By Wood-Mizer, Europe
February 23, 2023
Need to get your sawmill ready for the winter season? Here are Wood-Mizer’s step by step instructions on how to winterize your portable sawmill to prevent freezing of your water tank during cold weather sawing.
How To Winterize Your Portable Sawmill:
1. You will first need to remove your water tank. For this to be done easily, make sure to adjust your saw head to a height that is suitable for you to work on.
But remember to turn the water off, before removing the tank’s hose.
2. After the tank has been removed, find a level surface to work on and drain all the water from your tank.
3. Once all the water is drained, be sure to only use windshield washer fluid in the tank for the rest of the winter.
Wood-Mizer recommends a windshield washer fluid that is resistant up to -20 degrees Fahrenheit.
4. You will now fill up your water tank with the windshield washer fluid by unscrewing the cap and emptying the fluid directly into the tank.
5. Once the tank is full, place the cap back on and reinstall the tank to your sawmill.
6. Now that the tank is full and reinstalled, you need to purge your sawmill of any remaining water.
To do this you will need to open the valve, turn your key to position 3, and ensure that the feed rate knob is turned all the way down, so that the saw head doesn’t move.
7. Then lock the feed rate into the forward position and turn on the blade lubrication.
Do this for 10-15 seconds or until the blue windshield washer fluid coming out of the nozzles near the blade.
How To Winterize Your Portable Sawmill with a Gravity Flow System:
1. Follow the same steps above, except when purging a gravity flow system simply turn on the water valve and allow it to flow until you see the blue windshield washer fluid coming out of the nozzles near the blade.
If you have any questions, please contact Wood-Mizer.