Toro Power Sweep / Shutter Cover

Toro® Power Sweep™

I don’t know about you, but I like the look of a nice manicured yard. I am just not a huge fan of yard work. I welcome yard tools that make the tasks much easier while bringing the same beautiful outcome.

It’s that time of year where everyone is out doing the spring cleanup in their yards. It’s the season to remove all the fallen leaves, twigs, dirt or freshly cut grass from around their property.

Before you get out all those multiple yard tools, first check out a few of these great electric yard tools that will make cleaning your yard much more enjoyable. The Toro® Power Sweep™ and the Toro® Ultra Blower Vac.

The quiet Power Sweep™ (model #51585) costs approximately $35.00 and is lightweight and easy to use. The Power Sweep™ has two air speed controls depending on the task at hand. While on the high setting it maintains a top air speed of 160 mph.

The Toro® Ultra Blower Vac (model #51599) is a powerful blower/vac and retails for $69.99. The control allows the user to adjust the speed from 112 mph to 235 mph while still maintaining it’s quiet performance. This unit also has a vacuum with a serrated, magnesium impeller that creates a 16 to 1 leaf reduction ratio while in vacuum mode. Toro also made it easier to convert between the blower and vacuum mode with a quick-release latch. No tools needed. It also has permanent front and rear handles that increase mobility and control but does not increase the weight of the unit.

These are available at Toro dealers, home centers, Lowe’s and The Home Depot. For more information visit www.toro.com.


Shutter Cover™

Many of us have whole-house attic fans. They are certainly less expensive to operate than air conditioning, but it’s not air conditioning.

For people with air conditioning and a whole-house fan, there are days and evenings when I use the fan but most of the time I prefer the air conditioning.

Whole-house attic fans do some good but it is absolutely imperative that they be blocked off or sealed for the heating season.

If you do not insulate and seal the opening you are exposing yourself and your house to a major problem along with higher than average heating costs.

If a fan is not covered and sealed, the heated air in your house will gravitate through the fan’s louvers into the attic. Remember hot air rises – cold air falls (that will be on the quiz). The hot air, which contains moisture vapor from the house interior, collects on the cold underside of your roof boards. You are losing heat.

Additionally, the overwhelming majority of houses I have inspected in our area that have uncovered fans also have rotted roof boards and mold in the attic.

Throw into the mix that cold air is also falling down through the louvers and now you’re really losing heat. (Read that as losing money.)

That brings us to this new product, the Shuttercover™. It is a trim-to-fit whole-house fan cover. The Shuttercover™ is made of Low-E, 1/4-inch reflective foil insulation.