Cubic Feet per Minute (CFM) is a common term used to rate leaf blowers. If you are considering purchasing a leaf blower, the CFM should inform your decision. Blower CFM means the volume of air that comes out of a leaf blower’s tube in one minute. This refers to the power of your leaf blower to push leaves by your machine. A 550 CFM translates to pushing 550 cubic feet of debris and leaves in a minute.
In addition to CFM airflow affects the performance of your leaf blower. Large mouthed ones tend to push large amounts of debris and leaves.
What is a Good CFM for a Leaf blower?
Now that you have figured out what CFM is, it is important to settle on the best CFM value. Experts contend that your decision should be informed by several factors including, size of your property, noise and the type of debris you are handling. For instance, you will need more CFM if you are blowing snow or a thick layer of leaves.
Usually, it is recommended that CFM values of between 200 to 400 are reserved for small sized areas like driveways. However, moderately sized areas would require between 400-700 normally one-acre plots. If the property in question is large e.g. a gold course a CFM value in the range of thousands like 3000 will come in handy.
Apart from the performance of the machine, other factors like portability come into play. Depending on the CFM, the sizes range from handheld (200-400), back-pack (400-700) and walk behind (above 700).
As earlier indicated using a blower can be a noisy affair. High CFM blowers have the distinction of high decibels. Considering existing noise pollution limits, you may consider investing in one which doesn’t put you in a collision course with the authorities.
CFM or MPH on a Leaf Blower?
Miles per Hour is the speed at which air moves from the tube in one hour. This can be loosely explained as the amount of time a blower can sweep an area. While MPH may give the impression of efficiency, it cannot be used as the sole factor. A leaf blower with a higher CFM and relatively low MPH is more efficient than a blower with a relatively low CFM and high MPH.
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Before embarking on a leaf blower purchase, FM, MPH, and Decibels would inform your decision. The article has comprehensively given how to know your CFM.