia, Inc.