Mowing the lawn is a tedious task, but it doesn’t have to be. If you want your grass to look great and stay green all year round, you need to take care of your lawn mower. This includes checking air filter every once in a while for dirt or debris that can clog up the machine and reduce performance.
A gas-powered lawn mower’s first line of defense against the dirt and particles that is stirred up throughout the mowing process is having a properly operating air filter. The air filter keeps dirt from entering the engine through the carburetor when it is in excellent condition and operating effectively. However, a worn-out air filter can let dirt and other particles into the engine, potentially causing start-up issues and shortening engine life.
But, How to clean lawn mower air filter?
The following blog post will teach you how easy it is to clean your air filter with common items found around the house like dish soap, water, gentle brush, and paper towel. Plus we’ll give some helpful tips on how often you should check this vital component!We hope this helps make summer yard work more enjoyable for everyone!
How Often to Clean a Lawn Mower Air Filter?
Simple lawn mower maintenance will enhance performance and lengthen the life of your mower by cleaning or changing the air filter. Each 25 operational hours, the foam pre-cleaner should be cleaned. Once every season or after 300 operating hours, replace the paper air filter. More regular cleaning and replacement may be required in dusty environments.
Always consult the owner’s handbook to see what is advised and look for an air filter that is compatible with your particular type of lawnmower. There are three different kinds of air filters available: a foam air filter that has to be oil-coated; a paper filter that resembles accordion folds; and a hybrid, or dual-element, filter that combines a foam element with a paper element (called a pre-filter or pre-cleaner).
Instructions: How to clean lawn mower air filter
Paper filters are frequently more fragile and are easily harmed if they are not cleaned delicately. Compressed fibers used to make paper filters create a web that traps airborne particles. A paper filter’s web will get over-compressed after cleaning, making it less efficient in capturing dirt.
Compressed fibers also raise the differential pressure in the filter, which damages the paper by causing it torn and rip apart. All of this means that if your filter is composed of paper, you must exercise extreme caution to prevent complications. Paper filters should typically be changed as they become filthy.
Let’s look at how to clean a lawn mower’s paper air filter to see if we can occasionally increase their lives.
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Tools Required to Clean a Paper Air Filter
- Compressor Air Gun
Tap Out the Air Filter
Give the filthy filter several light taps on a solid surface while holding it in your hand. Be careful not to harm the filter in any way.
Blow Out the Air Filter
To get rid of any loose debris, use your air cannon to gently blow around the front and back sides of the filter. Avoid blowing directly into the filter’s face to prevent pushing dirt deeper into the filter.
Inspect the Air filter
After cleaning the filter, look for any damage. It’s recommended to discard the filter and get a new one if you discover any tears or holes in it. If everything appears to be in order, on the other hand, your cleaned air filter is prepared to be replaced on the lawnmower.
Lawn mower air filter cleaners
- Open the air filter cover.
- Remove the filter. If you cleaned or changed your air filter recently, you may not need to clean it this time around because sometimes a simple change can be enough to send good flow through your lawn mower. However, if this is a first-time and/or drastic case of neglect, then proceed with the following steps.
- Add the soap, warm water and mix it up real good with your brush. This makes about 4 gallons of soapy water which is enough to last for a few other air filters depending on how much you make. I usually add plenty of soap just in case I get some debris stuck inside the filter later and need to wash it out again.
- Rinse the soapy water off with a hose and then clean out as much remaining debris as you can with your brush under running warm water (this should be done outside or in a large open-aired area with lots of ventilation). If you are concerned about the chemicals in the soap, use something like Dawn to keep the soap out of the surrounding environment, but I have never done this and did not notice any issues.
- Once again, make sure no debris is stuck in the filter (this can cause your mower to act sluggish). If you find something small like dried leaves or sticks that didn’t come off with water, use tweezers to get it out.
- Wring as much moisture out of the filter as you can with a dry paper towel, but don’t use a wet one because that will just make things worse and leave rust stains on your lawn mower’s engine when all is said and done!
- Let the filter sit overnight (or at least for a few hours) to dry before putting it back in the mower. The oil inside the filter will continue to soak up moisture from the air and you don’t want your brand new filter ruined during first use, now do you?
The following is some information that may come in handy during this process:
A clean air filter can increase your mower’s performance by providing better airflow and less resistance, which will allow the engine to perform better overall. The filter is designed to protect components like spark plugs and other parts of the combustion chamber from foreign materials. It also helps keep air flowing smoothly around your lawn mower so that it can spin freely without getting caught on any obstacles in its way (like little rocks on your lawn).
It’s recommended that you clean your air filter every year. It should also be cleaned after any extended period of non-use, to make sure nothing gets the wrong idea and decides to start growing inside its stifling confines. Also, it is much easier to keep a running mower in good shape than it is to fix an engine that has been neglected.
Related – What kind of oil does a lawn mower take?
Mistakes You Want to Avoid When Cleaning Air Filters
Mistaking a paper filter for a fabric filter is one of the most frequent errors I observe when individuals are cleaning filters. In the automobile sector, fabric filters are frequently used, and they may be cleaned like foam filters. Paper filters shouldn’t be cleaned with cleaning agents unless the manufacturer specifically permits it.
Furthermore, cleaning a filter to improve its appearance is different from cleaning it to improve performance. There is no need in cleaning the filter’s outside only to make it appear nice. You will probably find a lot of dirt if you open the fins of a seemingly clean filter.
Conclusion :
Cleaning your lawn mower air filter is an important part of the maintenance process. A clogged or dirty air filter can lead to a decrease in engine performance and result in unnecessary repairs. To clean, use compressed air to remove dirt from the inside edge, then vacuum it out with a brush attachment on a hose. Remove any debris by hand before blowing into the drain hole again for maximum airflow through the cleaner surface area. Let us know if you have any questions about this procedure!