Before a chainsaw is used, it is lubricated to prevent friction, heat, and wearing and tearing of its bar and chain. The chainsaw is also fueled to ensure that the engine runs. However, after usage, is it necessary to remove the chainsaw content? Emptying the chainsaw after use is relative and depends solely on you.
If you want to prevent oil leakages and save the carburetor’s life, you can empty the chainsaw’s content after use before it is stored for a long time.
Consider a situation where you need to use the chainsaw every week. Having to drain the chainsaw every week after each use will be too stressful. In this article, we have addressed the topic and provided answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about emptying a chainsaw’s content.
Is It Necessary To Empty a Chainsaw After Use?
A chainsaw has bar oil and fuel, which helps if it works perfectly when in use. Most people drain the bar oil in a bid to prevent oil leakages.
However, other measures can be put in place to prevent oil leakages, and you can find some of them in this guide on how to stop chainsaws from leaking bar oil. It is not all that necessary to empty the chainsaw of its bar oil except in a case where the saw is stored outside, in an area that is susceptible to very high temperatures during the day. The chainsaw, in this case, may leak some oil, so you may need to drain the bar oil.
However, the case of fuel is different. If you use regular fuel (the fuel containing ethanol), it is necessary to run the tank empty after use if the chainsaw will not be used in a while. This is because fuel contains a tangible amount of ethanol which absorbs water from the surroundings and binds the water with the fuel.
This mixture leads to the degradation of the pump diaphragm in the carburetor, which leaves white corrosion deposits that obstruct the filter screen and jets, eventually damaging the carburetor and the chainsaw.
Tip: Use Aspen2, a modified fuel, as it lacks ethanol that will absorb water.
How Long Can I Leave My Chainsaw Filled After Use?
Emptying chainsaw gas after use is necessary, especially if you use regular gas, to prevent the absorption of water that can damage the carburetor.
However, what if you use the chainsaw once every two weeks? Will it be cool to empty the chainsaw every two weeks?
You can empty and refuel it when you want to use it the next time, but this can be time-consuming and stressful. From research, we found that regular gas can stay in a chainsaw for at most 32days without damaging the carburetor. Therefore, if you are a regular user of a chainsaw, rather than emptying the fuel after every use and refilling it for future use, you can leave the fuel in its tank.
What Happens If I Don’t Empty The Chainsaw After Use?
Unlike the electric chainsaw, which is run on a battery, the gas power tool is run on gas and oil. As said earlier, it is not compulsory to drain the bar oil, but removing the fuel after use is essential, depending on how long you intend to store the chainsaw.
This is because, after a month and some days, it will begin to cause damage to the carburetor, and if not checked, it will affect the whole chainsaw. If you don’t empty your chainsaw of its content, some damage will likely happen. They include:
- Bar oil: If oil is not removed after use and the chainsaw is stored in a place with high temperature and pressure, there will be oil leakages. This oil leakage will persist, leading to a waste of resources as leaked oil can only be replaced and not recovered.
- Fuel: If the fuel contains a significant amount of ethanol and is not removed after 32days. Ethanol will absorb water from the surroundings, affecting the carburetor and blocking the filter screen. This will eventually lead to damage to the carburetor and chainsaw.
It is better safe than sorry. We advise you to empty your chainsaw of its gas after use to prevent these occurrences. If you use it occasionally and for the oil, we suggest you vent correctly.
How To Drain Gas From a Chainsaw
Now that you know how important it is to empty your chainsaw after use, you need to know how to drain the gas from your chainsaw. There are two methods of draining gas from a chainsaw.
The first method requires you to do the following:
- Switch off the chainsaw and allow it to cool down.
- Remove the gas cap to allow the gas to drain through the opening.
- Tilt the chainsaw upside down and pour out the contents into a container.
Tip: Use a funnel in this process to avoid wastage.
- Next, cover the gas cap and start the chainsaw, allowing it to run until the remnant gas in the carburetor is used up.
Note: This is very important to prevent the ethanol in the remnant regular gas mixture from collecting water from the surroundings, which will end up damaging the carburetor.
The second method requires you to do the following:
- Get a plastic pump for the fuel.
- Siphon the fuel from the chainsaw into the can.
- Run chainsaw after siphoning to use up remnant regular gas.
Conclusion
To preserve the life of the carburetor and the chainsaw, it is very important to empty the gas tank of a chainsaw, especially if you will not be using it for a long time. Draining the bar oil after use is unnecessary because other preventive measures can be carried out on the chainsaw to ensure that the bar oil does not leak.
In conclusion, we suggest you empty the gas tank of your chainsaw after use if you are an occasional user of the chainsaw and leave the bar oil undrained while storing the saw in a cool and dry place.