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It is convenient to clean mowed grass, fallen leaves and just rubbish from paths and lawns with a special blower. This type of garden tool has long been “accustomed” abroad. In our country, the majority of economic homeowners still use the usual rakes and brooms, without appreciating the merits of automation. But really, using a blower, you can clean the area very easily and quickly, saving time and effort.
The market offers a huge range of garden vacuum cleaners: from the simplest options to highly functional models. The cost of the tool depends on the performance and equipment of a particular piece of equipment, but in general, the average can afford to have such a machine on the farm. We will try to tell you about the varieties, advantages and disadvantages of blowers in as much detail as possible, so that everyone can navigate the variety of models and choose the best one for themselves.
Functional features
When choosing a garden blower for your backyard, you need to decide what functions it should perform. After all, in addition to the standard airflow, a garden machine can have a suction and chopping function:
- The blower allows you to clean the paths from dust and small stones, drive the foliage from the lawn with the help of a powerful air stream. This function is basic for all blower models. The power of the engine of the machine itself depends on the strength of the air flow. Some variants of this technique are able to move even halves of a brick.
- The garden vacuum cleaner, in addition to blowing, has a suction function, which is very convenient when working with foliage and other organic matter. Such models are equipped with a special bag into which the sucked up litter, foliage is collected. Such an accumulator is included in the blower kit and is easy to clean as it fills up. The leaf vacuum cleaner has a button that allows you to switch the machine from blower mode to vacuum cleaner mode and vice versa.
- The grinding function can complement garden vacuum cleaners. Leaves and grass of a fine fraction fills the main volume of the bag as efficiently as possible, because the crushed organic matter takes up 5, and sometimes 15 times less space than unprocessed. Compost from such vegetable litter quickly overripes.
It is worth noting that in some models, the grinding function is turned on simultaneously with the suction function and cannot be turned off. At the same time, there are blowers equipped with three separate functions. At this point, you need to pay attention when buying a garden vacuum cleaner.
The functionality of blowers largely determines the cost of garden equipment: the more equipped the unit, the more expensive its cost. But there are exceptions, for example, the domestic manufacturer Zubr offers a powerful garden vacuum cleaner equipped with all the latest features for cleaning leaves for only 2,5 thousand rubles. The cost of foreign-made machines similar in functionality can exceed the indicated figure by several times.
How the blower works
The design of garden blowers is slightly different depending on the functionality. The standard package of the simplest units includes a blower pipe and a motor. If we are talking about a garden vacuum cleaner, then such a machine will be equipped with an additional garbage bag. To grind organic matter, the manufacturer uses special knives. The principle of operation and the conditional design of a garden vacuum cleaner with a grinding function can be seen in the picture below:
The photo shows a double tube. One channel in such a device is designed to supply air flow during the blowing process. The second channel operates in the vacuum cleaner mode and draws rubbish through itself. This design is advantageous when many blowers have only one port in the nozzle for dual operation.
Advantages and disadvantages of blowers with different drive types
The technical characteristics of the blower and the convenience of its use largely depend on the installed motor. So, the blower can be powered by a gasoline or electric motor.
The blower with an electric motor has a number of features in operation:
- An essential advantage of electric blowers is the compactness of the unit and its low weight (2,5-4 kg).
- When working with electrical equipment, there is no emission of exhaust gases.
- Compared with a gasoline machine, the electric blower makes less noise and vibration.
- Use the unit only in direct access to the mains. Working with such equipment is characterized by low mobility. Since, in addition to the garden vacuum cleaner itself, you need to monitor the movement of the extension cord.
- The cost of electricity may exceed the cost of gasoline fuel for the treatment of areas of equal area, machines of the same power.
Analysis of the operation of gasoline garden blowers allows us to highlight the following nuances:
- Petrol blowers are mobile, able to work regardless of the location of the power source. This allows you to use the units for cleaning large park and garden areas.
- The presence of a tank and a gasoline engine makes the unit massive and heavy.
- During operation, the gasoline blower creates a high level of noise and vibration, emits polluting gas.
When choosing a garden vacuum cleaner blower, it is necessary to assess the existing conditions in which the tool will have to work. If the area of the site is small and there is unhindered access to the mains, then you can safely give preference to the unit with an electric drive, since it is he who is able to make the work comfortable. The gasoline analogue is more often used to clean large garden areas.
Classification of blowers by type of use
To facilitate the work of garden vacuum cleaners, equipment manufacturers are trying to equip their tools with holding devices as much as possible, which will relieve the load from the body of a working person. So, according to the type of use, blowers can be classified as follows:
- The manual garden vacuum cleaner blower does not have holding devices. Such a tool is convenient to use for cleaning leaves in small areas. As a rule, without special fasteners, blowers are produced that are equipped only with a blowing function.
- The mounted blower vacuum cleaner has a belt that can be thrown over the shoulder, which partially allows you to remove the load from the worker and free his hand.
- The knapsack blower has two shoulder straps. Such a holding element is more often equipped with professional gasoline garden vacuum cleaners designed for cleaning large areas.
- A wheeled blower vacuum cleaner is less mobile than the above proposed options for garden equipment, but it allows you to free the worker’s hands completely, which is also important. At the same time, it is worth noting the high performance of wheeled blowers, because in one pass they are able to clean a strip of lawn with a width of 40 to 80 cm, however, such a unit will not work to climb into a secluded corner “behind the barn” if there is no additional nozzle in the form of a hose in the kit.
It is worth noting that all variants of the blower, with the exception of wheeled models, are quite compact, fit into a special case and become literally invisible on a shelf in the pantry. The wheeled garden vacuum cleaner is bulky and massive, there is only room for it in a spacious barn.
You can see the work of garden blowers with different types of drive and technical characteristics in the video:
Such an overview will help to further determine the choice of the required model.
What points you need to pay attention to when buying
Each blower, in addition to the basic functionality, has specific technical characteristics. So, for garden blowers, the main indicator is the speed of the output flow. Ideally, it should be in the range of 300-320 km / h. If this parameter is less than 270 km / h, then it should be understood that such a leaf-cleaning unit will be difficult to cope with.
The flow rate and air pressure depend directly on the engine power. A high rate of these characteristics indicates good equipment performance. However, when choosing an electric garden blower, it should be remembered that a motor power of more than 2,5 kW will require a special cable with a cross section of at least 1,5 mm2.
In addition to power and pressure, when choosing a garden blower, you should pay attention to the following parameters:
- Leaf bags can be from 40 to 80 liters. The larger the volume, the less often the bag will need to be cleaned, while large filled containers are difficult to move.
- It is possible to collect leaves in one large and neat kuma only if it is possible to regulate the speed and pressure of the air flow. Otherwise, when approaching a cluster of leaves, the blower will simply sweep them away.
- Some modern types of blowers are equipped with stone protection, which extends the life of garden tools.
- When working with gas blowers, a high level of vibration causes significant discomfort, because after 10 minutes of operation of the equipment, an unpleasant sensation will appear in the hands. Therefore, you should also pay attention to the vibration parameter when buying a blower.
- The presence of wheels on the suction pipe makes it easier to control and move the main element of the blower, resting it on the ground.
If, when buying garden equipment, you take into account all the above criteria and choose a high-quality assembly unit, then the use of the blower will be as comfortable and convenient as possible, and the equipment itself will last for many, many years.
Garden blowers: myths and reality
In some sources, you can find a lot of false information about the capabilities of garden blowers and vacuum cleaners. We will try to dispel some myths and emphasize the real possibilities of air guns:
- Garden vacuum cleaners are really capable of picking up small building debris, such as wood chips, dust, pieces of foam.
- The pressurized air flow can be used to speed up the drying of walls after painting and treatment with various liquid substances.
- With the help of a garden blower, you can successfully clean the interior of the car.
- Snow, uncovered cover, up to 10 cm high, can be removed by air pressure.
- Cleaning the lawn using air flow allows you to saturate the plants with oxygen.
- Leaves swollen with moisture cannot be removed with a garden vacuum cleaner.
- The branch pipe of the garden vacuum cleaner, when too close to the ground, captures dust and sand, which pollutes the internal components of the installation.
- The leaf collection bags are able to pass dust, so a gray cloud can be observed during harvesting.
- Gasoline motors in garden blowers are voracious.
Results
Thus, we have tried to provide the most truthful and reliable information about various garden blowers. Now, after evaluating the proposed facts and getting acquainted with the prices on the market, potential buyers will be able to choose the best model for themselves or completely abandon the idea and use a broom and a rake in the old fashioned way. At the same time, numerous reviews claim that it is quite difficult to return to a traditional tool after such automation tools, because a person quickly gets used to everything good.