Secret to Save Money by Using a Special Vacuum

Everybody needs a vacuum. The vacuum helps keep us clean and free from disease. The vacuum even helps to keep the air that we breath cleaner. I say God bless the person who invented that wonderful tool!

It used to be, years ago, considered a cheap thing to take your car to a car wash. Even going to a professional car wash where they wash and clean your car for you, was cheap. We all know that the times have changed, and to most people its not cheap anymore.

A Thing of The Past

Thats sad isn't it. You take your vehicle to a professional car wash, where you wait while they do the work, and you're going to spend anywhere between $10 to $30 bucks and even higher not including tips, depending on the side of town it's located in.




Even the coin operated ones you're looking at spending no less than $10 dollars to do it your self. Oh, and I've been to those kind to. The car wash with the pretty girls standing on the street corner saying "free car wash" turn in here.

Well those are not free either. They expect a "donation" to help with their cause. I'm going to help you save money by showing you a secret trick, if you will, with the best vacuum, that you can knock out 2 birds with one stone.  But, you need to have this power tool to do it with.

The special vacuum power tool you need is the leaf blower. Thats right, most leaf blowers can be converted into a vacuum. Not only can it be used to blow your leaves, but it can also be used as a leaf vacuum.

What you're going to do with the leaf blower is use it to help clean your car. The two ways you'll do this are these...

• Blow Out

• And Suck Up

Sounds almost obscene doesn't it. If you're one who likes to keep his/her automobile clean then you'll love this.

Congratulate Your Self!

First of all, use your favorite car wash soap and wash your vehicle clean. After rinsing it off, don't get your usual towel to dry off your car or truck. Use your leaf blower to dry it for you. A bit of money saved there. Pat yourself on the back!

Now time to clean out the inside of that vehicle. But first you must convert the leaf blower into a vacuum. How do you do that?

To illustrate for you, I'll use the Makita Leaf Blower that I reviewed here on the site. Since I already have the schematics, it will work nicely as an example. However these steps should be equally useful for most leaf blowers.

The schematic illustrations are on the right there. First: make sure the engine is shut off. Then -

• Remove the Assembly Blower Pipes

Second:

• Remove the screw holding the Fan Protector

• Remove the Protector

Third:

• Install the Vacuum Pipe

• Make sure the indicator on the Pipe lines up with the indicator on the fan motor housing

• Turn the Vacuum Pipe clockwise to lock it into place

Fourth:

• Install the Elbow Pipe and shoulder held Dust Collector Bag

1.) Open the fastener of the dust bag

2.) Insert the elbow into the dust bag and
     push it out through bag’s entry

3.) Install the elbow on the blower.
    Turning it counterclockwise to lock it on


There you have it. Pretty easy huh! Now, fire up your leaf blower vacuum and clean the inside of your vehicle. Then, pat yourself on the back the second time because you just saved yourself anywhere from $10 to $30 bucks or more by not going to a pay car wash!

Not to mention, this power tool even saved you a little bit of elbow grease as well.

To Sum It all Up

The leaf blower could very well be the best
tool in your garage. Bar none. It is a versatile
useful tool. With many uses. Just use your imagination.

If you don't have one of these versatile tools, but you'd like to get in on the money saving action, read my review of the Makita 4 Stroke Gas Powered CARB Compliant Leaf Blower. You'll see that one is the best quality blower for the least amount of money.

Heck, you'll even save money on that purchase. Thats how you roll!

Thanks for coming by...

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An Effective Method to Cleaning Your Gutters

Gutters are hard to keep clean. No matter even if you have gutter guards installed, they seem to always get dirt and debree into them. Although there are some good gutter cleaning tools available today.

Mostly, even if you have some sort of gutter guard there will always be leaves, sticks from trees, and shingle grit deposited in your gutters. This debree should be cleaned out of your gutters at least once a year.

Doing this will help you maintain a proper flow of rain water to your downspouts. Upon neglecting to accomplish this will result in the gutters and downspouts becoming clogged. This results in heaviness over time to the gutters.

Then what happens is the gutter nails will begin to pull out of their holes and the gutters begin to get bent out of shape. Sometimes even falling off the house. Making the job even harder.




Not to mention the rainwater will be overflowing instead of going down the downspouts like it should. Basically you have a mess on your hands.

There is Hope

In our article today, I will tell you an effective method to cleaning your gutters. And it's not the usual way your probably thinking. Let me tell you how I used to do it and probably how you did to. First let me say that our new way will work quite inexpensively.

In fact, if you have one of these gutter cleaning tools already, then you have it made!

Now, like most everybody else, when I cleaned my gutters I always got the ladder out to get on the roof. Then dragged my garden hose up there with me and wasted a lot of water cleaning my gutters and downspouts out.

My Problem

I learned the hard way. I always waited for 2 or 3 years to do it. Well you know, I'd be up there cussing and crying because it was a mess. Now, we git-r-done every year. It saves on the idle words, you know.

Today I have an effective way to do it for you that will save you a lot of money on the amount of water you use every time you do it that way. Like everything else, water is getting expensive and we need a better, less expensive way to get it done.

If you have this tool in your arsenal use it instead. What is it? Your Leaf Blower! Yes, if you have a good strong leaf blower, it will do the job quite nicely. But theres another problem. (If you can do this without getting up on your roof, this is the safest way.)




Do Not Forget Safety

The leaf blower is a bit heavier and carries some torque to it. That presents a problem while up there on the roof. Let us talk about the safety aspect of this now.

First of all depending on the pitch of your roof, you should make sure your ladder is tied off to the roof. See my Ladder Safety article here for more on that. This will make sure when your carrying the blower up with you that the ladder remains stable.

If your roof is at a 45 degree pitch it may behoove you to nail down a 2 by 4 to help with your balance. Balance is critical because of the torque of the leaf blower, and being so close to the edge of the roof.

Getting It done

If its been quite some time since you last cleaned your gutters, you may have very clogged downspouts. In this case you will need to use the water hose for that. To loosen up the debree and get them freed up.

Also it will help you to use a broom to loosen up the debree in the gutters before doing the blow out. First if you have anything like mesh gutter guards over the gutters you'll need to remove those.

They are easily removed as they are just tucked under the roof shingles and hanging over the gutters. If you have the plastic guards, these are just snapped on to the gutters and are also easily removed.

After removing these and loosening up the debree, simply use your leaf blower to do the rest of the work. Completely blowing the gutters clean. Congratulations! You have just saved yourself a bunch of money on the cost of water and received just as good a result.

The only other thing I'd add to this project is to be sure that if you have to nail down a 2 by 4 for balance and safety, be sure to move it down the length of the roof as you go along. Re-nailing it each time.

I know it's a bit more work to do, but I don't want to see anybody fall off their roof and get seriously hurt or maybe even killed, just to get their gutters clean.
So be careful!!

In Conclusion

That is a very effective method and inexpensive way to clean your gutters, making sure that the rain water always flows freely off your roof. Not to mention, another good use for that wonderful tool you have called a Leaf Blower.

If you would like to save money on your water bill or the money you would spend by calling outside forces to do the job for you, but you don't have that wonderful tool called a Leaf Blower, your in luck.

Check out my review of a very good quality Makita Leaf Blower, with more than enough power to get your gutter cleaning job done safely, for years to come, right here. You can even purchase yours right through the Review.

Thanks for coming by...

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Schedule to Keep Makita Blower Engine Clean

It is imperative to clean and maintain your tools in an orderly fashion. If you want your tools to work well and give you good service for many years, you should do this regularly. This prevents corrosion an premature break downs.

Especially where power tools are concerned. Any gas powered or tools with small engines, need to be inspected and cleaned and maintained at regular intervals. Not only for good continuous operating performance, but also for safety purposes.

This article will specifically focus on how to clean and maintain your Makita Gas Powered Leaf Blower. Focusing primarily on my reviewed product of the Makita model BHX2500CA Gas Powered 4-stroke CARB Compliant Blower. However, these procedures can be great reminders for all small engines as well.

If you purchase this fine model blower, it would be of benefit for you to come back to this website and print this article off and staple it to your garage or shed wall. That way you'll always have these points right in front of you to help remind you and guide you in the maintaining of your Makita Blower.




Let's Get Started

For the Makita Blower there are 4 primary things that need to be done regularly.
Those things are...

• Changing the Engine Oil

• Inspecting and Cleaning the Air Filter

• Checking and Changing the Spark Plug (if needed)

• Cleaning the Fuel Filter & Replacement (if needed)

When you purchase your blower and its brand new, the first recommended time for change of the oil is after the first 20 hours of operation. You should use SAE 10W-30 weight oil. The same you would use for your automobile, as it is a 4- stroke motor. Here are the procedures for that:

• Confirm that the gas tank cap is tightened securely

• Loosen and remove the oil cap

• Tilt the engine to the blower port side and drain

• Stand the engine back up vertically

• Refill oil

Make sure to snuggly tighten the oil cap as it contains the oil gauge. The next oil change and all subsequent changes should be every 50 hours of operation. Also use an appropriate container to drain the oil into. Next up is the Air Filter. You should inspect and clean the filter every 10 hours of operation. These are the procedures:

• Remove the air cleaner cover bolts

• Pull the lower side of the cover and detach it

• Make sure to turn the choke lever to the full close side

• Inspect the filter element, it should be clean with a slight oil film to it

For heavy oil contamination and dirt, clean with gasoline. As gasoline is a hydro-carbon and will cut through the oil acting as a degreaser. After cleaning the element, let it dry, and place a small amount of clean oil, about 2-3 drops, and work it in to the element with your hands. Leaving a small film of clean oil in the element. Continue on...

• Clean the element felt with gasoline if needed

• Clean the air filter cover

• Attach the cleaner cover and tighten with the bolts

• When remounting place the upper claw first then the lower claw

Next check the Spark Plug of the motor. The spark plug should be checked about every 100 hours of operation. The procedure is as follows:

• Locate the plug cover

When opening the cover, apply fingers to the main handle and plug cover projection. Push up the projection and slide the cover in the “OPEN” direction.

• Remove the spark plug using the box wrench that came with your tool kit

• Check the electrode of the plug

Check the gap between the electrodes with a spark plug gap tool. The gap should be between 0.7 - 0.8mm. Adjust if necessary. If there is heavy contamination of the electrodes, then replace it with NGK-CMR6A or equivalent. Otherwise...

• Re-install the plug and snug it down with your box wrench

When closing the cover, slide the cover in the “CLOSE” direction till the click under the plug cover projection rides over the engine cover. Finally, push in the projection. Next check the Fuel filter and clean or replace if necessary. This should be done about every 10 tanks of gasoline. These are the procedures:

• Remove the fuel tank cap, drain the fuel to empty the tank

• Check the tank inside for any foreign materials. If any, make sure to clean these out

• Pull out the fuel filter with wire through the oil filling port

• If the fuel filter surface is contaminated, clean it with gasoline

• Reset the fuel filter in the fuel tank and tighten the fuel tank cap firmly

A clogged oil filter may cause difficulty of startup or failure of engine speed increase. Make sure you perform this as it is important. Now, here also is the proper way to store your Makita Blower for the winter months and beyond.

This is commonly called "winterizing." This should be done whenever you're storing any small engine for a long period of time without use. Start the winterizing by removing all the gasoline from the engine. Remove the fuel filter by the earlier instructions. Push the primer pump until all gas is removed from there. Reset the fuel filter in the tank and tighten the cap. Try to start the engine up. If it starts, let it run until it stops.

Remove the Spark Plug per the earlier instructions. Place about 5 drops of clean oil into the cylinder. Gently pull the starter handle about 3 times so the oil will spread around the cylinder walls. Re-install the spark plug and store your Makita Blower in a dry place. Your good to go!

The Wrap

I know this is a hard schedule to keep up with. But, I promise you, that if you keep as close to it as possible, your Makita Leaf Blower will last you many, many years beyond what you thought possible. I hope that this article is of benefit to you.

Thanks for coming by...

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Leaf Blower Reviews: My Review of the Makita 4-Stroke Gas Powered Leaf Blower

Today Makita is a top of the line tool company. The Makita Tools company has every kind of tool just about that you can think of. Power tools are their specialty. Here it is August already and its hard to believe that in just a couple of weeks the swimming pools will be closed again for another year.

Seems like summer just started yesterday. As they say when you get older, "time flys". And it's true! Since in just 6 weeks we'll be entering the fall time of year, I felt a good product for review that is usable by everyone would be a leaf blower.

Everybody has trees and raking leaves is no fun. In fact its work. Depending on how many trees you have and how large your property is tells you how much that work will be.

The leaf blower is a valuable tool for both the home owner and the commercial landscaper as well. As for how my criteria for reviews goes, I looked at many different makes of leaf blowers. For you, what I look for is quality, yet in a price range affordable for everyone.




Now, there are many price ranges for leaf blowers and types. The primary types
are:

• Electric Powered

• Gas Powered

• And Back Pack style

After searching through many of these types, I decided the best quality leaf blower for the money is the Makita BHX2500CA Commercial Grade 4-Stroke 24.5cc Handheld Blower (CARB Compliant).

This blower is very powerful and is a 4-stroke, so theres no need to add oil. As with a 2-stroke motor. This was an attractive feature to me and I believe it will be for you also.  So without any further rumblings, lets see what this puppy's made of....

A Quality Feature

The first thing you notice about the Makita leaf blower is that its CARB Compliant. Let's talk a little about what CARB Compliant is. CARB Compliant has to do with Emissions Requirement.  Like the emissions control on your car or truck.

CARB Compliant stands for the "California Air Resources Board." Which approved Tier III evaporative and exhaust emission regulations for small engines, less than 19 kW, on September 20, 2004. The regulations became effective on October 20, 2004.

This equates to a quality feature of this model of leaf blower engine. Not all Makita models have this technology. In fact not all leaf blowers, the gas powered type, have this technology from other manufacturers as well.

This makes the Makita Model BHX2500CA more attractive as per our quality criteria for this review.

Makita BHX2500CA Description

The Makita Leaf Blower has a cleaner-burning 4-stroke motor which means you don't ever have to mix oil with the gasoline any more. As opposed to the older 2-stroke technology, where you had to mix a 1:1 ratio of oil to gas before you could even use it.

The older 2-stroke engines give off way more emissions which is why they hardly will pass the CARB compliant requirements. This Makita model has the lowest weight in it's class for a 4-stroke, with more efficient performance.

Good for Your Home or Your Business

This Makita is engineered to be the best leaf blower in it's class, for your home or commercial projects. With it's 4-stroke, cleaner burning engine, Makita has shown it's commitment to innovative technology and engineering.

This is a very good quality unit, but you haven't seen the warranty yet. We'll get to that goodness in a bit.

Motor Features

• Performance

The Makita BHX2500CA leaf blower boasts a powerful 24.5cc 4-stroke (as mentioned) motor capable of blowing air at speeds of 145 mph, with a maximum air volume (cfm) of 356. Folks, if you know anything about wind speed, this equates to hurricane and tornado force air blowing out of the nozzle of this thing. What does that mean to you? Simply, easier work in the fall!

• Capacity

It has a large 17.6 oz fuel tank for longer runs around your yard before needing re-fueled. The fuel tank has easy access built on the right side of the motor. Just fuel up and git-r-done.

• Efficiency

One of the nice features of the motor for this leaf blower is its low compression which makes for easier starting and improved design and, most important to you, making the Makita BHX2500CA very quiet at just 67 (dB(A)). Thats way less than what you listen to your music at I bet.

• Versatility

At just 9.8 lbs weight, this Makita tools leaf blower is light enough to be moved in any direction. And as mentioned earlier with improved EPA standards all at the same time maintaining maximum performance standards. This Makita is a joy to own for your home or business.

More Attractiveness




One of the most important characteristics of this leaf blower is that it has a soft grip for less vibration, and a convenient cruise control lever for reduced operator fatigue. This is important because of comfortability.

And because it weighs just 9.8 lbs, the soft grip allows it to be carried for longer periods without having to change hands. Very nice!

Also in terms of maintenance, it has a dual stage air filter that is replaceable and easily accessible. This is important for maximum engine performance.

That Nozzle Thingy

Yeah, the part where the air comes out at. It has about a 2.5 foot re-enforced plastic, tappered nozzle. Coupled with the 145 mph force of air blowing outward creates almost jet powered force, will blow your leaves to not only where you want them but put them in a nice pile as well, in a matter of seconds.

Again making your job in the fall much, much easier. Which is what your looking for in a blower. Even moderately wet leaves can be blown with way more ease than raking them. This is a powerful benefit for you.

The Absolute Specs

• Engine Displacement (cc) 24.5

• Power (hp) 1.1

• Max Air Volume (cfm) 356

• Max Air Speed (mph) 145

• Fuel Automobile Gasoline

• Fuel Tank Capacity (oz.) 17.6

• Sound Pressure (dB(A)) 67

• Dry Weight (lbs.) 9.8

• Shipping Weight (lbs.) 13.0

So What comes in the Box when I Receive It?

• Makita BHX2500CA 24.5 cc 4-Stroke Blower

• Long nozzle

• Round End Nozzle

• And Tool Kit.

Ok, thats all cool and all, but I want to see some Pro's and Con's? I knew you'd ask!


The User Pro's

• Don't be fooled by the 145 MPH air speed from this tool. I thought it was going to be underpowered. But most leaf blowing tasks can be done at idle or 1/4 throttle. You can even blow away pesky cobwebs off windows and dry your car.

• I ordered this to replace my 2 stroke leaf blower. When I heard these leaf blowers were available in four cycle I knew that is exactly what I wanted. For $199.00 I can tell you to buy this leaf blower.

Now some User Con's

• Although this is the cheapest 4-stroke blower you can buy, I'm afraid you get what you pay for. Mine has always been extremely difficult to start, and with use only became more so.

Sounds to me like this poor fellow just didn't take the time to read the manual before using it. Especially if it was his first one.....to bad.

These were taken from users at Amazon. You can read more of them there for yourself. Click here.


Ok, alright, How about a Warranty? Doe's it have one? Oh boy, does it ever!

• Every Makita 4-Stroke Product and Chain Saw is backed by Makita's 3-Year Warranty that covers repair due to defects in materials or workmanship up to three years from the date of original purchase.

Ya think ole boy up there that had some bad luck with his, was able to get his money back or get a new one? I think so. No problem...


How Much Should I Expect to Pay for One?

Right now, (as of the time of this writing)Amazon has the best price for one of these awesome leaf blowers. At just $199.00, you get all that you see above that comes in the box and the warranty. Great for a good quality 4-stroke blower.

And don't let me forget, as always at Amazon, there is Free Shipping. So couple the price, the outstanding warranty, and the Free Shipping together and what do you have? Simple, if you need or want a leaf blower, you have a no-brainer deal here.


Where's the Best Place to Buy One?

Well at Amazon this cool Makita Tools leaf blower has a 4.5 star rating. As well as they seem to have the best price going, I would say at Amazon. Click Here to see it and get yourself one today.


You can't go wrong with Makita Tools. Thats why I picked them over Stihl or some of the other brand names for this review.  It's top quality stuff. Only difference is the massive difference in price you'll pay for a Stihl verses the same quality here in a Makita. Check it and see, you see what I'm talking about!

Thanks for coming by...

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Grand Re-Opening Celebration!! Free Giveaway!!

Hello and Welcome to the Brand New, totally re-created, completely overhauled Kevin's Professional Product Reviews WEBlogsite!!

This brand new website is 110% more aesthetic, better flexibility, and way more interactive then the last site we had. That is if you've been here before and can remember what the old one looked like.




I'm particularly proud of the way better interactivity of the site as I'm sure your finding out. Pretty cool! As well as the greater professionalism it gives off in terms of its looks and operation.

Some of the coolest features are the "featured post slider" that features 5 of my most popular articles for you to choose from. The tabbed easy access "Popular, Tags, and Archives" feature. Making it easier to navigate the site without having to scroll so much through the site.

The home page Recent and Popular post "Summaries" list, again with greater flexibility for finding articles that interest you. The greater flexibility of the Menu's, which is something we never had in the last version of the site.

As you can tell I'm very excited about the new Blog and its abilities. Truly I'm amazed that I've been able to do this transformation in about 72 hours. I had originally posted that it would be 5 - 7 days to re-create the site.

I took the site offline on Tuesday night the 2nd of August. As of this writing it's now 1:15am Saturday the 6th and I'm at about 31 hours awake now. It's starting to catch up to me....;) But I've been so excited about this project that I could hardly sleep anyway....so what the heck....:)

I know some of you have been clicking my links and have been getting that message "this blog has been set to private", well now you know why, if you didn't see my "Announcement" post on July 23rd, about it. The wait is over and we're back online better and greater than ever!




To celebrate this Grand Re-Opening of the New Site, I wanted to give something of value away for free to my visitors in Celebration. For the next 2 weeks I will have up for download a "marketing ebook" that is partly responsible for my site jump from a Google Page Rank of "0" to "2" in just over 5 months! Not bad.

Note: (8/23/2011) Our Grand Re-Opening Celebration has ended. I hope that most of you that were here for the old site have enjoyed this new site as much as I do. I enjoyed creating it for you. Here is a shot of the old site, just with my mug in there though --->

I have removed the Marketing Ebook free giveaway from the menu. However if you would still like to have a copy of it you can do so. It's still on Google Docs and available - Click here.

I know that if you have a website or blog that, this book will be of great value to you, as well as it was to me. Anybody, thinking of starting your own website or blog this will be of great value to you as well. To get your free "Marketing Ebook" just go to the "Get My Marketing Ebook" button on the menu and click the drop down menu to receive it.

The link will take you to Google Docs site where you can read it and/or save a copy of it to your hard drive.

Thank you again for your visits and your continued patronage, and welcome to your new site. I created it for your enjoyment, so thats what I hope you do -
Enjoy!!

Thanks for coming by...

Kev
Owner/Webmaster
Kevin's Professional Product Reviews

P.S.: Look for new Reviews and Articles coming very soon.

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Our Comment Policy Terms

Revision 8/12/11

I notice that some have opted to include a backlink to their website in the body of their comments. Let me say that when you do that, there is no benefit to you in the search engines. Why? Because Blogger attaches a "rel="nofollow" tag to it. I have no control over that. It is already set in their API script.

However, I do have control over everything else concerning this blog. Other than in the comments body, this blog is set to "do-follow". If you want the full benefit of the search engines ranking help from this blog, simply exchange links with this blog in the Links and Resources page located on the menu or right here. Then you're good to go!

But, suppose you choose not to exchange links with the blog. But you still want the search engine ranking benefit of this blog. Well, you can still have a backlink. Here is how you do that - In the name field use this structure, for example: Tom or Sir-name,(comma)Company Name as your link. Or, Tom or Sir-name@Company Name as your link. Or just your Name or Sir-name as your link.

These are the only acceptable formats for backlinks to your blog/website.

Even better is to take advantage of both the comment name link and the permanent link exchange in our Links and Resources page.

The new policy for comments is as follows

1.) All comments must be related to the post.

2.) All comments must give value to the post and to the reader as well.

3.) All comments should say at least a few more words other than "nice post", or "great post thanks". Give a little heart to the comment, it'll make you feel better and you'll feel like you contributed to the website. Simply speaking, I covet your knowledge and conversation.

4.) Any comments or backlink structure not meeting the above, at my discretion will be removed.


Thanks for coming by...

Kev


Note: Webmaster reserves the right to change any of these policies and terms at any time.


Revised 1: August 9, 2011
Revised 2: August 12,2011

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