Why Does My Lawn Mower Have A Hose Attachment?

Any homeowner with a large yard knows that lawnmower care and maintenance is a total hassle. Getting your heavy walk-behind lawnmower on its side, or worse, crawling underneath the deck with a putty knife can be very frustrating, but without giving it the deep clean that it needs, packed debris will ruin your machine's cutting power over time. To avoid this, manufacturers have added a small hose attachment to the top of your lawnmower deck, called a deck washout port. While you might hesitate to spray your outdoor power equipment, using water properly is key to preventing rust and corrosion.

This convenient maintenance attachment makes it easy to clean out the bottom of your lawnmower without too much back strain. All you have to do is snap your standard garden hose onto this port. As water enters the deck while the engine is running, the high-speed spinning blades whip the incoming stream into a powerful cleaning mist. This action blasts away sticky grass buildup and debris lodged in the deep grooves of the deck casing before it can harden, leaving you with a clean mower deck instead of a gross one.

If wet grass builds up around the raw metal parts of the mower, it can cause water to become trapped and will speed up the rusting process, not to mention it will cause your blades to blunt quicker. In theory, you should aim to clean your deck after every mow, but a minimum of twice a year is suitable. Using the hose attachment will blast away sticky buildup within minutes and help prevent lawn mower damage without getting your hands too dirty.

While the hose attachment makes maintenance significantly easier, running water near a gas engine requires a few basic precautions. To safely clean your lawn mower without damaging your machine, start by parking it on a flat, well-drained lawn area or driveway. With the engine completely turned off, securely attach your garden hose to the deck port coupling and turn your outdoor spigot on so the hose is pressurized and ready.

With the water supply turned on, safely take your position at the controls — either in the rider's seat or behind the push mower handles. Start the engine and engage the blades at full throttle. Spinning the blades immediately as water enters the deck churns the flow into a scouring wash without flooding a dormant deck. Keep the blades running for one to two minutes, or until the runoff water draining from beneath the deck is completely clear.

Turn off the water supply first, shut down the engine, and safely disconnect the hose from the port. Once clear of the hose, restart the mower and run the blades for another few minutes. This important final step uses raw airflow to dry out the interior of the deck, blowing away excess moisture to help keep your lawn mower deck from rusting while the machine is stored. As a final step, always allow the engine to cool down fully before putting the mower back into your shed or garage to avoid trapping heat or causing a fire hazard in an enclosed space.