6 Reasons Why Your Electric Lawn Mower Has No Power

If your electric lawn mower has no power and it won’t start, the power supply is one of the first things to check. More often than not, a lack of power can be the culprit when you can’t start your electric lawnmower. So, before you head for your toolbox to begin taking apart your mower, let’s make sure your mower is getting the power it needs. Sometimes, the fix can be as easy as flicking a switch.

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Electric Lawn Mower Has No Power (Common Reasons)

Electric lawnmowers get power from either a battery/s or from a power cord connected to an outlet. Both types of electric lawnmowers can have issues with damaged components or safety systems that can stop power from entering the electrical circuit. Here are five common electric lawn mower problems that stem from no power.

No Incoming Power – Breaker’s & GFI’s
Damaged Cables & Extensions
Dead Batteries
Weak Power Source Connection
Blown Cable Fuse
Tripped Electric Mower Breaker

Why Your Electric Lawn Mower Has No Power (A Closer Look)

Figuring out why your lawn mower has no power is a case of taking a closer at the incoming power and everything attached. So, let’s review each of these elements for battery and corded electric lawnmowers.

No Incoming Power – Breaker’s & GFI’s

If you have a corded electric lawn mower, you’ll need to ensure that the outlet you connect to is working. Each circuit in your home connects to individual breakers in your home’s breaker box. If your lawn mower or another device on the circuit has a problem, the breaker reacts and trips to prevent damage to the circuit and the faulty device.

Additionally, some of the circuits in your home have secondary breakers installed in the form of GFI’s or GFCI’s. These small inline breakers prevent you from getting a shock and are typically placed in areas close to water. For example, I have GFI’s in my kitchen and bathroom.

A quick test to check if your breakers or GFI’s have tripped is to connect a different device to the suspicious outlet, such as a lamp. If the lamp works on one circuit, it should work on the outlet you connect your lawn mower to. If the lamp does work, the outlet is fine, and your electric mower has a different problem. However, if the lamp doesn’t work, then you’ll have discovered the outlet is to blame for your electric lawn mower not starting.

Damaged Cables & Extensions

After confirming that your outlet is providing power to your lawn mower, you’ll want to move on to the power cord and any extension cables you are using. It’s pretty common for electric lawn mower power cables to become twisted and damaged over time. They get damaged from being pulled around your yard and also during storage.

So, disconnect the power cable from the outlets and visually inspect every inch. If there is no visible damage, test the cord using a multimeter. A multimeter will diagnose whether the cable has a short or an internal broken wire. You can use a multimeter to test if the cable delivers power when connected. Alternatively, you can test for continuity. There will be no continuity if there is a break in the cable. If there is a short in the wires, there will be continuity between the negative and positive wires. Personally, I would check for continuity, as this method eliminates any chance of getting a shock.

Dead Lawn Mower Batteries

Checking if the batteries are charged or not is probably something we all overlook at some point. I’ve done it myself once or twice. Now, depending on your specific lawn mower, you may or may not have a battery meter on your actual lawn mower, which makes checking much simpler. Alternatively, you’ll more than likely have one on your battery charger. So, double-check your battery level indicator and make sure you are using a charged battery.

Weak Power Source Connection

A common issue with both corded and battery lawnmowers is they both have a connection between the power source and the actual lawnmower. For example, a corded lawn mower typically plugs into a socket on the mower, and a battery mower has a connection between the battery and its attachment point.

A couple of different issues could be happening with your power source. First, there could be rust on the connections, preventing good contact. Second, the contacts are usually spring-loaded, which can break the connection if the springs are damaged. Therefore, inspect the connections on your lawn mower and ensure they are corrosion-free and operating correctly. Disconnect the cable before inspecting the connection points for corded lawnmowers to avoid a shock.

Blown Cable Fuse and Cable Breaker

Depending on where you are in the world, you may have an incoming power supply of +220v, which means you’ll likely have an inline breaker fuse on the power cord. Now, if you are in one of these places, you’re probably already familiar with these cables. You’ll need to test your fuses and double-check your inline breakers to see if they have blown or tripped.

Our standard outlet power supply in the United States is limited to 120v. Therefore, we don’t have these types of inline fuses and breakers. So, we can skip this potential problem.

Another thing we don’t usually see here in the USA is switched outlets. Therefore, we don’t run the risk of forgetting to switch on an outlet. But, if you happen to be somewhere like England, you may have forgotten to switch on the outlet.

Tripped Electric Mower Breaker

Some lawnmowers have internal breakers that will trip if there is an issue with the electrical load. While this isn’t technically an issue with the power supply, it’s worth mentioning. These breakers work just like a house or cable breaker. They trip to protect both you and your lawn mower.

Usually, the breakers on the side of your lawn mower are pretty easy to find and are normally labeled, showing you if they are tripped or not. Now, if you are unsure if your lawn mower has this type of breaker, you can quickly look in the index or troubleshooting section in your manual.

How To Fix An Electric Lawn Mower with No Power

Now, let’s move on to the fixes for each of the potential causes of why your lawn mower has no power. Let’s go over how to get your mower powered up again.

Resetting GFI’s & Breakers

You need to reset most GFI’s and breakers instead of just switching them back on. For GFI’s, you should be able to press the RESET button and hear a clicking sound. Depending on your specific GFI’s, you may have a light in the corner that will glow green when the outlet works correctly. As for breakers, you might need to push the breaker tab further to OFF to reset it before switching it to ON. Now, if you are unsure, you should be able to find instructions for your specific breaker and GFI’s on the internet and learn how they work.

Replacing Power Cords

Depending on the type of damage the power cord has, you may or may not be able to repair it by removing the damage and splicing the cable back together. Personally, I would opt for replacing the cable as there could be some damage you have overlooked. Finding a replacement cable for your electric lawn mower on Amazon should be pretty easy. Failing this, you can always head back to where you purchased your lawn mower or check out the manufacturer’s website under parts and servicing.

Charging Batteries

The simple solution to a dead mower battery is to place it on its charger until the charge indicator reads fully charged. Now, if you are a little unsure when this is, I recommend reading through your owner’s manual under the section on charging. But typically, most battery lawn mower chargers have several lights indicating the charge level in the battery. But again, check your manual if you are unsure.

Repairing Power Connections

As I mentioned before, power connections typically stop working due to corrosion. Thankfully, with some contact cleaner, such as WD-40 contact cleaner, sandpaper, or a small metal file, you should pretty quickly be able to remove the rust getting in the way of the contacts. For a more thorough guide, check out my article on how to clean lawn mower electrical connections.

Spraying the contact cleaner on the spring terminals on your batteries or cable might free them up. Alternatively, you may need to stretch out the springs or widen the gap on the battery terminals and in your mower. Unfortunately, sometimes you can’t always reach the springs, so you may need to install replacements or take it to a repair shop.

Replacing Fuses & Resetting Cable Breakers

The most important thing to remember when replacing a fuse on a +220v plug is that you need the right amp fuse. If you use a fuse rated too low, then the fuse will likely blow straight away. On the other hand, using a fuse rated too high won’t protect your lawn mower from high current. Typically, the plug should state what fuse it is rated, or you can use the blown fuse as a reference. This is if your lawn mower has the right fuse installed already. Alternatively, you can check your manual for the correct fuse amp rating.

When it comes to resetting a cord breaker, you can follow the same method as resetting a standard breaker. For example, reset the breaker, then switch the breaker to ON. But if the breaker keeps tripping, you have a problem elsewhere.

Resetting a Mower Breaker

If your lawn mower has a breaker, you can treat it like any other breaker. Simply reset it, then switch it to ON. But just like a cable breaker, you have a secondary issue if it keeps tripping.

What if the Problem Isn’t the Incoming Power?

So what do you do if you have gone through all these problems and fixes and your electric lawn mower won’t start? If you still can’t get your mower to run, there is likely an issue somewhere else in the electrical circuit. Here are a few other potential problems you can check out if your electrical lawn mower won’t start.