IRVINE : Blower Firms Look for Sound Solutions

With tough regulations aimed at muffling noisy leaf blowers going into effect this month, manufacturers are preparing to comply with a law that they say could have a wide impact on the industry.

Beginning Sept. 26, every leaf blower used in Irvine must pass a noise test considered the strictest in the nation. There are no exceptions.

“Irvine just said, ‘Hey guys, here’s an ordinance, and you either have to live with it or people are going to have to use brooms,’ ” said Bob Krause, president of MHT Distributors of Pasadena, which distributes Redmax leaf blowers.

Rather than switching to broom making, blower manufacturers have been making modifications in their machines.

Under the law, leaf blowers at maximum throttle may emit no more than 70 decibels, as measured from 50 feet away. Most leaf blowers emit between 85 and 105 decibels at maximum speed.

After the City Council adopted the law in February, two manufacturers--Redmax and TMC--began providing leaf blowers with throttle restricters for their Irvine-area retailers. The restricters prevent the machines from operating at high speed, thereby reducing the amount of noise they can make.

Distributors for those companies’ leaf blowers have been bringing the machines to Irvine to have them tested and certified before they are sold to retailers.

Krause said that although the noise limit is difficult to meet, it probably will end up helping the industry by forcing manufacturers to come up with quieter models.

Redmax, one of the brands Krause’s company distributes, has benefited because it was the first company to produce a machine that meets Irvine’s requirements.

“It has been excellent for our business,” he said. “I’m not complaining a bit.”

The city’s ordinance is considered the nation’s strictest because it requires that the noise measurement be taken near a wall to simulate real-life operating conditions. The wall reflects the noise, producing a higher reading on a sound meter.

Irvine adopted the law after residents complained about the noise, dust and fumes leaf blowers create. The law also specifies that the blowers may only be used between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays and between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Saturdays. Sunday use will be illegal. The law also prohibits the machines’ being used within 10 feet of a window or door.

Further, the law requires that anyone wishing to use a leaf blower commercially in the city take a city-sponsored 30-minute class (the classes will be taught in English and Spanish) to learn how to use them “safely, courteously and effectively.”

Any violation is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500 or a jail term of 6 months or both.

“We’re hoping we can set an example for other cities,” said Robert Storchheim, manager of the city’s building and safety division. “If you’ve been around the city of Irvine long enough, you’ll know we’re always on the cutting edge.”

Dozens of cities have asked for copies of the ordinance, he said.

“I think it will be a benchmark around the country,” said Robin Pendergrast, an Illinois-based marketing representative for Redmax. “Is Irvine correct in doing this? Absolutely. They’ve had some horrible problems.”

If other cities do follow Irvine’s example, Pendergrast said, manufacturers will be forced to produce quieter models. Previously, reducing the sound level had a low priority, he said.

TMC began devising a quieter model after Pasadena adopted an ordinance in 1988, said Larry Muronaka, service manager for TMC Power Equipment in Monterey Park. The company realized that the ordinance, one of the first to specify a maximum noise level, would be copied by other cities, Muronaka said.

If more cities move toward regulating leaf blower noise, all manufacturers will eventually come out with quieter models, said Dale Kennedy, owner of Don’s Lawn Mower Shop in Santa Ana.

Although most cities do not yet have such restrictions, Kennedy said, “I know a lot of the other cities are just looking at Irvine to see if their ordinance works.”