6 ms·

We don't need quieter electric leaf blowers. We need to ban the gas ones, with no grandfather clause. Not just for the noise pollution but the local air polluti

We don't need quieter electric leaf blowers. We need to ban the gas ones, with no grandfather clause. Not just for the noise pollution but the local air pollution. It's crazy the volume of air that can be ruined by a single gas leaf blower, far worse than modern cars, and they are inescapable in cities.

Gibbon1 2y ago
I think leaf blowers kick up enough dust that they should just be banned outright.
riffic 2y ago
a buy-back program would be a good first step.
kjkjadksj 2y ago
They’ve been banned for years in some cities. The issue is there is zero enforcement.
- modeless 2y ago
  Yeah a ban in a suburb of a city doesn't work because they are brought in by landscaping companies not based in that suburb.
  - kjkjadksj 2y ago
    Usually the ban is something like you cant use it in 500ft of a residence, which obviates that issue if cops bothered to patrol for this or if there was a reporting hotline that was well advertised.
- SOLAR_FIELDS 2y ago
  And the other underlying problem implied there is that electric leaf blowers are only viable for household use. They are just so completely impractical for commercial use that no one will ever use them.
  - modeless 2y ago
    I've seen plenty of companies using them. It's not even close to impossible. They're just not the majority.
    - SOLAR_FIELDS 2y ago
      Are these companies operating at scale? We have a couple in my city as well. But it's one guy maintaining their own fleet of equipment. Does the cost rival gas powered companies? The companies I'm aware of that offer this service specifically market it as a premium and appeal to eco friendly consumers that want the less noise and pollution, and are willing to pay more than double what it costs to have a gas powered company do it. Unfortunately, until the technology improves I think we have a tragedy of the commons scenario here, because gen pop is probably willing to trade the noise and air pollution for the cheaper service
      - mianos 2y ago
        Sydney City Council, a large council, uses electric blowers. They have a small backpack so the blowers are kept light even though they have a much larger battery for much longer operation. They look quite good to use. Certainly better than my heavy dual battery one. It is a solved problem.
  - kbenson 2y ago
    Why? I'm sure they're less practical than the gas powered ones, but every tool system with their own battery standard seems to have one. Even if you had to have a few batteries charged in reserve, that seems more like slightly more expensive and annoying than utterly impractical. Am I missing something?
    - slimsag 2y ago
      They're not even in the same ballpark My 80v electric blower with a heavy battery runs for 21 minutes. A gas blower with 1.5 gallons of fuel will last 10 hours. A ban on gas blowers - or blowing in general - will only harm minorities already underpaid, often under the table.
- ericmcer 2y ago
  I am so tired of noise and air pollution having 0 enforcement in cities, but if a car is parked for 15m too long in a metered spot they are ready like hawks to swoop down and dispense a $60 ticket. I was eating lunch at a restaurant few weeks ago and a parking enforcer was ticketing a car right next to us. A few feet past the car three dudes on motorcycles were revving their engines and blasting music at the stop light. No one could talk and the air smelled for a couple minutes after they left. It just seemed so wrong who was getting punished and what cities prioritize in that instance.
- jauntywundrkind 2y ago
  DC seems to be doing pretty great with our ban. Theres some loud-ish electrics but it's still 1/8th the horror that it used to be; it used to be that someone two blocks away was still creating a living hell, but now it's really just someone across the street with a particularly poor model. Next up on my list, construction sites! We've had a small condo going up nearby, wood framed, and the generator is loud as fuck all the time. They use so little power though. A hybrid setup with 1kwh battery would let that thing rest 95% of the time. Ditto for their air compressor; a even modest sized 300 PSI air receiver tank would radically improve the neighborhood for nearly no cost.
  - kjkjadksj 2y ago
    Another thing that sucks about construction: the dust. Workers have to wear respiratory devices on some of these jobs and yet no issues if the jackhammer is venting particulate into a schoolyard across the street. Also sidewalks are routinely trashed by construction companies, destroyed to rubble even by their trucks and not repaired until the project is just about finished. Never mind the years where disabled people could not walk around the project.
grecy 2y ago
I'm always shocked that small ICE equipment don't have catalytic converters, or any emissions reducing devices. Especially given the operator is actually holding the thing and the exhaust is just a foot or two from their face, surely the health consequences are capital letters bad.
- xkqd 2y ago
  Usually the crews running them are more focused on feeding their families over their own long term health. I’m still surprised when I see some crews have hearing protection.
  - adrianmonk 2y ago
    That is exactly the kind of situation where regulations are needed. Sometimes the market can take care of things, and regulation isn't needed. But these workers don't have lots of leverage. If conditions are bad, they can't tell the boss "I have other options" and quit. So the market won't solve this case.
    - xkqd 2y ago
      In all fairness, we’re not wrangling in a megacorp or small company / bad actor type. These are usually tiny businesses where the owner is busting their ass in the hot sun alongside their crew. These are usually the smallest of small biz, and oftentimes just a young guy and a single helper. I don’t believe we can expect lawncare prices to 4x, but this is a perfect example of targeting those who we should be supporting. If anything, structure the regulations to tier controls by size of the operation. We absolutely should not be making the lives of a 20 year old kid trying to start something up any harder than it already is.
      - modeless 2y ago
        I am sympathetic to this argument. I also think the buyback program suggested upthread is probably a good idea.
      - 2y ago
odiroot 2y ago
They have been a bad idea from the start. Who thought an unbalanced, two-stroke internal combustion engine with a minuscule exhaust (and no muffler!) was a good idea for a tool operating in residential areas.
- caseyohara 2y ago
  It’s the power-to-weight ratio. Two-stroke engines are used in blowers, chainsaws, trimmers, and edgers because the power:weight ratio is far more practical for handheld tools than a four-stroke engine. Motorcycles and snowmobiles are mostly four-strokes these days because the increase in weight isn't a big deal compared to a chainsaw or trimmer.
coolspot 2y ago
> Not just for the noise pollution but the local air pollution. Also, leaf blowers make a lot of dust airborne, which can’t be good to inhale.
divbzero 2y ago
It’s not only noise and air pollution for the neighborhood, but also a matter of safety for the operators.
datahack 2y ago
They are already banned in California. The rest of you need to catch up. I for one am stoked to have a quieter electric one though of course I’m behind your sentiment! But for Calfironians, it’s already better for the environment with all these small engines phasing out, and now it’s quieter too? Slick.
- modeless 2y ago
  I'm in California and the ban is only on sales, not use. There has been no difference in practice, yet. And my city also has a citywide ban on use, but there's no enforcement, so it's pretty much a joke all around.
  - datahack 2y ago
    I’ve noticed a drastic reduction here where I live already. Use will take care of itself if you ban the sale, which is what happened. Why the pessimistic take? Don’t you want to live in a quieter environment? Transitions take time — but we are well on our way. Most places can only dream about not having a gas powered leaf blower going on and on for hours while they try to work: here it’s already transitioning. So why be anything but positive about it?
cchi_co 2y ago
But more sustainable alternatives to gas-powered leaf blowers are needed I think
- craigmcnamara 2y ago
  Have you heard of a rake?
  - cchi_co 2y ago
    [dead]
ElijahLynn 2y ago
The video shows the electric leaf blower before, and with their invention after. And it's a big difference, and makes the electric even quieter. I think we definitely need this even for electric! Yay, for quieter cities!!!

Gibbon1 2y ago

I think leaf blowers kick up enough dust that they should just be banned outright.

riffic 2y ago

a buy-back program would be a good first step.

kjkjadksj 2y ago

They’ve been banned for years in some cities. The issue is there is zero enforcement.

modeless 2y ago
Yeah a ban in a suburb of a city doesn't work because they are brought in by landscaping companies not based in that suburb.
- kjkjadksj 2y ago
  Usually the ban is something like you cant use it in 500ft of a residence, which obviates that issue if cops bothered to patrol for this or if there was a reporting hotline that was well advertised.
SOLAR_FIELDS 2y ago
And the other underlying problem implied there is that electric leaf blowers are only viable for household use. They are just so completely impractical for commercial use that no one will ever use them.
- modeless 2y ago
  I've seen plenty of companies using them. It's not even close to impossible. They're just not the majority.
  - SOLAR_FIELDS 2y ago
    Are these companies operating at scale? We have a couple in my city as well. But it's one guy maintaining their own fleet of equipment. Does the cost rival gas powered companies? The companies I'm aware of that offer this service specifically market it as a premium and appeal to eco friendly consumers that want the less noise and pollution, and are willing to pay more than double what it costs to have a gas powered company do it. Unfortunately, until the technology improves I think we have a tragedy of the commons scenario here, because gen pop is probably willing to trade the noise and air pollution for the cheaper service
    - mianos 2y ago
      Sydney City Council, a large council, uses electric blowers. They have a small backpack so the blowers are kept light even though they have a much larger battery for much longer operation. They look quite good to use. Certainly better than my heavy dual battery one. It is a solved problem.
- kbenson 2y ago
  Why? I'm sure they're less practical than the gas powered ones, but every tool system with their own battery standard seems to have one. Even if you had to have a few batteries charged in reserve, that seems more like slightly more expensive and annoying than utterly impractical. Am I missing something?
  - slimsag 2y ago
    They're not even in the same ballpark My 80v electric blower with a heavy battery runs for 21 minutes. A gas blower with 1.5 gallons of fuel will last 10 hours. A ban on gas blowers - or blowing in general - will only harm minorities already underpaid, often under the table.
ericmcer 2y ago
I am so tired of noise and air pollution having 0 enforcement in cities, but if a car is parked for 15m too long in a metered spot they are ready like hawks to swoop down and dispense a $60 ticket. I was eating lunch at a restaurant few weeks ago and a parking enforcer was ticketing a car right next to us. A few feet past the car three dudes on motorcycles were revving their engines and blasting music at the stop light. No one could talk and the air smelled for a couple minutes after they left. It just seemed so wrong who was getting punished and what cities prioritize in that instance.
jauntywundrkind 2y ago
DC seems to be doing pretty great with our ban. Theres some loud-ish electrics but it's still 1/8th the horror that it used to be; it used to be that someone two blocks away was still creating a living hell, but now it's really just someone across the street with a particularly poor model. Next up on my list, construction sites! We've had a small condo going up nearby, wood framed, and the generator is loud as fuck all the time. They use so little power though. A hybrid setup with 1kwh battery would let that thing rest 95% of the time. Ditto for their air compressor; a even modest sized 300 PSI air receiver tank would radically improve the neighborhood for nearly no cost.
- kjkjadksj 2y ago
  Another thing that sucks about construction: the dust. Workers have to wear respiratory devices on some of these jobs and yet no issues if the jackhammer is venting particulate into a schoolyard across the street. Also sidewalks are routinely trashed by construction companies, destroyed to rubble even by their trucks and not repaired until the project is just about finished. Never mind the years where disabled people could not walk around the project.

grecy 2y ago

I'm always shocked that small ICE equipment don't have catalytic converters, or any emissions reducing devices. Especially given the operator is actually holding the thing and the exhaust is just a foot or two from their face, surely the health consequences are capital letters bad.

xkqd 2y ago
Usually the crews running them are more focused on feeding their families over their own long term health. I’m still surprised when I see some crews have hearing protection.
- adrianmonk 2y ago
  That is exactly the kind of situation where regulations are needed. Sometimes the market can take care of things, and regulation isn't needed. But these workers don't have lots of leverage. If conditions are bad, they can't tell the boss "I have other options" and quit. So the market won't solve this case.
  - xkqd 2y ago
    In all fairness, we’re not wrangling in a megacorp or small company / bad actor type. These are usually tiny businesses where the owner is busting their ass in the hot sun alongside their crew. These are usually the smallest of small biz, and oftentimes just a young guy and a single helper. I don’t believe we can expect lawncare prices to 4x, but this is a perfect example of targeting those who we should be supporting. If anything, structure the regulations to tier controls by size of the operation. We absolutely should not be making the lives of a 20 year old kid trying to start something up any harder than it already is.
    - modeless 2y ago
      I am sympathetic to this argument. I also think the buyback program suggested upthread is probably a good idea.
    - 2y ago

odiroot 2y ago

They have been a bad idea from the start. Who thought an unbalanced, two-stroke internal combustion engine with a minuscule exhaust (and no muffler!) was a good idea for a tool operating in residential areas.

caseyohara 2y ago
It’s the power-to-weight ratio. Two-stroke engines are used in blowers, chainsaws, trimmers, and edgers because the power:weight ratio is far more practical for handheld tools than a four-stroke engine. Motorcycles and snowmobiles are mostly four-strokes these days because the increase in weight isn't a big deal compared to a chainsaw or trimmer.

coolspot 2y ago

> Not just for the noise pollution but the local air pollution. Also, leaf blowers make a lot of dust airborne, which can’t be good to inhale.

divbzero 2y ago

It’s not only noise and air pollution for the neighborhood, but also a matter of safety for the operators.

datahack 2y ago

They are already banned in California. The rest of you need to catch up. I for one am stoked to have a quieter electric one though of course I’m behind your sentiment! But for Calfironians, it’s already better for the environment with all these small engines phasing out, and now it’s quieter too? Slick.

modeless 2y ago
I'm in California and the ban is only on sales, not use. There has been no difference in practice, yet. And my city also has a citywide ban on use, but there's no enforcement, so it's pretty much a joke all around.
- datahack 2y ago
  I’ve noticed a drastic reduction here where I live already. Use will take care of itself if you ban the sale, which is what happened. Why the pessimistic take? Don’t you want to live in a quieter environment? Transitions take time — but we are well on our way. Most places can only dream about not having a gas powered leaf blower going on and on for hours while they try to work: here it’s already transitioning. So why be anything but positive about it?

cchi_co 2y ago

But more sustainable alternatives to gas-powered leaf blowers are needed I think

craigmcnamara 2y ago
Have you heard of a rake?
- cchi_co 2y ago
  [dead]

ElijahLynn 2y ago

The video shows the electric leaf blower before, and with their invention after. And it's a big difference, and makes the electric even quieter. I think we definitely need this even for electric! Yay, for quieter cities!!!