Understanding The Lawn Vacuum And How To Use It
Most of the people are nowadays using lawn vacuums to clean up their yards.
If you have some money to spare, you should go ahead and buy the pieces, but if you don’t have a lot of money, you should simply rent the units from your local store.
The cool thing is that there are plenty of places where you can rent from.
Lawn vacuums are similar to indoor vacuums.
They feature collection bags and have a more rugged construction that can handle leaves and in some cases small yard debris. Compared to leaf blowers, yard vacuums are quieter.
How do lawn vacuums work?
As mentioned, they resemble indoor vacuums. They use high-speed fans to create suction when air rushes up into the intake hose, taking leaves with it.
The air deposits the leaves in a waste compartment or collection bag that is designed to handle a large amount of waste.
The size of the bag often depends on the size of the lawn vacuum. This means that a large lawn vacuum will go for a longer time before the bag fills up, and vice versa.
Types of lawn vacuums
There are plenty of lawn vacuums in the market that you can go for. The most common ones are:
- Handheld
- Backpacks
- Push mower
- Large riders
- Small tractors
- Trailer attachments
The one that you choose depends on the size of your yard and budget.
Obviously, if you have a large yard, you should go for a large vacuum that will allow you to work as comfortably as much as much. This means that you can go for a small tractor or its equivalent.
You can use the vacuum for a wide range of tasks. The most obvious one is cleaning leaves between flower beds or hard to reach areas that require flexibility.
In such a case, you should use a backpack or handheld lawn vacuum.
You can also use the machine to clean leaves in your entire open backyard.
If the yard is large, you need a machine with wheels that will make your work easy.
Recently, people have started using yard vacuums to collect acorns, especially in large areas.
Just like when collecting leaves, the lawn vacuum that you go with depends on the size of your yard and the number of acorns you want to collect.
Tips to consider when using the lawn vacuum
Whether you are looking to collect leaves or acorns from the yard, you need to consider a number of tips for you to get the best results from the machine. Some of the tips to consider include:
While the units are quieter than leaf blowers, they make a substantial amount of noise; therefore, you should remember to wear some form of ear protection.
You can wear earplugs or earmuffs that will protect you from noise pollution.
When it comes to the areas you are using the machine, ensure that the path is clear of any large pieces of debris.
This means that it should be clear of branches and rocks.
For the best suction, position the intake hose as close to the ground as much as possible. The only time you should raise the hose is when you are working over bumpy areas.
This is to protect the machine from bumping against the ground.
Even after getting rid of the large rocks and branches, be cautious of how you maneuver the yard vacuum around the yard. The best way of doing it is by using straight and circular passes.
You should avoid using the lawn vacuum in the rain. Also, avoid picking up soaked leaves or acorns.
This is because this tends to make the work of the machine difficult as a result, the machine consumes a lot of energy.
You should note that the lawn vacuums come with different nozzles or attachments. They are designed to help you move into tight spaces and collect materials of different sizes.
For you to be on the safe side, always ensure that you are using the right nozzles or attachments.
This calls for you to use the right nozzle for leaves and if collecting acorns use one that is ideal for acorns.
Once the collection bag has filled up, you should go ahead and empty it.
In most cases, the emptying work is a work of two people; therefore, you should avoid doing it by yourself as you will most likely end up hurting yourself or spilling the waste and you will do double work.
Keep a rake in place
While lawn vacuums are effective in their working, you should note that they don’t help with lawn aeration. Due to this, you should always have a rake in place.
After you have collected acorns or leaves, you should use the rake to break up lawn thatch that tends to build up, making it hard for the lawn to breathe and stay healthy.
You can also use the rake to remove acorns and leaves in tight places.
