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Portland's gas-powered leaf blower ban goes into effect
91–100 of 134 posts
Re: Portland's gas-powered leaf blower ban goes into effect
#92This is a good thing. It might inconvenience some old suburban men that have no hobbies other than making their lawn look like astroturf, but those of us that breathe air regularly should be asking for this in their own jurisdiction. Unlike your car, a four-stroke engine with a catalytic converter, a leaf blower is a two-stroke that burns oil by design. The amount of particulate emissions is hard to understate, and t…
Most of them are four-stroke now. They just don't have any muffler on them.
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Re: Portland's gas-powered leaf blower ban goes into effect
#93[flagged]
Why would you want to? Sounds like a bunch of work.
Re: Portland's gas-powered leaf blower ban goes into effect
#94Earlier quoted context omitted.
If you can't afford a leaf blower, you could try using a $10 rake. they usually work better and faster than a leaf blower most of the time anyways.
In East Portland we're mostly dealing with needles from Douglas Firs. I'm not sure this will help much, or be easier. Most people I know that use a leaf blower around here use it to clear pathways and the streets after cones and needles drop because the city doesn't send street cleaning this far.
How many needles and cones do you have that you need to be clearing streets? And surely a pushbroom would suffice for the sidewalks.
Re: Portland's gas-powered leaf blower ban goes into effect
#95Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't find gas leaf blowers exceptionally annoying. They aren't really anymore annoying that anything else going on in my area. It's what leaf blowers are used for that bother me. I see people just using them to blow leaves either into the street or into neighbors yards. What is the utility in this? Do they think leaves disappear?
Some municipalities have leaf pickup service if you pile up the leaves on the side of the street.
Mine requires them to be in paper bags or in buckets
Re: Portland's gas-powered leaf blower ban goes into effect
#96Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't find gas leaf blowers exceptionally annoying. They aren't really anymore annoying that anything else going on in my area. It's what leaf blowers are used for that bother me. I see people just using them to blow leaves either into the street or into neighbors yards. What is the utility in this? Do they think leaves disappear?
The street sweeper sweeps all.
I've owned the property I've been referring to for over 6 years. Never seen a street sweeper. Leaves in the street from my neighbors yards are about 1 foot deep at the curb
Re: Portland's gas-powered leaf blower ban goes into effect
#97Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't find gas leaf blowers exceptionally annoying. They aren't really anymore annoying that anything else going on in my area. It's what leaf blowers are used for that bother me. I see people just using them to blow leaves either into the street or into neighbors yards. What is the utility in this? Do they think leaves disappear?
They’re much louder than other common lawn equipment. People also tend to use them more frequently. Most of my neighbors will only run a lawnmower once a week or every 2 weeks. But they’ll be out there every day with a leaf blower during parts of the year.
Agreed, but I'm comparing them to the other stuff that is always going on. During the week you can always hear: roofing nailguns, wood chipper, backup beeper, & someone playing music.
Re: Portland's gas-powered leaf blower ban goes into effect
#98Earlier quoted context omitted.
Oh no, I cant annoy everyone in a 500m radius for 20 minutes once a week by blowing all the leaves that have fallen into my garden into my neighbours garden. Did I get it right?
My point was you can still buy the gas ones in the store and they're substantially cheaper than the Ego I bought. I live in East Portland, which is why I was talking about cost. I wish the kind of suburban problems you're describing are what we deal with.
The electric backpack leaf blower isn’t that much more expensive than the gas ones. If you’re using it in a business, the extra cost really isn’t significant amortized over thousands of uses.
If you’re poor and using it on your own property, a corded electric is like $50 and works fine. The cord is a little bit of a hassle, but you don’t have to worry about mixing gas and oil, fuel stabilizer etc etc. electric has gotten to the point of being good enough, and it’s not reasonable to make so much noise in a residential area when there are good alternatives.
Re: Portland's gas-powered leaf blower ban goes into effect
#99Earlier quoted context omitted.
In East Portland we're mostly dealing with needles from Douglas Firs. I'm not sure this will help much, or be easier. Most people I know that use a leaf blower around here use it to clear pathways and the streets after cones and needles drop because the city doesn't send street cleaning this far.
How many needles and cones do you have that you need to be clearing streets? And surely a pushbroom would suffice for the sidewalks.
In just my neighborhood we have probably 30-40 large Douglas Firs and several types of pines and maples. It's a substantial amount, which is why the city has "leaf day". It just doesn't come out here.
Re: Portland's gas-powered leaf blower ban goes into effect
#100This is a good thing. It might inconvenience some old suburban men that have no hobbies other than making their lawn look like astroturf, but those of us that breathe air regularly should be asking for this in their own jurisdiction. Unlike your car, a four-stroke engine with a catalytic converter, a leaf blower is a two-stroke that burns oil by design. The amount of particulate emissions is hard to understate, and t…
Suburban homeowners can use electric blowers. They're good enough now and not silent but way quieter and non-emitting. If you get the mower and trimmer and chainsaw, etc in the same system, they all share batteries. It's SO NICE not having to repair, refuel, tune, and tolerate small engines.
These tools probably aren't ready for professional landscapers yet but they're almost there.