I can’t imagine that clearing snow is a task many people enjoy.
It is cold, it is time-consuming and it is annoying if you need to be somewhere or just want to be in the warm!
Is there a cheat you can use to speed the process up?
Well yes and no…
And that is what we are addressing in today’s blog. We are going to look at whether you can use an electric leaf blower to clear snow.
Without further ado, let’s get started…
Can You Use An Electric Leaf Blower To Clear Snow?
Most electric leaf blowers will be capable of clearing up to around 10cms (4 inches) of light and powdery snow without too much of a problem. They will struggle with anything above this, and also shouldn’t be relied on for clearing any amount of wet and heavy snow, even if it is just an inch or so.
Yes You Can, But No You Can’t
The good news is you can use an electric leaf blower to clear snow.
The bad news is you can’t use an electric leaf blower to clear snow.
Erm what?
Ok let’s be a bit more specific.
You can use an electric leaf blower to clear light, powdery snow.
It won’t be any good at clearing heavy, wet snow.
Whether you are using a battery-powered leaf blower, or a corded leaf blower if the snow you get is light and fluffy and less than around 10cm (4 inches), it should be able to clear it quickly and easily.
Of the two, a battery-powered leaf blower is more convenient to use, giving you much more freedom of use. However you only have limited runtime, and that will be reduced further in the cold weather.
Obviously with a corded blower whilst you have unlimited runtime, you are restricted by the cord. This can also make it more hazardous in snowy and damp conditions.
Using a leaf blower to clear snow is particularly useful if you have a lot of corners and stairs to deal with.
You can even get leaf blower snow shovel attachments, although I cannot vouch for how good they are.
Once snow builds up to over 10cm (4 inches) or so, then an electric leaf blower just won’t have the power to move it.
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And if there is any amount of snow that is heavy and wet, or has refrozen or fallen mixed with ice, then sorry but a leaf blower will not work.
But to quickly clear a light powdery dusting on your drive or to blow off the car or sidewalks it will work just fine.
If you are doubting my word, here are a few quotes I found when I was researching the subject:
“If you get lake effect/heavy wet snow, obviously won’t work. But if you get powder, any leaf blower will do.”
“It works great if there’s less than say 5cm of snow and it’s not heavy wet stuff.”
Using an electric leaf blower to clear light snow-covered sidewalks and steps is actually quite effective.”
“I have a 170 CFM leaf blower that does my whole back yard/driveway/ front sidewalks on one charge and it works perfectly fine if its powder or not too thick of layers.”
So in short:
- An electric leaf blower will clear light, fluffy snow up to and around 10cm (4 inches).
- An electric leaf blower will not clear snow of any depth that is wet and heavy.
- Battery-powered leaf blowers are safer and offer much more freedom of use, but cold weather might affect their run time.
- If you are using a corded leaf blower to clear snow, be careful in the damp and wet.
Will Any Electric Snow Blower Work?
Within reason, then yes.
But like anything some electric snow blowers are better than others, and this is the case whether you are using them to blow snow or blow leaves.
There are some brands that have great reputations when it comes to electric leaf blowers.
EGO is one of these companies and the EGO Power+ LB5302 leaf blower can most definitely do a job clearing snow.
It has a lot of power and you can fine-tune the speed on the fly, it is pretty quiet too, considering how powerful it is.
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Milwaukee is another company with a devoted following, and we touched on just how good the Milwaukee M18 Fuel Blower is when we looked at whether Milwaukee makes a snow blower.
It is light and easy to carry, has variable speed levels, and at the highest speed is a veritable hurricane. This will clear light snow without issue.
Another reasonably priced electric snow blower that can kick powdery snow’s butt is the Ryobi One+.
It is a breeze to use, and light, strong and powerful.
I’ve put together a roundup of the best leaf blowers on the market if you need a helping hand.
There are a lot of good leaf blowers out there, capable of shifting small amounts of snow, so do your research on warranties, power, weight and accessories and you will struggle to go wrong!
What Is the Alternative?
Of course, there are gas-powered leaf blowers on the market, these are much more powerful, but also louder, worse for the environment and more expensive.
In fact, if you are looking for something to clear snow, then for the amount you spend on a high-quality gas powered leaf blower you might as well get a fully-fledged snow blower.
If you want a hand we have also looked at the best two-stage snow blowers and the best single-stage snow blowers available.
If you are looking for something just to clear small amounts of snow, then the most obvious alternative is a shovel.
You can buy dedicated shovels that have been made specially to clear snow.
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Some people love being out in the fresh air and the exercise shoveling snow brings. Some people hate the hard work and the risk of injuring their back.
When done correctly, shoveling snow is good for you.
You can even buy electric snow shovels these days. These fall somewhere between a standard snow shovel and a snow blower.
They are lighter and easier to move than a snow blower, and you simply push them into the snow, and then it throws the snow away.
They are more expensive than shovels, but less expensive than snow blowers and are good for removing small amounts of snow quickly.
So if you get light snowfalls during the winter you have the choice of using:
- A leaf blower: A quick and easy way of removing powdery snow, but won’t remove heavy, wet snow.
- A dedicated snow blower: Designed specifically to clear snow, but might be unnecessary if you only get light snowfalls each year.
- A shovel: Cheap and a good workout, but there is the risk of injury and it will probably take longer.
- An electric snow shovel: A hybrid of a shovel and snow blower, takes the best of both, but won’t work in areas of heavy snow.
It is up to you.
Final Thoughts
Yes you most definitely can use an electric leaf blower to clear snow, but you must be aware of their limitations.
A leaf blower will work just fine on light, powdery snow that doesn’t exceed around 10cm (4 inches), but anything above that it will struggle.
And any amount of wet and heavy snow, even if it is just a centimeter or so, then I wouldn’t rely on an electric leaf blower to clear that.
Of course, there are other alternatives when it comes to snow clearing, but if you don’t get lots of snow each winter, and you want something that can also give you hand-clearing leaves in the autumn, then an electric snow blower might be the way to blow!
I mean, go!