Many people talk about gas mowers overheating due to their engine, but what about electric mowers, can their motors overheat during use?
Yes, electric mowers can indeed overheat for numerous reasons, such as the cutting height being too low or blocked air vents from debris which cause the motor to work on overdrive.
We've put together a small guide below which will tell you what to do when your mower overheats and the most common reasons as to why it's overheated and how to fix them.
If your electric lawn mower overheats the first thing you should do is turn it off and allow it to cool down to prevent any further damage.
We would suggest leaving the mower to cool off for around 30 minutes before using it again, avoid touching the motor since it will be too hot.
You might not notice if your mower has overheated straight away, but some initial symptoms can be if your mower starts to have a lower power output or simply shuts down during use for protection.
Serious overheating in electric mowers can lead to a blown gasket or even melted parts.
An electric lawnmower can overheat for several reasons, but the main response is that the mower has been overworked, causing it to heat.
We've listed some more reasons below and how to fix them.
A bent or damaged blade causes the motor to work on overdrive, this is because the mower will be ripping the grass rather than slicing through it, causing it to heat up. The simple solution to this is to just replace the blade with a new one or tighten it.
Too low of a cutting height can damage the motor of your mower since it essentially can scalp the ground and cause it to work harder. To solve this simply raise your cutting height by one or two inches on the mower, avoid taking off more than 1/3 of grass height otherwise you will be damaging the grass.
Blocked air vents are one of the number one reasons electric mowers overheat, the flow of cold air in through these vents can become disrupted by grass debris and other plants. The best solution to this is to clean the vents out with a bristle brush until the debris has disappeared.
Allowing the blade to have airflow in your mowers cutting deck is very important, without airflow it will cause the mower to work too hard and heat, cutting decks can often get clogged with dried grass debris. The best way to get rid of this clogged debris is by clearing it off with a putty knife.
Very dense, thick and wet grass is not good for mowers motor, this is why you should always wait for the grass to dry before mowing and raise the cutting height for denser areas or go over them with a trimmer beforehand.
Overall, electric mowers can overheat just like gas mowers, this is mainly due to the motor overworking, which comes from trying to cut too dense grass, a clogged cutting deck, blocked air vents or bent blades. To prevent this from happening in the future always clean your mower after use and maintain it well by sharpening the blades to prevent the mower from having to overwork.