A snow blower that went into storage wet, or fuel that sat in the tank all summer, is why so many machines fail in the first storm. Put your gear away in the order below and it will be ready when the first lasting snow arrives, usually in November or December.
In This Article
Pick your week and finish in one go
Wait for a run of nights above freezing. Until then, keep one shovel and a small bag of salt or sand by the door, because a late storm can arrive after the gear is packed. Choose a dry day so everything can air-dry, and set aside an hour or two for the machine and another hour for hand tools. Keep the owner's manual nearby. If you have lost it, most makers post manuals on their websites.
The snow blower in seven steps
- Deal with the fuel (gas models). Stale fuel gums up the carburetor over the summer. Follow the manual: either add a fuel stabilizer and run the engine so it reaches the carburetor, or run the tank empty.
- Change the oil while the engine is still warm, following the manual for the grade and amount.
- Pull and inspect the spark plug. Replace it if it is worn or fouled, since a fresh one is cheap insurance.
- Check the wear parts: scraper bar, skid shoes, auger paddles on a single-stage machine, belts and shear pins. Replace anything worn now, when parts are easy to find, and check the tire pressure.
- Lubricate the control cables, the chute crank and any pivot points as the manual directs.
- Clean and dry it. Rinse off caked snow and road salt, then dry the machine thoroughly. Touch up chipped paint with a rust-inhibiting paint so bare metal does not corrode all summer.
- Store it level, in a dry spot, under a breathable cover. Sealed plastic traps moisture. For a battery model, take the battery indoors and store it as the manufacturer advises. For a corded one, coil the cord loosely and hang it up.
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Shovels, pushers, roof rakes and ice choppers
- Wash and dry every blade. Salt eats metal and rusts fasteners, and a wet blade leaned against a wall stays wet.
- Look at the handles. Replace any that are cracked, splintered or loose in the socket, because a handle that fails mid-lift is how backs get hurt.
- Retire worn blades. A plastic edge worn to a lip will chip pavers and catch on cracks.
- Hang tools off the floor, blades up or supported, so they do not warp.
- Collapse and dry the roof rake. Check that the pole sections still lock, and that the wheels or skids turn.
- Oil the ice chopper's blade lightly once it is dry.
Salt, sand and spreaders
- Leftover de-icer: seal it in a dry, covered container. Calcium chloride pulls moisture from the air and cakes, so keep it tightly closed. Label it, and store it away from bare metal, vehicles and anywhere children or pets can reach.
- Sand: keep it dry in a lidded bin. Wet sand freezes into a block that you will be chipping apart next December.
- Spreaders: empty them, rinse them, dry them and lubricate the moving parts. Salt corrodes metal quickly, so a spreader put away dirty may not turn in the fall.
- The driveway itself: sweep leftover sand and salt off the surface once the ice is gone, so it is not tracked or washed into beds.
What goes wrong when you skip a step
Each step above prevents a specific failure the following winter.
- Old fuel leaves varnish in the carburetor, and the machine cranks but will not run.
- Salt left on metal corrodes the chute, the shear pins and the fasteners, so a part that should turn seizes.
- Wet storage rusts the auger and scraper bar, and a rusty auger can bind on the first heavy load.
- Pests like a warm, sheltered engine cover. A nest in the shroud can chew wiring, so look before the first start, and keep birdseed and other food well away from stored machines.
Wake it up in October, and leave yourself a list
A test run a month before the first flurry turns surprises into a shopping list. Remove the cover, check for nests and look at the belts. Add fresh fuel if it is a gas model, then start it and let it warm up. Watch the auger turn, work the chute and deflector controls, and confirm the drive engages. Top up the oil, check the tire pressure and put a fresh shear pin in your pocket. If it does not start, you have weeks to fix it, not minutes.
Before the garage door closes on spring, write down what needs replacing or repairing, and stick the list where you will see it. Put a snow-gear test in your calendar for October, and buy parts in late summer or early fall, before the shelves empty.
Also decide who will clear the snow next winter. If you would rather not own or store the gear at all, D&D Home Services offers snow removal from $80 per visit for typical Kitchener-Waterloo homes, with seasonal contracts available. The snow removal equipment guide covers what is worth owning, and the spring exterior maintenance guide covers the rest of the after-winter jobs.
Key Takeaways
- Wait for a run of nights above freezing, then store everything in one dry-day session.
- Deal with a gas machine's fuel first, either with stabilizer or by running it empty, and follow the manual for oil and spark plug.
- Clean salt off every tool and metal part, and dry it before it goes into storage.
- Keep de-icer sealed and dry, and write a fall list of repairs so the first storm finds you ready.
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