You rely on your snowblower to work during the winter season to keep your pathways clear so you can easily access your home. When your snowblower won’t throw snow, it’s not of much use. Finding and fixing your problem will keep you from having to use the snow shovel.
An Ariens snowblower won’t blow snow when the chute or auger is clogged with snow and ice; the belt is worn or came off the pulleys, or the impeller is damaged or frozen.
Working in the chute and auger areas is dangerous. Be careful and never place your hands or feet in these areas. Follow all safety guidelines outlined in your operator’s manual including removing the spark plug wire and safety key.
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Follow all safety instructions provided in your equipment operator’s manual before diagnosing, repairing, or operating. Consult a professional if you don’t have the skills, or knowledge or are not in the condition to perform the repair safely.
Reasons an Ariens Snowblower Won’t Blow Snow
Snow Clogged in Your Chute
You may have a buildup of snow packed in the chute that is preventing the snowblower from throwing snow. This happens more often when the snow is wet and heavy or there are chunks of ice lodged in the chute.
When this happens, you need to remove the clogs by breaking up the snow and ice and removing it. Never place your hands in the chute. Using your hands put you at risk for severe injury.
Remove clogged snow from your snowblower chute:
- Disengage the auger and drive controls so the auger and snowblower no longer move.
- Shut off the snowblower, remove the ignition key or safety key (if your model uses one), and remove the spark plug wire.
- Use the shovel on the clean-out tool that came with your snowblower to break up and remove snow from the chute and around the chute. If you don’t have one, you can purchase one online or your local hardware store. It’s nice to have on hand.
- Attach the spark plug wire.
- Restart the snowblower.
- Engage the auger control to check to see if the chute is no longer clogged and able to blow snow.
Prevent snow from clogging your snowblower chute
There are a couple of things you can do to prevent the chute from clogging frequently.
- Use a non-stick spray to coat the chute.
- Blow freshly fallen snow. As the snow warms, it becomes heavier. Thick heavy snow is more prone to stick to the chute than light snow.
Packed or Damaged Auger
When the auger blades are packed or damaged, they won’t move to break up snow and feed it into the chute. Stop the snowblower, turn off the engine, and remove the spark plug wire.
Remove any clogs or foreign objects stuck in the chute. Use the clean-out tool or some solid tool like a broomstick.
Be careful working around the auger as it could still be under pressure and can rotate when there is no longer a clog or items stuck between the blades and housing.
Again, keep your limbs safe and don’t use your hands or feet. Keep them out of the blade rotational area.
Once you confirm you don’t have a clog preventing the auger from rotating, check for missing shear pins on a two or three-stage snowblower. Missing shear pins will keep the auger from turning.
Replace any worn auger parts or missing shear pins. Check out “Your Ariens Snowblower Auger Won’t Turn” for additional reasons your auger is rotating slowly or not at all affecting the amount of snow that is being blown.
Worn Belt or Belt Came Off
A worn auger belt will slip on the pulleys causing the auger to spin slowly and not sufficiently feed snow into the chute. Replace a worn belt.
Also, make sure the belt is securely in place. If it has fallen off, reinstall the belt. Verify there are no problems with the pulleys or other parts that may have caused the belt to come off your snowblower. Fix any worn or damaged parts.
Damaged or Frozen Impeller
Two-stage and three-stage Ariens snowblowers use an impeller to propel snow out of the blower chute. Check to make sure the impeller is not broken and can still move freely.
The impeller can freeze up when moisture accumulates on the impeller and freezes in cold weather. If you don’t have a heated garage, run the snowblower impeller to remove as much snow before putting it away until the next use.
You want to avoid moisture from collecting around the impeller and freezing. A drop light works well to hang in the chute to provide a little warmth to the blower to avoid ice from forming while it isn’t being used.
If you have a frozen impeller, apply a little heat to warm the area to thaw the ice. A hair dryer or another heating element works well for this.