With all the technological advancements we’ve made over the past decade, we now have at our disposal various tools that make our lives easier.
When it comes to cleaning your yard or garden, your arsenal will not be complete without a leaf blower.
This equipment efficiently removes scattered leaves from your yard and gathers them in one place.
When using something as effective as this, it sometimes makes you wonder and ask, “How does a leaf blower works?”
We’re here to feed your curiosity and answer that question for you.
How Does a Leaf Blower Works?
To understand how a leaf blower works, we need to break it apart. Not literally, of course.
We only need to take a closer look into its various components and what they contribute to the system of a leaf blower.
Motor
The motor is necessary for the leaf blower to increase the air pressure inside the machine.
There are many different models of leaf blowers out there, but all of their motors fall under two categories: gasoline or electricity powered.
- Gasoline
As the name suggests, this type of leaf blower motor requires gasoline to power. It usually includes a gas tank, which means it’s generally bigger and heavier than electricity-powered leaf blowers.
Additionally, gasoline-powered leaf blowers need motor oil to keep the gears lubricated and prevent them from grinding against each other.
One advantage of this type of leaf blower is that it offers more power than its electric counterpart.
It has a higher MPH and CFM rating, which means you can clear a larger area in a short time.
- Electricity
Gasoline-powered leaf blowers can be straining to your back because of their weight.
This issue is what the electricity-powered leaf blower tries to address.
It’s more compact and significantly lighter than its gasoline counterpart.
It uses the same principle as the gasoline-powered leaf blower to increase air pressure, but the power is not of the same level.
Electricity-powered leaf blowers may either utilize a cable connection or include a detachable and rechargeable battery.
Impeller
Once the engine can produce power, another part can turn this energy into moving air.
That’s a job for the impeller, which is right next to the blower’s motor.
After the motor generates power, it transfers this energy to the impeller, which is basically a fan.
The fan would then rotate at extremely high speeds and produce air pressure.
Bigger impellers rotate faster than smaller ones.
That means a leaf blower with a larger impeller will be more efficient because it generates more moving air.
Outlet Nozzle
Even if the motor and impeller move significant amounts of air at extreme speeds, it would be useless if it doesn’t move in a specific direction.
That’s why we also need the outlet nozzle.
This part’s primary function is to serve as the pathway for the air to move from the impeller and out of the equipment. Without this nozzle, your leaf blower would function just like a regular desk fan, blowing air with little focus.
Different leaf blowers also come with different nozzle shapes and sizes.
These can significantly affect the power output of your equipment.
More often than not, you need to take note of two things: the CFM and MPH.
- CFM and MPH
CFM is short for cubic feet per minute. It refers to the amount of air that can go through the machine.
CFM often ranges from 90CFM to 500CFM. A higher CFM indicates a wider coverage for your blower.
On the other hand, MPH or miles per hour indicates the speed at which the air can move from the blower and out into the nozzle.
A leaf blower’s MPH rating can range from 100MPH to 200MPH.
Smaller nozzles often have higher MPH ratings since there is more pressure that builds up inside the blower.
However, this should not be the only determinant you should factor in when choosing a leaf blower.
A general rule of thumb is choosing a leaf blower with a high CFM and MPH rating.
A high MPH but low CFM rating would only produce fast-moving air but doesn’t cover enough distance.
On the other hand, a high CFM but low MPH would cover a larger area, but you won’t have enough power coming out of the blower.
The best leaf blower usually comes with high ratings in both.
Battery
The electric-powered classification of leaf blowers is further divided into two subtypes.
While both of them run on electricity, their connections differ from each other.
- Main-Powered Electric Leaf Blowers
These are leaf blowers that require a constant supply of electricity from an electric socket.
It means you need to keep them plugged in while you work in your yard.
Most of these types of leaf blowers have extended cables to reach further distances.
However, if you have a huge yard, you may require additional extension cables.
The most significant advantage of this type of leaf blower is that you don’t have to worry about the battery running low. That means you can use it for as long as you have to.
- Battery-Powered Electric Leaf Blowers
The next type of electric leaf blower is battery-powered, meaning it doesn’t need cords.
You just need to recharge it before use, and you’re good to go.
One advantage of battery-powered leaf blowers is that you can use them anywhere.
You don’t need additional extension cables or stay near electric sockets because the battery makes them portable.
Most recent models of this type of electric leaf blowers have lithium-ion batteries.
That means they can last longer than older models, usually around 30 minutes.
If you’re worried about your equipment dying on you in the middle of work, you can always purchase an extra battery. Doing so allows you to use your leaf blower for up to an hour or longer.
The Leaf Blower’s Working Mechanism
Leaf blowers are one of the most important items that we all must have in our arsenal to maintain our homes.
Understanding how does a leaf blower works makes it easier for us to maximize its potential.
It also provides us with brief insights into leaf blowers’ types, power, and advantages and how we can apply them to our lives.