Gary Kalkbrenner, owner of Gary's Small Engine Service in Butler, works on a walking mower in his shop. Kalkbrenner says he sees people improperly winterize their equipment, which often leads to costly repairs that should have been avoided.

With the passing of Labor Day and summer quickly turning in to fall, it’s time for homeowners to start making plans for getting tools and outdoor equipment ready for winter.

Equipment business owners say homeowners across the county often don’t properly prepare their tools for winter, which can lead to unnecessary damages and costly repairs.

Tools and other equipment can be maintained by several simple steps that will likely add years to the life of the device.

Gary Kalkbrenner owns Gary’s Small Engine Service in Butler and primarily deals with lawn and gardening equipment.

He constantly sees examples of people improperly winterizing their equipment, which often leads to repairs that could be avoided.

Kalkbrenner said the first rule of winterizing lawn equipment is to make sure the gasoline is completely drained from the machine.

If not done properly, fluids left in the engine could freeze and cause severe damage to the fuel lines and carburetor.

“You also want to put some sort of stabilizer in there and run the engine for five to 10 minutes,” he said. “You need to flush it out and get it all through the fuel system.”

In addition, Kalkbrenner recommended annual maintenance of machines to prolong their life spans.

That kind of maintenance includes changing the air filter, spark plugs and oil.

Another danger of improper winterization of tools is rust, according to Jay Swager of J & J Power Equipment in Tarentum, Allegheny County.

Swager said it’s imperative owners thoroughly clean under the deck of their lawnmowers before putting them away for the winter.

Wet grass often gets stuck under the deck. If left there for significant amounts of time, rust can easily form and damage the machine.

Like Kalkbrenner, Swager also recommended removing all gasoline from the machine before winter, and to run the mower completely out of gas.

Swager said he routinely sees situations where people could save hundreds, if not thousands of dollars simply by maintaining their tools and equipment.

“It happens all the time,” he said. “People sometimes spend thousands of dollars on a new engine for their tractor just because they don’t check the oil and it burns out. Simple little things like that sometimes cost people a lot of money and could have been prevented.”