Blowers: Purpose, types, selection and characteristics

To clean large areas and hard-to-reach places from various debris, a modern tool called an air blower is used. You will learn about all types of this device from this article. The varieties of models depend on the purpose, characteristics and functionality. Therefore, when choosing a blower, it is advisable to know what they are, and how they differ from each other, their advantages and disadvantages. For heavy duty use, we recommend Roots blower. 

Purpose of the blower

An air blower is, in fact, a low pressure compressor, which, depending on its design and functionality, is capable of performing a wide range of works:

Cleaning the garden area from dry dirt, litter, fallen leaves and even snow. At the same time, it is possible to carry out both full-fledged garden cleaning and local blowing of garbage from hard-to-reach places. The blower shows itself well when cleaning the lawn, since the air flow does not damage the plants, but effectively blows through the unevenness of the relief.

Drying of machine structures and equipment.

For repair and construction work of almost any nature, including the laying and restoration of the roadbed. Here powerful models are used that can cope with dust, shavings, small branches, garbage with separate large and relatively heavy fractions. An example is the patching of a road, where before laying new asphalt at the last stage of preparation, all the debris is blown out of the pit, due to which the adhesion of the new coating increases.

Cleaning the adjacent territory of a private house or summer cottage, sweeping paths, sidewalks, putting things in order in parks, squares.

Blowers in assortment

In addition to the obvious tasks, some models of blowers can spray plants, collect garbage in a special attachable bag, similar to a vacuum cleaner, and even mulch the collected plant material.

NOTE:

This tool is an effective tool for cleaning computer equipment from dust, in contrast to classical compressors, in which condensate is often vented through a nozzle.

Modes of operation

Blowers, depending on the model, can have one or several modes of operation, which expands their functionality:

Blowing is the main mode of operation, through which the blower turns, in fact, into a kind of rake with a motor, through which you can blow off debris from the paths, clean hard-to-reach places.

Suction – turns the tool into a vacuum cleaner that sucks in debris through the nozzle, collecting it in a pluggable bag.

Shredding – an addition to the previous function, allows you not only to collect waste, but also to reduce its amount through shredding. Actually, on the basis of the collected leaves and grass, the unit creates mulch that can be used as fertilizer.

If the latter function is available, the mulching ratio is indicated in the documentation for the tool, for example, 1:10, which literally means how many times the volume of collected waste after shredding is reduced. The average ratio is 1: 7 – 1:16.

Device, characteristics and principle of operation

Structurally, the simplest garden blower is a motor-driven centrifugal fan that sucks in air through the center of the snail, throws it out at high speed through a rigid bell, which ensures the direction of the air flow.

Models that work on the principle of a vacuum cleaner, that is, they are able to suck air through a bell, collect debris in a special attachable bag.

Mulching model

Air blowers with a chopping function in the design have blades rotating on the impeller, by means of which mulching of the sucked grass and leaves is carried out.

Material

The body of the garden blower is made of durable plastic, as are the bells.

This allows the entire structure to be lightened, thereby achieving ease of use.

The handles are often rubberized with an anti-slip finish.

The garbage bag is made of tarpaulin material.

Dimensions and weight

Manual garden blowers, depending on the type of engine, its power and dimensions, weigh from 1.2 to 12 kg.

The length of the tool is on average 440 – 600 mm, the width is about 145 – 250 mm, and the height is 240 – 390 mm.

The capacity of a complete garbage bag often does not exceed 40 – 50 liters.