How Quiet is a “Quiet” Leaf Blower
How Quiet is a “Quiet” Leaf Blower? Whether you’re a professional landscaper or a homeowner, leaf blowers are some of the most efficient tools for clearing an area of debris such as leaves and grass clippings. Unfortunately, they also tend to be very loud, operating somewhere between 70 and 90 decibels (dB). Some gas-powered models can even get all the way up to 100 decibels, which is about as loud as an airplane taking off 300 feet away from you. As you can imagine, that amount of noise isn’t just annoying to your neighbors, it can also be dangerous for you if you’re exposed to it for too long. Luckily, in response to noise complaints and leaf blowers being banned in certain cities, many lawn tool companies have started creating quieter models. But how quiet are these, exactly? The Decibel Levels of Quiet Leaf Blowers To answer that question, it’s important to note that there’s no such thing as a silent leaf blower, but there are leaf blowers that produce very little sound. The quietest ones clock in at about 59 decibels, which is around the same volume as a typical conversation. That’s much less likely to annoy your neighbors, and it’s also likely to be less harmful to your own ears. Look Out for Sneaky Marketing Keep in mind, though, that companies can be a little sneaky with these decibel ratings. Often, the amount that they give on the box is the measurement from 50 feet away (and if they don’t give a decibel amount at all, that’s a big red flag). To the person using the equipment, it could be much louder. That’s why it’s a good idea to wear earplugs when using a leaf blower or other garden tools and to do independent research before making a purchase so you can be certain that the product you’re buying will work for you.
Are leaf blowers noisy
Are leaf blowers noisy? Leaf blowers are an incredibly convenient tool for clearing out all the leaves that fall on your property. Are there any drawbacks when using this kind of equipment? For example, are leaf blowers obnoxiously loud? They absolutely are! Notorious noisemakers As anyone who has ever used one can tell you, a leaf blower is not just loud. They are insanely loud. You can easily, and clearly hear a leaf blower from several blocks away because of how loud they are. The higher pitch tone that they produce allows the sound to carry through nearby windows with little dampening. Exactly how loud are leaf blowers? Sound is often measured in decibels (dB). If you are at least 50 feet away, you will hear the leaf blower at roughly 64 to 78 dB. For the operator, who is right next to the noise, a leaf blower clocks in at anywhere from 95 to 115 dB. That is almost as loud as a live concert! Extended exposure to sound at that amount of dB is going to cause permanent hearing loss for the operator. That’s crazy! Why is a leaf blower so loud anyway? The reason a leaf blower is so loud is because of how it is designed. In general, there are two sources for the noise that a leaf blower makes. The first one is the air that is blowing through the leaf blower. That air is moving with such a high velocity that it is making a lot of noise as it passes through. The other reason for the noise is due to how the gas-powered engine in the leaf blower works. As the fuel combustion occurs, it causes the engine to vibrate which adds in the higher pitch part of the annoying loud noise that a leaf blower produces.
Are leaf blowers bad for your health
Are leaf blowers bad for your health If you happen to have one or more large trees on your property, you can expect to have a lot of leaves to clean up. It goes without saying that in a situation like this, it is incredibly convenient to have a leaf blower. Where it can take hours to rake up a bunch of leaves, a leaf blower can do the same amount of work in a shorter amount of time. But is there a cost for such efficiency? Are there any health risks with using a leaf blower? Convenience has its price Unfortunately, yes there are some various health risks that you need to keep in mind when you are working with a leaf blower. When you use a gas-powered leaf blower, the exhaust it produces can cause a lot of problems for the operator and other people nearby. This exhaust is especially harmful to those who have asthma. In the short term, you can get headaches and some dizziness from the extended use of a leaf blower. With long-term exposure, however, using a gas-powered leaf blower can increase your risk for cancer, lung disease, and even dementia. It’s in the air A leaf blower, as the name implies, uses airflow to blow leaves off your property. However, this isn’t the only thing that gets blown away. It is common for pesticides, dust, pollen, and fertilizers to be kicked up into the air when you use a leaf blower. As a result, those particles hang in the air and can easily be inhaled by the operator and other people nearby. Prolonged exposure to these particles can also cause diseases, including cancer, in the long run for anyone that breaths in that polluted air. What? Speak up! Of course, one of the more immediate issues with using a gas-powered leaf blower is that they are very loud. Permanent hearing loss can occur for the operator within two hours. Not only that, but this can affect nearby people as well.
