You’re probably familiar with using Redex as your go-to petrol system cleaner in an automobile. But have you ever wondered if it can—or rather, should—be used in a lawn mower?
Redex can be used in any combustion engine and is suitable for everything from cars and vans to lawn mowers. Redex can be used in almost any vehicle with a petrol, diesel, or hybrid engine as long as the appropriate amounts are used.
Below, we’ll cover what Redex can help with in a mower’s motor, as well as whether or not the solution should be used with your lawn mower and how much you should use with a motor.
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Can You Use Redex in a Lawn Mower?
Redex is a brand of fuel additives; the brand has a range of products in the fuel additive space, each specially designed to improve your engine’s performance in one way or another. Some of the improvements you can expect to see by using a Redex product could be:
- Improved Power (Redex Octane Booster)
- Improved Mile Per Gallon, or MPG (Redex Fuel System Cleaner/Advanced Fuel System Cleaner)
- Reduced Emissions (Redex Fuel System Cleaner, Redex Petrol Emissions Reducer)
In addition to cleaning the built-up deposits and dirt from your combustion engines, Redex has also been shown to improve performance and extend the overall lifespan of engines.
Obviously, some of these improvements are intended for use in an automobile, but you may consider using the product or similar fuel additives in a lawn mower to achieve the same effects. But should you?
Redex has been thoroughly tested and improved upon since 1922, so you do not have to worry about the solution damaging your mower’s engine; it’s designed to prolong your motor’s life. However, you’ll want to ensure you use the proper amount and only stick to the Redex Fuel System Cleaner solution to guarantee its effectiveness on a mower.
Why Use Redex in a Lawn Mower?
There are two reasons why you would want to use an additive like Redex in your lawn mower.
- Valve Seat Erosion: The valves of a combustion engine open and close to allow air into the cylinders and the exhaust to exit the cylinders. Over time this can become damaged and eroded by built-up particulates and debris. Redex helps clean and remove this debris, ultimately extending the life of the valves.
- Damaging Effects of Ethanol: In addition to debris and particulates from the air intake, the ethanol present in modern-day gasoline carries corrosive properties. These corrosive properties affect metals such as iron and steel and leave behind salt deposits which can clog your fuel pump. Read more about the effects of ethanol and the type of fuel to use in your gas-powered lawn mower here.
How to Use Redex on Lawn Mowers
One of the problems gasoline has is that it leaves behind a gummy corrosive residue that can cause blockages and drain the performance of your engine (see above).
This residue is worsened if left sitting for long periods, during the winter season, for example. So, in these instances, a fuel system cleaner can help.
Generally, to use a fuel system cleaner on your lawn mower:
- Fill a 1-gallon can of gasoline with 1 gallon of gas.
- Then add the appropriate amount of cleaner to the can (typically two teaspoons for every gallon of gas if using a cleaner specifically designed for lawn mowers).
However, if you’re using a fuel system cleaner designed specifically for an automobile, such as Redex, for your mower, it is recommended that you use it at half-strength.
While using the solution at full strength will not cause any problems initially, you want to avoid using too much solution.
Although fuel system cleaner is just as safe to use in a lawn mower as it is in an automobile, the size of fuel tanks in an automobile versus a lawn mower is typically different. The car is understandable quite a bit larger.
Too much fuel cleaner can strip the fuel tank lining, so while a properly measured application of the additive shouldn’t do any harm, the excessive additive can.
Can You Use Fuel System Cleaner in a Lawn Mower?
A gas-powered lawn mower operates the same as any other gasoline-powered engine. As the engine is running, various dirt particles will enter into the mix through the air intake.
You can clean this the hard way by manually taking the engine apart to clean it, or the expensive way by taking it to a professional to do so. But the easiest way to clean out this excess debris is by using a fuel system cleaner.
Fuel system cleaners like Redex remove this excess dirt and debris that accumulates in the engine over time. Keeping the engine clean keeps the fuel itself clean, which improves the performance and fuel economy of the engine.
Solutions You Shouldn’t Use on Lawn Mowers
Although many fuel system cleaners can be safely used with a lawn mower, there are a few solutions that shouldn’t be used at all. Here are a couple of products that are not recommended to be used with a lawn mower:
- Any Additive Targeting a Diesel Engine: This includes Diesel System Cleaner and a Diesel Emissions Reducer. Avoid these solutions if you own a gas or petrol-powered lawn mower.
- Redex Petrol Power Booster: This product will boost your octane rating by 1.5. Now, this may be beneficial in a car, but for a small lawn mower engine, it’s not necessary. Using the product won’t hurt the lawn mower, but it’s an expense that gives little to no reward, so you’re better off spending your money on something else if you intend to use this on your mower.
Other Fuel System Cleaners That Work on Lawn Mowers
While Redex Fuel System Cleaner is perfectly safe and effective to use for your lawn mower (and any combustion engine for that matter), there are a few alternatives that you could consider as well:
- Archoil AR 6200: Archoil is mainly intended for diesel engines but can be used with gas engines too. It acts as a stabilizer as well as a detergent.
- Seafoam: Seafoam is a multipurpose additive. It acts as a stabilizer that can extend the life of your fuel for up to two years. It also acts as a lubricant, a system cleaner, and a moisture reducer.
- Lucas Safeguard Ethanol Fuel Conditioner: This is an older product that acts as a lubricant and a detergent to help combat the natural deposit build-up caused by ethanol.
- STA-BIL Original: This is again an older product. It’s primarily a fuel stabilizer that can, again, extend the life of fuel for up to two years. It’s also a well-rounded product that helps prevent corrosion and remove water build-up, but with the increased adoption of ethanol fuels, its effectiveness has waned compared to a competitor like Seafoam.
All of the above items provide the same benefit as Redex in that they can clean out the deposits naturally caused by the ethanol in gasoline. So if you’re looking to try something other than a Redex product, these are good options that can provide similar if not better results.
Conclusion
In summary, you can use Redex in a lawn mower and any other combustion engine. So even though Redex products may not be designed with lawn mowers specifically in mind, they will garner increased performance regardless.
While Redex has a range of products in the fuel additive space—from lowering your emission levels to combating the corrosive effects of ethanol—for a lawn mower, the Redex Fuel System Cleaner should provide you with all you need to extend the life and improve the efficiency of your lawn mower.