Sometimes work needs to be done, but the weather doesn’t cooperate. I’ve worked enough days in “rain or shine” conditions, to know that there’s some things you just can’t do in the rain.
But is using a chainsaw one of those things? Can you use a chainsaw in the rain?
You can use a gas chainsaw in the rain, and even if it’s pouring, it’s not going to damage your chainsaw. As long as you don’t submerge the engine underwater, you’ll be fine.
With that said, there are other factors you’ll want to consider before you keep working through a storm.
Running a wet chainsaw
Yep – a chainsaw will keep running when it’s wet.
It’s not gonna die, or stall, or anything like that. If it does, then you’ve got other problems.
Should I cover the engine with plastic?
You may have heard something about covering the fuel tank or carburetor with a plastic or rubber covering. That’s really not going to be necessary.
You could do it if you want, but at the end of the day, it’s probably not going to matter.
Can I submerge a chainsaw?
Don’t try anything crazy like swimming with a chainsaw. If you submerge the engine under water, then you may create some issues for yourself. Not to mention how dangerous that would be.
If your whole chainsaw is submerged, then there’s not going to be anything stopping the water from pushing its way into the engine. So don’t do that.
What’s the difference between a hard rain and submersion?
That’s a good question, and the answer comes down to the volume and penetration of water.
For water to get to the chainsaw’s engine it has to go through the plastic/metal casing on the outside. And then, there’s an air filter beneath the casing which further blocks the way to the engine.
The chainsaw’s casing is definitely not water proof, but in any realistic scenario, rain water won’t be able to flow through your chainsaw with enough volume to have a noticeable impact.
This is not the case with full submersion, which carries a lot more pressure than rainfall.
Personal safety
It’s important to mention, that if you’re thinking about working with a chainsaw in bad weather, there’s more than the mechanics of the tool to worry about.
You have to also consider whether it’s safe for you (and others) to continue working.
Here’s just a few things that could cause safety risks in the rain:
- Slippery ground
- Unpredictable winds
- Poor visibility (especially with eye protection on)
- Lightening
- Noise (harder to hear others)
- Flooding (depending on terrain)
In a real world situation, safety is the most important thing to consider when deciding whether to keep running a chainsaw in the rain. Don’t don’t do anything that will create unnecessary danger.
But if the risks are low, and especially if it’s a light rain, then it’s possible keep rolling safely.
Preventing chainsaw rust
Although rain won’t damage a chainsaw while it’s running, it can cause rust if you don’t care for it properly when you’re done.
A chainsaw’s chain and bar are especially susceptible to rusting. And if you’ve already made this mistake, then you might be better off just replacing them. If you need help with that, you can use the posts I’ve written on chainsaw chains, and getting the right size chainsaw bar.
It’s pretty simple to prevent rust, you just need to use 2 steps:
- Dry the chainsaw with a dry rag
- Oil the chainsaw
Let me be a bit more specific. You’ll want to dry the whole chainsaw for good measure. The outside of the casing, the bar, the chain, etc. The most important things to dry are the bar and chain.
In order to oil it, make sure the bar oil tank is full, then simply start your chainsaw and run the chain for a bit. This will be the fastest and simplest way to do the oiling.
Sure, you could do it manually with a bottle of oil, but chainsaws already have a built-in oiling function, so no need to create extra work for yourself.
Note: if you’re doing this inside a building, make sure you’ve got good ventilation, or maybe step outside before running the chainsaw. As you probably know, running an engine in an enclosed space is dangerous due to the carbon monoxide released.
Will wet wood dull your chainsaw chain?
You’re a thoughtful person I presume.
If that’s true, then you may have thought to yourself, what about the wood?
The chainsaw won’t be the only thing that’s wet in a rainstorm. The wood will be wet as well.
So that raises the question, is this wet wood (rather than the rain), going to mess up my chainsaw?
There’s a common misconception about wet wood dulling chainsaw chains, but this isn’t really true. In fact, when they are running properly, chainsaw chains are ALWAYS wet.
This is due to the bar oil lubrication. Without this, a chainsaw would be constant metal-on-metal friction, which just doesn’t work long-term.
Obviously water and oil are not the same, but I still think it’s helpful to think about it from this angle, because it gives a clearer idea of how a chainsaw really works. It has to have some moisture in order to run properly.
So, long story short, wet wood will not dull your chainsaw chain.
Dressing for work in the rain
Okay, the last thing we’ll cover in this post, is dressing for a rainy work day.
There’s a couple things that are important to cover here.
First, I’m going to share some sage advice from waaayyy back in the day, that my parents used to tell me constantly on camping trips. Here it is: wet means cold.
Okay, I know it sounds obvious, but you would be astonished how many people just don’t think about this. It’s not that they don’t understand it, it’s that they don’t think about it.
Practically speaking, this means you’re going to want to dress in layers, and have quality water-wicking outer layers.
For example, let’s say it’s early spring and still pretty cold out (about 45 Fahrenheit), and you’re out working in the rain. If you go out in cotton jeans and a cotton jacket, you’re going to start out fine, and then you’re going to get wet, cold and miserable.
A better outfit would be something like this:
- Wool or polyester base layers
- Mid-size fleece or wool sweater
- Polyester pants
- Waterproof jacket
- Waterproof rain pants
- Wool socks
- Waterproof boots (Gore Tex or leather)
- Gloves
- Hat (under helmet)
This isn’t an exact wardrobe, but provides a good overview of the type of clothing approach, that can keep you warm and healthy on a rainy day.
Also keep in mind another side effect of the moisture: sawdust will stick to your wet clothes. It won’t fall off as easy as dry flakes. Plus, things are muddier, so it’s also important to wear clothing that you can afford to get pretty dirty.
That’s a wrap! Here’s some other resources.
Alright, I hope you’ve found all the answers you needed about running a chainsaw in the rain.
If you have unanswered questions, feel free to send it our way.
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Now go do something awesome!
