Friday, January 31, 2014

As I gaze into a wintery wonderland, my sight rests on one neighbor wrestling with his motorized snow blower and the other using his backpack leaf blower with seemingly no effort whatsoever.

Examining the question of clearing snow by machine versus wind, led to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), which works to prevent injuries most often associated with mechanical snow blowers.

Even minimal injuries could have life changing impact. And in some cases, people have died after getting caught in the machine. According to the CPSC, most of these mishaps occur when people use their hands to remove snow from the blower’s discharge chute.

Others have suffered carbon monoxide poisoning from running the blower in an enclosed space for too long.

For maximum safety, the CPSC recommends:

• When removing wet snow or debris from the blower, turn off the engine and use a long stick to unclog it. Always keep hands and feet away from moving parts.
• Don’t run the machine in enclosed spaces.
• Make sure to only refuel the blower outdoors, and never add gasoline to a running or hot engine. Keep gas in a capped container, and store it outside the house away from sources of ignition.
• If using an electric snow blower, always keep an eye on the power cord.

If you use an air-driven device to blow away your snow, the staff at totallandscapecare.com has these tips:

• Only use your blower on light, fluffy snow with depths of less than 4 inches.
• If using electric (non-cordless/rechargeable), be sure to connect to a GFCI plug or GFCI cord.
• Don’t use cords that have cuts or exposed wires.
• Don’t try blowing snow above 32 degrees, it will be too wet and heavy.

You can maximize your snow blowing efforts with The AirJet Shovel (airjetshovel.com) attachment, which transforms higher powered leaf blowers into wind-driven snow blowers.

Its manufacturer claims surfaces will be "effortlessly cleared and dried and may help eliminate the use of salt and other chemical de-icing agents." They say its attachment works on driveways, sidewalks, steps and decks, and attaches to most oval and round exhaust tube leaf blowers.

The Air Jet Shovel, however, is not for small or rechargeable blowers. It is only recommended for blowers with an output of 350 CFM or greater. Breeze over to your local hardware or big box retailer, or click one home via many online sites for around $30.

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