Sep 26, 2023
A few weeks ago, we had a puzzler about a big leaf crusher that we have in our neighborhood. And it was about winterizing it, getting it ready to sit idle for the cold season.
So, I put some stabilizer in the gas tank, started it up got the gas out of the lines, took the spark plugs out, pulled the ripcord out slowly to get it up on the compression stroke so that both valves were closed and no air or rust could get in there. All that stuff.
So back then, my brother had just bought a new lawn mower and decided to do all this stuff with it as the season was ending. He wanted to maintain it so it would stay in good shape. So he does all these things. But when he pulls the ripcord out, the thing won't start.
And he's so mad, because this is a brand new lawn mower, and it should definitely start.
So he goes back inside and calls the shop where he bought it. And tells the guy what's going on. And the guy on the phone gives him a one-word answer.
At first, my brother was annoyed. But after a while, he realized, that one-word answer was right.
So the puzzler is, what word did my brother here? What is the one word that explains it all?
Okay, so what was the one word that the guy at the shop said to my brother to solve all the issues with the brand new lawn mower that didn't start?
The word was, "Gas."
Now you might say, "Well he didn't have gas in it."
But of course he had gas in it. But he had gas in it from when he bought in the summertime at the height of the lawn mowing season.
When he bought the new lawnmower in August or wherever, he bought fresh gas and that's what he used to replenish the tank every time it ran down.
That's summer gas, which is less volatile, less explosive than winter gas. And he was trying to start it in winter, with summer gas. So of course, it didn't work.
So he bought winter gas, drained the summer gas, and used the new winter blend, and it started right up.
