Run it dry. It's the safest winter storage for your chainsaw.

Yes, run your chainsaw dry for winter storage — even if you used treated fuel. It’s the safest habit and takes five minutes.

Treating fuel helps, but it doesn’t stop everything. Ethanol-free mixes and fuel stabilizers slow down the breakdown, but over three or four months, that fuel can still absorb moisture, oxidize, and leave gummy deposits in your carburetor. That’s the stuff that turns a reliable saw into a frustrating pull-start nightmare come spring.

Running it dry clears the carburetor and tank of fuel, so there’s simply nothing left to degrade. Do it after your last cut: let the saw idle until it dies, then pull the starter a few more times to make sure the carburetor is empty. That’s it.

The exception: If you run a premium canned fuel like TruFuel or Aspen, you can probably leave it in the tank without issues — those are designed to stay stable for years. But even then, draining is still not a bad move. Why risk it when dry works?

Future you will thank you when it starts on the first pull in spring.