Forum Friday: Fall yard work, best furnaces, and dishwasher love

We're always happy to see your comments on our blog entries. There's another place for you to vent or to share information with fellow readers: our home and yard and appliances forums. Since most forum messages are posted over the weekend, we're debuting Forum Friday posts to tip you off to the timeliest topics. For example:

• If you've spent more time lately following politics than tending to your yard, our fall-cleanup forum has some savvy tips from Consumer Report garden guru Peter Sawchuk on how you can play catch-up on your cleanup. We've also put together this very useful mix of raking strategies and equipment ratings.

• If you're dreading winter's chill and heating bills, discussions like Which gas furnace should I buy? cover geothermal heating and other topics and offer dozens of first-hand accounts. You'll also find a spirited discussion of our reviews of tankless water heaters and replacement windows.

• On the appliances forum, our dishwashers discussion is attracting a fair amount of traffic as more people are reporting problems with a wide range of models or touting the better-performing ones in I love my dishwasher.

• More warmth is radiating from a discussion of the pros, cons, and costs of slow cookers in our small-appliances forum. And as often happens, members are swapping notes on the real-world performance and unforeseen pitfalls of new products. This discussion about GE's Advantium oven shows how forum postings complement our formal ratings and user reviews (available to subscribers).

Essential Information: Preview our our six free e-newsletters to stay up on the latest news.

The leaves on the trees are falling . . .

I just got back in from an early-morning walk with my 17-week-old dog, and one thing's clear here in my Northern New Jersey hometown: Fall-cleanup season has begun in earnest the last couple of days. The weather has been terrific recently, mild days with more of a late-summer everything-is-in-bloom upbeat feel than a winter-is-coming, let's-pack-it-in-for-the-season dread.

This morning, the brass dial thermometer on my deck reads a bracing 41°F; that's not too bad for October 18, but the leaves have taken the autumn chill of the last 48 hours as a sign to release their tree-bound grip and cascade toward the suburban lawns.

For me and countless others, the sudden shift to full-on fall will interrupt our regularly scheduled lineup of relaxing weekend programming and force us to grab rake, mower, leaf blower, collection receptacle, and myriad essential gear as we gather countless leaves from all the ash, locust, maple, sycamore, and oak trees around us.

Fall cleanup is not a terrible hassle for me, and I dig the vibrant splashes of seasonal color, but I am always looking for ways to make the job go faster and more efficiently. (The sooner it's done tomorrow, for instance, the earlier my twins and I can go for a bike ride.) Fortunately, a colleague of mine prepared this "Tip of the Day: Make faster work of leaf removal" last fall. I followed some of the DIY advice then and I'll use it again in the coming weeks. You should, too.

Good luck, all you leaf wranglers out there. If you have some can't-miss suggestions for ways to deal with leaves, add a comment below.—Steven H. Saltzman

Essential information: Read these other smart moves for fall cleanup. And if you're in the market for a new leaf blower, check out our ratings-based report before you buy.

10 Questions for . . . Robert Lenney, Gutter Expert

In this installment of 10 Questions for . . . , Associate Editor Gian Trotta talks with Robert Lenney, a cofounder of California-based Gutterglove and a former certified arborist. In December 2007,  Lenney and partner John Lewis received a patent for their Gutterglove gutter-guard system, which uses a fine stainless-steel mesh stretched across anodized aluminum panels.

You've cleaned many gutters in your time. How should a homeowner start planning the task?
Always think about safety first; don't just go jump on the roof and start tossing out handfuls of gunk. Pick a day when it hasn't rained for a few days; if that's not possible, wait until midmorning, after the sun has dried out the roof.

Do you recommend any special clothing?
I recommend wearing durable pants like jeans and a long-sleeve shirt. Tuck your shirt into your pants—when you're up on a ladder or on a roof, balance is everything, and if a loose end of clothing catches on something, it can cause a fall. Tucking the bottom of your pants into your socks also protects against wasps crawling up your pants leg.

I certainly agree about the wasp hazard; I got stung on my last gutter-cleaning foray. What about gloves?
Leather rather than cotton or rubber gloves give better protection—there are a lot of sharp edges in a gutter. Also, you might encounter some very distasteful substances—pigeon droppings are a prime example—that can cause bacterial infections or leave a lingering smell on your hands. I also recommend some kind of eye protection, either goggles or safety glasses.

When it comes to ladder safety, what precautions do you observe?
There are some precautions to observe with all ladders. Try to set an extension ladder so about 3 feet of it extends above the roofline. While the ladder might feel secure when you step on it, there might be a gopher hole or loose soil under the leg and it could cave in as you climb up. So very lightly jump up and down a few times on the first rung to seat the ladder well before climbing up. If the ladder has a shelf, you can keep a five-gallon bucket on it, securing the bucket with a lanyard.

Inspect the ladder carefully to make sure it's working properly. Be sure the hinge arms on a stepladder and spring hooks on an extension ladder are fully locked. Check that the ladder's rungs and sides aren't  split or bent or loose and that screws and bolts are secure—ladders held together with rivets are usually better in this regard.

(Here are some additional guidelines from the experts at Consumer Reports: Ladders are categorized by weight ratings; we recommend that you get a heavy-duty type 1A. For gutters above 17 feet you should use a conventional extension ladder. Choose a fiberglass or wooden ladder where electricity is a factor, and remember that any ladder can conduct electricity when it’s wet. Extension ladders should be set up with the base 1 foot away from the wall for every 4 feet the ladder reaches up—that's 3 feet at the base for a 12-foot ladder, or roughly a 75-degree angle. For lower gutters, you can use a stepladder or multiuse ladder. No matter which ladder you have, always follow manufacturers directions for setup. For more ladder-safety advice, read our safety tips.) 

What other specialized tools should be used?
Don't use that heavy metal planter scoop from your garden kit or an old spatula. They can scratch steel gutters and give rust and opportunity to form. They can also damage the caulking used on seams of other types of metal gutters.

Those plastic orange gutter scoops sold in stores have one nice quality: Their tips are thin and flexible, so they conform to the contours of your particular gutter style. The downside is they're not as strong as a metal tool, so we go through a lot of them in a season. But the average homeowner should get a few years out of a scoop.

Inside Consumer Reports Test Labs: How we review string trimmers

When you work for Consumer Reports, friends, family, and acquaintances often are curious about how we examine products, wondering if we really do put each and every item—be it a vacuum or a Volkswagen—through rigorous testing.

For string trimmers, an essential yard-care tool, I can tell you, based on first-hand experience, that a lot of work goes into reviewing these machines.

One day early last fall, despite a looming deadline, I snuck off for a ride to Lyndhurst, a New York country estate once home to former New York City mayor William Paulding and railroad tycoon Jay Gould. This 67-acre property north of our Yonkers, New York, headquarters includes a nearly 170-year-old Gothic Revival mansion. The National Trust for Historic Preservation, which maintains the site, has let Consumer Reports test leaf blowers and string trimmers there for more than 10 years.

Running the tests that afternoon were Peter Sawchuk, our outdoor-power-equipment maven (shown with the highly rated Stihl FS 45 gas-powered string trimmer), and Mike Sedlak. I caught up with them as they were whacking away at tall weeds and grass on a little-used portion of the estate along the Hudson River, testing the 21 new gas and electric models that will appear in our upcoming review of string trimmers. (You’ll find the new story on our string trimmers page along with updated Ratings and CR Quick Recommendations, available to subscribers.)

I watched Peter and Mike run the grass-and-weeds test, which replicates the worst conditions you might encounter along the perimeter of your property—some of the growth is more than a yard high and is rife with deer ticks and poison oak. They timed how long it took each model to chop the grass in a 5x8-foot patch down to about three inches. They also tested the edging capability of each model along wood pilings and some of the walkways.

Our testers also assess each string trimmer on how well it’s balanced, how easy it is to replace cutting line, and how noisy the machine is at the operator’s ear.

The testing at Lyndhurst might not have been as much fun as my machete-swinging hikes in the boonies of Guam . . . that’s another story. But from all appearances, the best weed whackers we tested are far more precise.—Ed Perratore

Essential information: Read about the pros and cons of gasoline and electric trimmers and learn how to find the right model.

The fastest way to deal with leaves

The fastest, easiest way to handle the drudgery that is fall cleanup is to pay someone to do the work for you. But if you're going to do the work yourself—perhaps to save some money or get a bit of exercise—what's the fastest way to handle this chore?

To find out, we recently stacked man against machine, arming our outdoor maven Peter Sawchuk with a leaf blower and a rake and had him tackle a 15x15-foot plot of lawn covered with 6 inches of leaves. Click here to watch our new video of the leaf rake-off and see which method wins the battle. (It's sad to admit, but leaves  seem the likely winner of this annual "war.")

For more expert advice on dealing with leaves and other seasonal yard work, read "How to tackle fall cleanup."

News from the power-equipment frontlines

While the International Lawn, Garden & Power Equipment Expo got a name change in 2007, for those of us who write about yard and garden gear, the show remains a candy store of cool machines aimed at consumers and pros.

The event, which has been held every year since 1983 in Louisville, Kentucky, is now called the Green Industry and Equipment Expo. The moniker reflects a new partnership between the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute, the primary trade group for power-equipment manufacturers, and the Professional Landcare Network and Professional Grounds Maintenance Society, which cover landscape pros.

Over the show’s October 25-27 run, some 650 manufacturers presented the latest mowers, tractors, blowers, trimmers, and other homeowner-oriented lawn-care tools and heavy-duty mowing and earth-moving gear aimed at pros. Some of the highlights I saw while walking the aisles at the Kentucky Exposition Center:

Mower companies romance “prosumers”
This year, mower manufacturers have targeted “prosumers”—homeowners who enjoy mowing the lawn, have several acres to cut, and want pro-style features without a pro-style price.

• Several companies are introducing zero-turn-radius mowers, or ZTRs, priced between $4,000 and $6,000—higher priced than the typical consumer versions we test but less than true professional versions. The premise: Blend heavier-duty construction and wider decks with less-pricey, non-commercial-grade engines. Models touting those features include Ariens’ XL and HD models (about $3,000 to start), pro-brand Dixie Chopper’s new Iron Eagle line, and Husqvarna’s new M-Series versions, along with John Deere’s new Estate series, which features a rollover bar like the ones on larger, professional machines.

• Beefier tractors are also hitting stores as manufacturers and dealers chase “premium” customers and added profits. Husqvarna’s new LS-series lawn and garden tractors begin at about $1,800 for lawn versions ($2,800 for heavier-duty garden versions) and feature high-backed seats, reinforced mowing decks that promise added damage resistance, and a hose port on top of the deck for easier clean-out after mowing. Husqvarna also touts the locking differential on its $2,600 2346XLS lawn tractor (for added traction), while Simplicity talked up the full-time four-wheel drive on its $7,000-and-up 4 x4 Prestige tractors (no lawn-tearing when turning is the promise).—Bob Markovich