Using a blower to dry a car

[LelandGray]

I tried this last night. I have a gas powered hand-held Echo blower, it's just the entry level model in the consumer line of Echo blowers.

It would barely dry the car.. I tried for 5 minutes and gave up, it was just blowing water around the car.

Is this normal? Or is my blower not powerful enough?

Plus I felt kind of silly using it, maybe if it were electric and didn't make noise, but I have a hard time believing something electric has more power than something gas powered.

[Zuke]

Re: Using a blower to dry a car

I have an electric and mine works great! I still do a final wipe dowm with a waffle weave but having a smaller tip on the end on the blower helps me get in cracks easier and blows the water in one direction. Hope this helps/makes sense.

[Andy M.]

Re: Using a blower to dry a car

Did you let the water "sheet" off your car before you tried your blower? Most times that will help. Normally still gonna need a waffle weave towel or a chamois to get everything.

Andy M.

[CleanMachine]

Re: Using a blower to dry a car

I've never had much luck with a blower either. Recently I learned how to final rinse the car in such a way that it will remove most of the water and there will be minimal towel drying.

Take a look at this YouTube video:



In case the link doesn't post right, you can search YouTube for:

"Car Detailing - Water Sheeting - Final Rinse"

Hope this helps.

[Mike Pennington]

Re: Using a blower to dry a car

A couple of thoughts...

Try this...When you are done spraying the car to remove the "suds", do one last rinse by removing the nozzle from the hose and let the water "flow" out of the hose. This will cause the water to sheet right off the car leaving you much less (hardly any) water to dry. Be careful not to let the end of the hose hit the paint though

Here is a great example of this in action...

and another...

Then, take your blower and blow out all the cracks and crevices to get water out of there. (That is where a blower is handy)

Then, use our Microfiber Drying Cloth to remove any remaining water.

[imacarnut]

Re: Using a blower to dry a car

After I use the flood/sheeting method with the hose to remove as much water as possible before drying, I'll use the leaf blower to help dry the car and get into tight spots where water hides (inside headlights, seams, wiper blades, gas cap, wheels/tires, moldings, emblems, etc). They key is to have a good coat of wax/sealant on the finish, otherwise the water/droplets will drag and not fly off easily.

[SX4DUDE2013]

Re: Using a blower to dry a car

I use a blower all the time on my personal vehicles. Not on customer's. lol. I still do a final wipe with a large MF. It really helps get water out of the cracks

[LelandGray]

Re: Using a blower to dry a car

I bet I know what happened.. this car hasn't had any 'attention' in a long time, if ever.. so, it doesn't have any wax on it. The water wasn't really leaving the paint, it seemed to kind of stick to it. I'm sure once I get a coat of wax on the entire car, I'll have better luck with the blower.

I usually used a water magnet towel, but I figured I'd try the blower method. I'll try it again after I wax my car.

[speed3blackmica]

Re: Using a blower to dry a car

an electrical blower will a ton more torque than a gas powered one..an electric motor is crazy in the way that they work. they can create instant max torque on startup..i have an electric blower..and i love it..what i do is after drying the car, i come back with my leafblower to get all the water out of the cracks, and come back with a fresh small microfiber and dry up the small water spots that have flung out from the cracks after using the blower. its a great way to get water out of the cracks so that it doesnt happen while your driving, and then you have streaks on the side of your doors

[dreamps]

Re: Using a blower to dry a car

hmmmm anyone else use a air compressor? that's what i use...

the thing with a blower is that you have to be careful not to get the dirt on the ground get on the paint from the power of the blower...

[speed3blackmica]

Re: Using a blower to dry a car

hmmmm anyone else use a air compressor? that's what i use...

the thing with a blower is that you have to be careful not to get the dirt on the ground get on the paint from the power of the blower...

i never have that problem...as long as you keep the blower up and not pointing down. i have used an air compressor, but i just find pulling out the leaf blower real fast works beter, since my compressor doesnt hold a lot of pressure for very long.

[dreamps]

Re: Using a blower to dry a car

^^^ yeah i guess it depends on what kind of blower and compressor you have...

my leaf blowers are both gas powered and backpacks so its a pita the air compressor is a contractor series so it has plenty of juice!

[speed3blackmica]

Re: Using a blower to dry a car

yea i have an electric, it weighs almost nothing and has tons of power

[Malo83]

Re: Using a blower to dry a car

I use a TORO electric blower that works great,gets the majority of the water off the body and does a great job of getting the water out of all the nookes and crannies,finish off with a waffle weave

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: Using a blower to dry a car

I always thought that you dried your vehicle normally. Then used the blower for all the nooks and crannies?