leaf blower: lessons learned.

M

mwtaco

New member
while waiting for my electric leaf blower, i tried out my stihl bg55 gas leaf blower to dry my car and truck.

because its winter i warmed up the garage with my protemp propane heater. to keep the garage warm, the doors all have to be closed. did a rinseless wash on my car.

it being cold i can wash the whole car and dry at the end. turned on the stihl and dried my car. worked great.

1. dont use a gas leaf blower in a closed space. exhaust fumes make you feel nauseated. im sure it could potentially kill you, but i did not die.
2. wear ear protection. not exclusive to gas blowers. a loud machine in a closed space is brain rattling. especially when doing the roof and it is next to your ear.
3. blow air in one direction, preferably downward to sweep the water away. otherwise you end up spraying water back and forth on the car.
4. if you are still using your wash buckets cover them up. if dust kicks up, itll get in the bucket.
 
mwtaco said:
while waiting for my electric leaf blower, i tried out my stihl bg55 gas leaf blower to dry my car and truck.

because its winter i warmed up the garage with my protemp propane heater. to keep the garage warm, the doors all have to be closed. did a rinseless wash on my car.

it being cold i can wash the whole car and dry at the end. turned on the stihl and dried my car. worked great.

1. dont use a gas leaf blower in a closed space. exhaust fumes make you feel nauseated. im sure it could potentially kill you, but i did not die.
2. wear ear protection. not exclusive to gas blowers. a loud machine in a closed space is brain rattling. especially when doing the roof and it is next to your ear.
3. blow air in one direction, preferably downward to sweep the water away. otherwise you end up spraying water back and forth on the car.
4. if you are still using your wash buckets cover them up. if dust kicks up, itll get in the bucket.
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I could agree more!! :bigups

Gas leaf blowers emit exhaust fumes into the air which we breath in. Even with an electric leaf blower you'll still need to follow some of the same basic safety steps when using in an enclosed area...
 
I was always told not to use a gas leaf blower when drying a car. Doesn't some of the oil gas mix tend to get pushed out through the exhaust when using it?
 
Thanks for reading guys. :D

Pat, Ive read the same...about exhaust fumes. The exhaust is far back opposite the blower tip. Not sure if that protects me or not, but I wasn't really concerned about it. You could be right though.

Looking fwd to getting my electric blower. It should be half the weight of my current blower. Its an el cheapo but looking fwd to trying it out.
 
Thanks for posting your experience. The old gas blower I had put out a lot of exhaust fumes and even outside I could feel the effects if I used it long enough. Worst part was having the smell in your cloths. The smell would follow you around until you were finished and could shower and change.
 
Rocket said:
Thanks for posting your experience. The old gas blower I had put out a lot of exhaust fumes and even outside I could feel the effects if I used it long enough. Worst part was having the smell in your cloths. The smell would follow you around until you were finished and could shower and change.
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agree. and in a closed space x100. doubt i'll use it again in the garage.
 
im sure it could potentially kill you, but i did not die.
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eh....could we get a second opinion? :lmfao Seriously, glad you're okay and thanks for passing on the information so that others won't make the same mistakes.
 
mwtaco said:
dont use a gas leaf blower in a closed space. exhaust fumes make you feel nauseated.
Click to expand...

Just happy to see you used the correct word! Most people pick "nauseous" - which means they make other people sick (which also may be true but is generally not what they mean). ;)

Other than the exhaust fumes, most of these tips are equally applicable to to the MetroVac 8hp. Very loud, dust flies and there is definitely "herding" of the water. Shallow angles of attack also seem to be part of the technique.
 
Thanks for sharing your experience and providing us with a good laugh. I have used an electric leaf blower and some of the same things apply. Be sure to blow everything in one direction (down). And wear ear protection...
 
mjlinane said:
Just happy to see you used the correct word! Most people pick "nauseous" - which means they make other people sick (which also may be true but is generally not what they mean). ;)
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i believe they are synonyms, but i agree with your use of each word.
 
TLMitchell said:
I'm confused. If you used a rinseless wash what was there left to blow off? :confused:

TL
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when i do a rinseless on my car i can do the whole thing without drying and then i used the blower. otherwise i towel dry most of it as i do a section at a time. in that case, id use the blower to get the mirrors grille door jambs lug nuts and other nooks and crannies.
 
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