Comment on Small Engine Care and Storage Tips by Roger

DEAR TIM: Spring has finally arrived in the high country here. It's time to cut the grass, but the small gasoline engine on my lawn mower refuses to start. I use the same gasoline that goes in my truck, and my truck always starts. My guess is that you work with small engines all the time and know what the problem might be and how to prevent it. What's the best way to store a small engine for months so when it's time to use it you can depend on it starting? Don G., Baker, NV

DEAR DON: I used to have hard-start issues with small engines. I've also had small engines that refused to start no matter how much starting fluid you squirt in the air filter. However, years ago I discovered a trick that ensures my small engines start within a few pulls each time I take them out of winter or summer storage.

Your truck starts all the time because you drive it frequently and the gasoline in the tank and fuel system are almost always fresh. If you add gasoline to your truck every 30 days, you'll rarely have problems. People that don't drive their cars much should absolutely continue reading because they need to do what I do with my small engines.

Gum and varnish build-up inside a small engine carburetor will eventually lead to problems. Photo Credit: Briggs & Stratton.

I decided that I'd blend my years of personal experience with the vast knowledge base of Briggs & Stratton's Wayne Rassel to shed some light on how to store small engines. I have small engines in snow blowers, a lawn mower, a hydraulic log splitter and a standby generator. All the engines sit idle for months at a time, so it's important that they respond when I need them.

I discovered a simple trick years ago that allows my engines to start each time I pull the starting cord. But information I got from Wayne has caused me to modify my approach to storing small gasoline engines.

The gasoline you and I purchase contains 10-percent ethanol. Using gasoline that contains more than 10-percent ethanol can cause significant damage to small engines, so avoid it at all costs.

Gasoline begins do degrade about 30 days after it's pumped. If you've not used all the gasoline in your gas cans within that time frame, pour it into your truck's fuel tank and drive to the gas station to get fresh fuel for your small engines. That's what I do. I never put gasoline in my small engines that's older than 30 days.

Understand that ethanol-based fuels tend to attract water. Water is heavier than gasoline. If you don't operate your engines on a frequent basis, a layer of ethanol-enriched water can settle to the bottom of the tank and be drawn up into the carburetor and engine. This water-ethanol blend is highly corrosive to small engine parts.

Gum and varnish, chemical compounds in the gasoline, form as the fuel degrades. This gum and varnish can lead to stuck intake valves, clogged fuel lines and jets in the carburetor. This could be why your engine is refusing to start. It could be clogged with this gunk.

I keep my small engines in great shape by only filling them with enough gasoline to do what I want them to do each time. That keeps fresh gasoline in the tank, fuel lines and carburetor.

At the end of each season, I discovered that if I ran the engine completely out of gas right before storing it for months, I'd be able to restart the engine with no issues. However, after talking with Wayne, I've decided that state-of-the-art fuel treatments and stabilizers are probably the best way to protect my small engines throughout the entire year.

Some modern fuel additives have a triple anti-oxidant formulation that slows down the fuel degradation issue. The chemicals in the additives react with the gasoline preventing outside water vapor from causing the gasoline to deteriorate.

The additives protect the entire fuel system and all engine parts exposed to the gasoline. Metal parts receive a protective coating that prevent rust and corrosion. Metal deactivators in the additives stop aggressive chemical reactions caused by dissolved metal ions in the fuel. Detergents in the additives help prevent the formation of the gum and varnishes that cause hard or no-starting issues.

You can get long-lasting results if you decide to use the advanced formula fuel stabilizers. If you want two years of protection, just add one-half ounce to each 2.5 gallons of gasoline. Double the amount of stabilizer and you can protect gasoline up to three years.

Since I take a conservative approach to small engine care and maintenance, I'm going to start to add the fuel stabilizer to all my gasoline. I want to protect the metal parts in my engine. The fuel stabilizers are not expensive, and one 8-ounce bottle treats up to 40 gallons of gasoline. Believe me, I can blow lots of snow and cut lots of grass with 40 gallons of gasoline!

Comment on Resurface a Cracked Concrete Driveway by Tom

DEAR TIM: I have an older driveway that was installed forty-two years ago. It's still in pretty good shape other than some cracks. These have been patched and are unsightly. I was wondering if I could get an even appearance to the entire surface by applying a thin layer of colored thinset grout over the driveway. Do you think this would hold up to vehicular traffic? If so, how would you apply it to get a nice appearance? If not what other ideas do you have? Julie C., San Jose, CA
DEAR JULIE: I've got great news for you. Soon your driveway is going to look simply stunning. You can transform it's look using colored thinset if you choose, but I'd recommend a slightly different material that will give you the durability you're looking for.
Perhaps the best news of all is that this is a DIY project if you can muster up the help of three friends for just about half a day. Are you sitting down? The total cost of the project should be less than $500.00, and that includes the pizza and beverages you'll serve your work crew!

This cracked concrete driveway can be made to look like new with not too much effort. Photo Credit: Julie C., San Jose, CA

Your photo showing the existing cracks and discoloration was very helpful. For your new driveway to look superb for many years, you're going to have to do some extra work repairing the cracks. I suggest that you grind them out, use a pressure washer to remove as much debris as possible trying to open up the cracks the full depth of the slab.
Once you have achieved this, you need to use any number of concrete epoxy crack repair products to bond the broken slabs together. If you choose to skip this step, the cracks will telegraph through the new overlay you're going to apply.
It may take you one or two days to repair the cracks using epoxy, but it's worth it. The epoxy you choose to use will tell you how wide, how clean, and how deep the epoxy must penetrate to get a lasting repair.
When you're ready to resurface the driveway, I would highly recommend you apply a layer of cement stucco to the driveway. You can get by with a layer as thin as one-quarter inch in your case. This stucco is very similar to the thinset grout you were thinking of using, but it differs in that the sand particles are much larger.
Thinset usually contains a fine silica sand. To withstand vehicular traffic, you need larger sand particles found in coarse or medium sand. Traditional sand usually contains small rock particles that are different colors, and this will actually work to your benefit since you want a colored surface.
You'll use just sand and pure Portland cement to make the stucco, I'd recommend you blend one part Portland cement to three parts sand. To achieve the color you want, you just add dry shake pigments that are made for brick mortar or stamped concrete applications. You can purchase all these ingredients at a traditional building supply store that sells materials to bricklayers and stone masons.
I highly recommend that you make up a test batch of this stucco and pour it on a plastic sheet in your garage. You want to see what color it is after it cures in 30 to 45 days. The last thing you want to do is go to all this work and not be happy with the color.
To get the new stucco to bond permanently to the existing concrete you need to do what some old master masons taught me decades ago. They would apply a thin coat of cement paint to the existing driveway just before pouring the stucco. You make cement paint by mixing pure Portland cement with water to the consistency of regular paint.
Just before applying the cement paint, you need to spritz the existing driveway with water. Don't get the driveway too wet, just damp. Roll on the cement paint on the existing driveway just before you pour on the stucco mix. Don't allow the cement paint to dry. It's best to work on overcast cooler days. Sunny, windy days are the absolute worst conditions to do this job.
Use a magnesium float to finish the stucco. You can also apply a broom finish if you want a linear pattern. To achieve a great broom finish, you'll have to practice to discover the magic time when the stucco is ready to be stroked. Do it too early and you end up with a mess. Wait too long and the stucco gets too hard. If this happens, the broom bristles won't make a great impression.
I suggest you partake in some on-the-job training to hone your skills. In your photo, I see a small sidewalk between your drive and front door. Apply this same stucco first to this sidewalk, one small section at a time until you have a great feel for how long it takes for the stucco to hard enough to apply a finish.
The key to getting even color in the batches you mix is very controlled measuring of all ingredients. It's also very important that you add the same amount of water each time as you make each batch. Too much or too little water will affect the finished color of the batches.