Can You Get Away With Running Your Robot Lawn Mower In Rainy Weather?

If there's one word that could sum up the benefits of a robotic lawn mower, it's convenience. Much like a robot vacuum cleaner, a smart mower runs while you're busy doing other things (or busy doing nothing). Once you've gone through the initial setup phase and have things running smoothly, a robotic mower is on some levels a set-and-forget device, but not entirely. If you've set it up on a thrice-weekly schedule, for instance, and it rains on all of those days, the mower may sense the moisture and go back to its dock, or it may attempt to mow during wet conditions. 

While some mowers may still operate when they sense light rain, it's best not to overdo any mowing in wet conditions. With heavy rainfall, mowing even after the rain stops and while the grass is wet could lead to uneven mowing or extra wear and tear on the mower's components. It's best to alter the mower's schedule a bit during wet weather to ensure the grass is dry before sending that bot out on another mowing mission. 

Whether you can use the robotic mower in the rain depends upon how hard the rain is falling and how the mower senses and responds to that rain. In heavy downpours, some robotic mowers take that as a cue to go back to the docking station. If you're wondering if robotic mowers are actually worth it for mowing in wet weather, compared to using any human-powered mower in the same conditions, the answer is no. 

You've probably used a push mower in wet grass before and noticed how the grass tends to clump up under the mower deck. The same thing can happen with a smart mower. After mowing in wet conditions, you'll still have to clean the undercarriage and blades immediately afterward to extend the life of your mower, robotic or otherwise. Even if your robomower technically still runs in light rain, repeatedly using it in wet conditions and not cleaning it up afterward could lead to a big problem. 

If your yard has any steep slopes, running the robotic mower in the rain could make it slip or even get stuck due to reduced traction. On both sloped and flat surfaces, the grass may bend when its wet, resulting in an uneven, patchy cut that could mean some manual mowing is in store for you once the weather clears. The mower is also more likely to miss some spots if its blades and undercarriage are clogged with wet grass. 

If your yard gets so wet that it's waterlogged, skip mowing until the water drains, otherwise mowing could damage both the lawn and the robotic mower. If you have a recurring problem with standing water in your yard, the simplest way to alleviate that is to dethatch and aerate it, and if necessary, top-dress low-lying areas to level them.