How do I snowblow my driveway?
September 4, 2024 4:24 PM Subscribe
I've never snowblown a driveway before, only shoveled. I just was given an old but fine snowblower, pictured here. What is the best pathing given the layout and challenges detailed inside? Any other snowblower tips?
My driveway is very very long, and it is bordered on one side by my house for 2/3 of it and on the other side by a fence for half of it and then the neighbor's driveway for the other half. Here is an illustration. Due to melt drainage issues into my basement if I pile it against my house, it's best for me to pile snow against the neighbor's fence, in my patio, or in my yard. For all left/right/up/down directions, please pretend I am standing in the garage facing toward my yard/the street. So the fence would be to my right, the house to my left, the street straight ahead, etc.
My driveway is very very long, and it is bordered on one side by my house for 2/3 of it and on the other side by a fence for half of it and then the neighbor's driveway for the other half. Here is an illustration. Due to melt drainage issues into my basement if I pile it against my house, it's best for me to pile snow against the neighbor's fence, in my patio, or in my yard. For all left/right/up/down directions, please pretend I am standing in the garage facing toward my yard/the street. So the fence would be to my right, the house to my left, the street straight ahead, etc.
Silicon spray your "rotating blade" before you start. Helps greatly in keeping the snow to not stick to blade.
posted by Czjewel at 6:01 PM on September 4 [2 favorites]
posted by Czjewel at 6:01 PM on September 4 [2 favorites]
Buy and wear a welder's mask. High wind blowing snow into your face will surely wake you up but is not fun.
Clear about 15 feet x two swipes to the left of your road, as you face it, to limit the amount of snow that the plows deposit as a ridge at the bottom of your driveway when they come by.
posted by yclipse at 4:18 AM on September 5
Clear about 15 feet x two swipes to the left of your road, as you face it, to limit the amount of snow that the plows deposit as a ridge at the bottom of your driveway when they come by.
posted by yclipse at 4:18 AM on September 5
A lot depends on how far the machine will blow the snow, and that depends on the characteristics of the snow. Wet snow is harder to blow than cold dry snow.
Also, a warning to a beginner. ..If a blower gets jammed, say by catching a branch or newspaper hidden in the snow, it can be dangerous even with the engine off. Energy can be stored like a coiled spring. Never put you hand hear the blades to clear a jam. Find a long-handled tool.
posted by SemiSalt at 4:57 AM on September 5 [3 favorites]
Also, a warning to a beginner. ..If a blower gets jammed, say by catching a branch or newspaper hidden in the snow, it can be dangerous even with the engine off. Energy can be stored like a coiled spring. Never put you hand hear the blades to clear a jam. Find a long-handled tool.
posted by SemiSalt at 4:57 AM on September 5 [3 favorites]
The key to snowblowing is to not blow snow into where you've already done -- you need to plan so you are always pushing the snow away from where you're working, to where you want the snow to pile up. It's harder to do than you think if you're going back and forth and turning around. Use the spray-director very surgically to make sure the snow is going someplace where you want it to go. Right now, go put a bunch of grease in the moving parts of the spray-director so that you can spin it with very little effort.
My solution is the same as past unusual - start at the garage, blowing the snow onto the driveway where you haven't blown out, moving it towards the street until you can blow it into a pile in your front yard. It's OK to blow the same snow more than once.
Snow is heavy and will continue to build up over the winter, I wouldn't put it against the neighbor's fence or they might hold you responsible for fixing the fence in the spring. When spring comes, too, all that snow will start melting and the further 'uphill' it is the further the water has to go to get to the street, so it may still find its way into your house if you pile it on the patio or by the fence.
Does the neighbor whose driveway abuts yours have a snowblower? If you want to be nice to them, plan on using your snowblower to clean up the 'ridge' left by the local snowplows for both yourself and your neighbor's driveway if they don't have a snowblower. It'll be short work it make the snowblower do the heavy lifting versus a person with a shovel. Also, don't blow your snow into their driveway, even if they have a snowblower, be surgical about where you're putting the snow. And don't blow it onto people's cars, it gets packed on their harder than regular snowfall and is a pain to get off when you need to drive somewhere.
posted by AzraelBrown at 7:09 AM on September 5
My solution is the same as past unusual - start at the garage, blowing the snow onto the driveway where you haven't blown out, moving it towards the street until you can blow it into a pile in your front yard. It's OK to blow the same snow more than once.
Snow is heavy and will continue to build up over the winter, I wouldn't put it against the neighbor's fence or they might hold you responsible for fixing the fence in the spring. When spring comes, too, all that snow will start melting and the further 'uphill' it is the further the water has to go to get to the street, so it may still find its way into your house if you pile it on the patio or by the fence.
Does the neighbor whose driveway abuts yours have a snowblower? If you want to be nice to them, plan on using your snowblower to clean up the 'ridge' left by the local snowplows for both yourself and your neighbor's driveway if they don't have a snowblower. It'll be short work it make the snowblower do the heavy lifting versus a person with a shovel. Also, don't blow your snow into their driveway, even if they have a snowblower, be surgical about where you're putting the snow. And don't blow it onto people's cars, it gets packed on their harder than regular snowfall and is a pain to get off when you need to drive somewhere.
posted by AzraelBrown at 7:09 AM on September 5
The key to snowblowing is to not blow snow into where you've already done
This is highly dependent on the snow. If you are somewhere that gets a lot of snow, or very heavy wet snow, you may need to clear an area, then blow another area into the clear and blow it out from there. This is the case for the end of my driveway; I clear the rest of the driveway first, then have to clear the end into small parts into the cleared area before sending it into the yard.
Looking at your plan, I might clear the street end into your yard, then the garage end into the yard via the clear area. That snowblower looks okay for light to medium snow. What I get in central Massachusetts would just laugh at me if I used it here.
posted by neilbert at 10:20 AM on September 5
This is highly dependent on the snow. If you are somewhere that gets a lot of snow, or very heavy wet snow, you may need to clear an area, then blow another area into the clear and blow it out from there. This is the case for the end of my driveway; I clear the rest of the driveway first, then have to clear the end into small parts into the cleared area before sending it into the yard.
Looking at your plan, I might clear the street end into your yard, then the garage end into the yard via the clear area. That snowblower looks okay for light to medium snow. What I get in central Massachusetts would just laugh at me if I used it here.
posted by neilbert at 10:20 AM on September 5
Earlier answers seem good regarding where to move the snow. My tips have to do with equipment, timing and temperatures.
I have employed a wide arsenal of equipment in snow removal. Depending on the snow load and conditions I have used wide stiff bristled "shop" brooms, various scrapers and shovels, and snowblowers from small to large multi-stage ones and even a "pre-salting" to minimize the need to remove snow at all. The shop brooms can be very effective in slushy conditions where blowers bog down.
As mentioned above - having proper protective gear is absolutely essential and especially in higher wind conditions. Balaclavas or other face covering masks, ski goggles, layered clothing and working in short shifts with breaks in between are helpful
If much snow is forecast, consider removing it in stages. I've dealt with 29 inches of the fluffier stuff coming down over 26 hours by making several rounds with the snowblower at intervals during the storm.
Intellicast/Weather Underground and other have excellent radar portrayals of storm and precipitation tracks. Paying attention to when the heaviest snowfalls are anticipated and temps during and following can help with strategically moving your snow.
For example in the Midwest I am most experienced with (IL/Chicago) the greatest accumulations are when temperatures hover around 32 degrees. Temps at or slightly above that produce a very heavy, wet snow.
If temperatures drop below 32, the snow will tend to be lighter and fluffier.
If the weather pattern shows lots of snow coming at 32 degrees, followed by a plunge into much colder temps, I would remove some of the snow before it quits falling. Once wet, heavy snow freezes, it is usually past the show blower stage and into the ice chopping stage.
posted by tronec at 5:56 PM on September 5
I have employed a wide arsenal of equipment in snow removal. Depending on the snow load and conditions I have used wide stiff bristled "shop" brooms, various scrapers and shovels, and snowblowers from small to large multi-stage ones and even a "pre-salting" to minimize the need to remove snow at all. The shop brooms can be very effective in slushy conditions where blowers bog down.
As mentioned above - having proper protective gear is absolutely essential and especially in higher wind conditions. Balaclavas or other face covering masks, ski goggles, layered clothing and working in short shifts with breaks in between are helpful
If much snow is forecast, consider removing it in stages. I've dealt with 29 inches of the fluffier stuff coming down over 26 hours by making several rounds with the snowblower at intervals during the storm.
Intellicast/Weather Underground and other have excellent radar portrayals of storm and precipitation tracks. Paying attention to when the heaviest snowfalls are anticipated and temps during and following can help with strategically moving your snow.
For example in the Midwest I am most experienced with (IL/Chicago) the greatest accumulations are when temperatures hover around 32 degrees. Temps at or slightly above that produce a very heavy, wet snow.
If temperatures drop below 32, the snow will tend to be lighter and fluffier.
If the weather pattern shows lots of snow coming at 32 degrees, followed by a plunge into much colder temps, I would remove some of the snow before it quits falling. Once wet, heavy snow freezes, it is usually past the show blower stage and into the ice chopping stage.
posted by tronec at 5:56 PM on September 5
Hey! I have some weird angles because of cars parked on my driveway and my house/entry way. Pro tip: keep your hands out of the chute when the engine is running.
Questions: Is there fresh fuel in the tank? Is the spark plug correct for that snowthrower? Does is start right up? When running does the idle go up or down or is it consistent? Is the fuel straight gas or is it an oil/gas mix?
All good advice on strategy. The first time you use the snowthrower you will know exactly how far it shoots wet or fluffy snow. This will modify your strategy with this machine. For a prolonged snowfall, you will absolutely want to clear the drive in stages. A deep and heavy snow will overpower that unit if you waited for the snow to stop falling. Also, slushy snow will clog and ice the chute if the temperatures are cold enough. With light snow, the wind is going to tell you what you can do.
Once I had a home with a driveway, I began my quest of getting a larger/wider, higher horsepower snowthrower. I always have bought used, and off craigslist. Old Ariens are not super expensive and can run a long time (if you don't run over the Sunday Chicago Tribune, jam the chute, and shear the blower fan from the mount before the shear pins do their job). The prior unit I had was 43 years old. And the current monster is 25 years old.
I am pro-old snowthrower!
posted by zerobyproxy at 10:55 AM on September 6
Questions: Is there fresh fuel in the tank? Is the spark plug correct for that snowthrower? Does is start right up? When running does the idle go up or down or is it consistent? Is the fuel straight gas or is it an oil/gas mix?
All good advice on strategy. The first time you use the snowthrower you will know exactly how far it shoots wet or fluffy snow. This will modify your strategy with this machine. For a prolonged snowfall, you will absolutely want to clear the drive in stages. A deep and heavy snow will overpower that unit if you waited for the snow to stop falling. Also, slushy snow will clog and ice the chute if the temperatures are cold enough. With light snow, the wind is going to tell you what you can do.
Once I had a home with a driveway, I began my quest of getting a larger/wider, higher horsepower snowthrower. I always have bought used, and off craigslist. Old Ariens are not super expensive and can run a long time (if you don't run over the Sunday Chicago Tribune, jam the chute, and shear the blower fan from the mount before the shear pins do their job). The prior unit I had was 43 years old. And the current monster is 25 years old.
I am pro-old snowthrower!
posted by zerobyproxy at 10:55 AM on September 6
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Then, for the majority of the driveway (the lower 2/3 of your diagram), it's a matter of starting at the top and blowing it forward until it gets into a position where you can blow it into the front yard. Yes, it essentially means blowing some parts of the snow 2+ times to get it into positioned into the right spot. If the snow is particularly deep, it means clearing the bottom part of the driveway first to make space for piling snow up from the top. You just need to shoot for not ending up with a pile that is taller than the feeder of the snowblower in any given part (lest it be annoying, or worse involve the shovel).
And yes, the spots in the front yard and back yard where the snow goes end up being a very tall pile by the end of winter most years.
posted by past unusual at 5:14 PM on September 4 [1 favorite]