Leaf blowers

[diydazzler]

are they any good as vacuums ?
For example will they pick up dust off a concrete floor ?

 

[Burnerman]

I'm not absolutely sure what you mean here.....something like the Stihl BG56 blower will shift all stuff, including gravel and wet leaves without any problems.
However, if its a garden vacuum you want you need to avoid picking up any solids that aren't vegetable or you'll give the fan a hard time.
With garden vacs the bag gets very heavy with wet stuff and the liquid sprays out too. Don't like them very much!
John

 

[diydazzler]

I have a workshop with a concrete floor that I have to sweep every day,it gets very dusty....it's a bodyshop.
I was wondering if a leaf blower set to vacuum would pick up the dust better than me....no wet debris at all,just dust and the odd bit of masking tape and paper

 

[Burnerman]

With garden vacuums the filtering isn't that great as it doesn't have to be.....it will pick up any dry stuff though. You also have the fumes to consider.
For a bodyshop, I'd be thinking along the lines of a Nilfisk vacuum on a trolley so that the filler dust isn't just deposited elsewhere.
John

 

[r896neo]

I have a vax drum type for my workshop, it is a wet and dry but i only use it for sawdust etc.

 

[MrCheese]

The manual for the Stihl specifically says not to vacuum soil/dirt as it wears out the internals very quickly. Also vacuuming dust will clog the pores in the garden vac bag which I am sure will reduce efficiency over time.

Surely a blower would create clouds of dust?

I agree with the earlier comment about the fumes as well. I'd stick with a normal vac if possible.

 

[JimLoskot]

you need to put down a concrete sealer, this will stop it from dusting

 

[DBriggs]

I think you need a wet / dry hoover for that. Leaf blowers are useless (or at least the ones I've used are).

 

[LGwoodworker]

i have a makita 4 stroke petrol leaf blower i use it when after i cut the grass to clean up and in the winter for lifting leaves around the garden and its great will lift leaves wet or dry no problem, so if your looking for a leaf blower thats very powerful,light weight,heavy duty then you will want to get yourself a makita 4 stroke petrol leaf blower vac