Start the snow blower in October, on a dry afternoon. If something is wrong you find out while a repair shop still has room in its schedule, instead of on the morning of the first storm when every shop is busy.
The steps below assume a gas single-stage or two-stage machine. A battery or corded blower skips the fuel, oil and spark plug steps. Your owner’s manual gives the oil grade, the plug gap and the belt part numbers, and it wins wherever it disagrees with this list.
Many blowers that refuse to start in fall were put away with untreated fuel in them. Old gasoline goes stale, and fuel with ethanol in it can gum up a small carburetor over the summer. If yours will not run properly on fresh fuel, the carburetor probably needs cleaning, which a small-engine shop can do.
- Find the owner's manual, or download it using the model number — The model and serial numbers are on a label or plate on the frame.
- Pull the spark plug wire off before any work near the auger or chute — That stops the engine from starting while your hands are in the housing.
- Check the fuel left in the tank from last winter — If it was stored without stabilizer, drain it and take it to a hazardous waste drop-off.
- Buy fresh fuel and a fuel stabilizer — Use the octane and ethanol limit your manual allows. Add stabilizer to the can if the fuel will sit for more than a month.
- Check the engine oil, and change it if it is due — Change it anyway if it looks dark or smells of gasoline.
- Take out the spark plug, check it and replace it if worn — Set a new plug to the gap in the manual before fitting it.
- Check the shear pins on the auger and buy spares — Shear pins are meant to break when the auger hits a rock or a frozen newspaper. Use only the pins made for your model, because a bolt in their place can wreck the gearbox.
- Keep the spare pins and the wrench that fits them on the machine — Many machines have a holder on the frame for them.
- Look over the auger and impeller for bent or cracked parts
- Check the scraper bar and skid shoes for wear — On a gravel drive, adjust the skid shoes so the scraper bar rides above the stones and the auger does not throw them.
- Check the drive and auger belts for cracks, fraying or a shiny glazed surface — A slipping belt shows up as an auger that stalls in heavy snow while the engine keeps running.
- Lubricate the points the manual lists, including the chute rotation
- Check the chute and deflector turn freely and the controls do not stick
- Set the tire pressure to the figure in the manual
- Refit the spark plug wire and start the engine outdoors — Never run it in a closed garage. The exhaust contains carbon monoxide.
- Let it run for a few minutes and listen for surging or rough running — Surging often points to stale fuel or a dirty carburetor.
- Test that the auger and the drive both stop when you let go of each control
- Test the electric start, if your machine has one — Use an outdoor-rated extension cord.
- Book a small-engine shop now if it will not start or run cleanly
- Put stakes along the edges of the driveway and paths before the ground freezes — Under snow you cannot see where the lawn starts, and the auger will pick up gravel, edging or a forgotten hose.
- Clear the driveway of doormats, cords, branches and newspapers
- Store the spare fuel in an approved can, away from any heater — In a garage, keep it well clear of the furnace or water heater.
- Keep the chute clean-out tool where you can reach it — Never clear a clogged chute with your hand. Shut the engine off, wait for the auger to stop, and use the tool.
- Park the blower where you can wheel it straight out