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A group of activists got leaf blowers banned in the nation’s capital (2019)

theatlantic.com

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Re: A group of activists got leaf blowers banned in the nation’s capital (2019)

#101

Post by rektide »

koheripbal wrote: post #72
criddell wrote: post #2

Gasoline powered leaf blowers. I believe electric blowers are still permitted.

The issue with the electric ones is that those lawn care companies have crews that run leaf blowers all day long from one house to another. This is no longer possible as they take hours to recharge after each use. It works if each home owner buys a leaf blower of his own, but that's way less efficient from a manufacturing/maintenance perspective. We're just increasing inefficiencies.

These folks can have multiple batteries. That's the real answer, imo. Greenwork's Pro backpack's runtime is 37 minutes at full power on their 60V 8Ah battery (~1/2kWh). Yeah, it's a $300 battery. But with a 4 year warranty, and much longer expected life-time, buying 3-6 for each blower you've got is scary upfront but a drop in the bucket over time.

There's some other sub-optimal options, but hopefully we don't see this energy-wasting noise-making cheapening out. They can charge them when they drive in most modern trucks (AC inverters are practically standard for work trucks). Worse, they start carrying around generators or idling their trucks; back to far more expensive (over time), polluting, and noisy. But both ought be better than a small screeching 2-stroke in terms of quality of life for the hundreds of people in the nearby area.

We're doing great. This is a huge improvement for quality of life for a huge huge number of people. For far more energy efficient & less costly over time systems, at modest investment cost. Particularly if you are a landscaper, having 6 sets of batteries that last 5+ years (and many many more if you're only cycling batteries once a day) seems like an incredibly minor investment cost.

Re: A group of activists got leaf blowers banned in the nation’s capital (2019)

#102

Post by [deleted] »

koheripbal wrote: post #72
criddell wrote: post #2

Gasoline powered leaf blowers. I believe electric blowers are still permitted.

The issue with the electric ones is that those lawn care companies have crews that run leaf blowers all day long from one house to another. This is no longer possible as they take hours to recharge after each use. It works if each home owner buys a leaf blower of his own, but that's way less efficient from a manufacturing/maintenance perspective. We're just increasing inefficiencies.

[deleted]

Re: A group of activists got leaf blowers banned in the nation’s capital (2019)

#103

Post by michaelt »

throwaway0a5e wrote: post #66
bradfa wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For a homeowner, a 2 or 4 stroke gas engine has no compelling benefit these days over a cordless electric string trimmer. The price of the electrics seems to be low enough now and carry enough energy to handle pretty much any single family home. But for a lawn care crew who may cut 20+ lawns a day, they will need a heck of a battery solution for string trimmers or leaf blowers, either in terms of battery capacity or…

>For a homeowner, a 2 or 4 stroke gas engine has no compelling benefit these days over a cordless electric string trimmer Cost. I would have gone electric if I could but seeing as I don't obsess over my lawn (i.e. I let it grow out enough before cutting it back that most HNers would be hand wringing if I were their neighbor) there's no amount of mental gymnastics that makes it a sane tradeoff. I'm not gonna double th…

Do y'all not have corded electric mowers in America?

Here in the UK, an entry-level petrol mower is £150+ while an entry-level corded electric mower is only £50. They're also much lighter, which is great for ladies and kids. And they start really reliably, even if they've sat in a shed all winter.

Re: A group of activists got leaf blowers banned in the nation’s capital (2019)

#104

Post by rob74 »

UpstandingUser wrote: post #98
rob74 wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would really wish other cities followed suit. And I propose to extend this to a ban on all devices with noisy and smelly two-stroke engines: chainsaws, lawn mowers, motor scooters etc. The scooters may not be a problem in Washington, but anyone who has ever been to an Italian or Spanish city can probably relate...

California banned gas chainsaw sales last year IIRC. It was such a poorly worded law that firefighters and loggers have to go out of state to buy them, instead of it being a prohibition on suburban homeowners using them. The electric saws aren't practical in the woods at all because the battery and spares are so big and heavy. It's hard to beat the energy density of gasoline. Also electric saws are a damn hazard comp…

> They cut right through safety chaps, no problem

Ouch! I assume that's a combination between the higher torque of an electric motor and shoddy low cost Chinese engineering?

Re: A group of activists got leaf blowers banned in the nation’s capital (2019)

#105

Post by zmgsabst »

computerliker69 wrote: post #51
donatj wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Quite the contrary my dude. What I’m against here is the mandate that you keep yards looking “nice” to “not lower property values”.

In your original comment, you seem to advocate for banning groomed lawns, which is different than lifting a mandate in grooming lawns. Perhaps the mandate for groomed lawns could be removed without banning them? I wonder how effective that would be, knowing how ingrained in many cultures a "well-kept" yard is.

Cultures? Species.

Birds, small mammals, and octopuses all groom the area around their nest — getting humans to stop seems unlikely.

Re: A group of activists got leaf blowers banned in the nation’s capital (2019)

#106

Post by rhinoceraptor »

bradfa wrote: post #60
mhb wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> people and companies have to buy new leaf blowers and batteries It seems hopelessly anachronistic and impractical, but why can't rakes be an alternative? It would take more time, but the landscapers would be paid more if they're working hourly.

Much of the leaf blower usage in my area is just to blow the grass clippings back onto the lawn when they end up in the street/driveway/parking lot/sidewalk/etc. If the mower just had a mulching system which trapped the cut grass under itself, then there'd be no need to blow the cut grass at all, it would already be on the lawn. It's funny to me watching the lawn crews get out their blowers at the end of every mow to…

Many mowers do have a mulching setting, but you will still get grass clippings all over the sidewalk.

Re: A group of activists got leaf blowers banned in the nation’s capital (2019)

#107

Post by Lendal »

DoneWithAllThat wrote: post #65
fat_cantor wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Everywhere in America that I have lived, their primary use case is landscapers blowing leaves and trash from private property into the street, thereby clogging drains.

I have literally never seen this anywhere I’ve lived. It’s always been the opposite.

You're lucky. On multiple occasions I've had rocks and leaves blown into my face by one of these people, while I'm driving in a convertible car with the top down.

Re: A group of activists got leaf blowers banned in the nation’s capital (2019)

#108

Post by gonzo41 »

tifik wrote: post #81
kilotaras wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> landscapers would be paid more Landscapers with leafblowers would outcompete landscapers with rakes.

I think the point was that since they banned gas leaf blowers, they might as well have banned all leaf blowers, leaving nothing but hand tools. Of course someone could invent a hand-cranked blower or something... would be interesting to see exactly what loopholes in the legal wording people would find.

I'd just use air from a motorized large volume air compressor with a long spray attachment. Technically, not a leaf blower. Ahh malicious compliance!

Re: A group of activists got leaf blowers banned in the nation’s capital (2019)

#109

Post by wccrawford »

bradfa wrote: post #60
mhb wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> people and companies have to buy new leaf blowers and batteries It seems hopelessly anachronistic and impractical, but why can't rakes be an alternative? It would take more time, but the landscapers would be paid more if they're working hourly.

Much of the leaf blower usage in my area is just to blow the grass clippings back onto the lawn when they end up in the street/driveway/parking lot/sidewalk/etc. If the mower just had a mulching system which trapped the cut grass under itself, then there'd be no need to blow the cut grass at all, it would already be on the lawn. It's funny to me watching the lawn crews get out their blowers at the end of every mow to…

My mower has a mulcher, but it isn't the mower that's the problem. It's the edger. Gotta get the remains from that off the sidewalk afterwards.

I have all electric tools and it's amazing how quiet they are. My neighbor laughed at me for wearing hearing protection until I told him they have Bluetooth in them. ;)

Re: A group of activists got leaf blowers banned in the nation’s capital (2019)

#110

Post by Woberto »

This is excellent and I greatly appreciate the write-up as it encourages and helps others see how they might accomplish the same in their own cities or districts. I'm literally listening to gas leaf blowers outside my apartment right now while I work from home; it's something I've never quite gotten used to, and this article is great motivation for trying to bring about change and improvement
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