Is it rude of my neighbor to fire up his snowblower at 5:45 am?

It really depends on the situation. If 5:45 is the only time he has during the morning to do it, then no it is not rude. He might need to be able to get his car out of the driveway and to work. It's not a great scenario by any means. If the guy isn't going anywhere until noon, then yes he needs to be more considerate of his neighbors.

As messed up as the roads were he was going to be late anyway. He and his wife both have 4WD. Funny thing is that when I let the dog out at 6:30 no one else was running a snow blower.

At the rate it was coming down it would not have mattered. I do like these neighbors a lot, we do spend time together but I guess a little history is needed here:

He has been known to fire up the snow blower at 11:30 pm on a Friday....

yes, it is rude

Tough shit. Maybe you need better windows if his snowblower is loud enough to wake you up inside..

I am nearing 40 but I am not deaf yet. 100+ dB is enough to wake most people. Especially at a distance of 20-30 feet. And I know you are just being antagonistic but the insulating properties of windows and fiberglass is mainly thermal.

If you live in a snobby neighborhood, then it is rude. However, if you live in a regular neighborhood (i.e., not spoiled and bitchy), then it is not rude. A man needs to get his work done.

Did it also wake up your cat? If that stopped grinning then it's too loud

It's early in winter, he probably has a bunch of pent up demand to play with his toy, I'd cut him some slack, or, since you seem to get along well with him, blow him some good natured shit, he should get the hint.

The snowblower shouldn't be necessary with global warming. So, tell your neighbor to shut-it-off.

Well, I know that I had to leave for work at 4:30 in the morning a few weeks ago after a huge snowfall overnight and my poor husband had to shovel the end of the driveway for me so that I would not get stuck. If we had a snowblower, we would have used it at 4:30 am. I mean, some people have to work early. You should be happy that you don't.

Sorry -unfortunate for you, but on the brightside be glad your neighbor has a job.

Most municipalities that I know of have ordinances about this. In my hometown, such equipment can only be used between 7AM and 7PM. Look into the rule in your area.

MNresident wrote:

Well, I know that I had to leave for work at 4:30 in the morning a few weeks ago after a huge snowfall overnight and my poor husband had to shovel the end of the driveway for me so that I would not get stuck. If we had a snowblower, we would have used it at 4:30 am. I mean, some people have to work early. You should be happy that you don't.

I call BS. They call it Minnesnowda for a reason. MN residents either have a blower or a plow.

I live in MN and have neither.

not troo wrote:

I live in MN and have neither.

That's because your apartment complex maintenance man is paid to clear the snow, einstein.

lol! I own a house.

Last summer I was finishing my morning run and some guy was out mowing his lawn at a similar time. I asked the same question to the Letsrun crowd that you did, only refering to lawn mowers.

The responses were very similar. 8:00 seems to be an acceptable time for mowers or snow blowers.

Someone said maybe the guy was getting back at neighbors who kept him up all night with their partying.

I say getting to work trumps your sleep in.

I often leave for work before 6 and don't get home until 10 or 11 pm. I have to shovel my walk and driveway before I go, or the snow will impede pedestrians and my wife's car (I don't drive).

I don't use a snowblower, but I wouldn't be down on someone that did - not everyone is as fit as we are!

I used to have to leave for work at around 5am and on snowy days I would SHOVEL the driveway instead of using my snowblower. Just because I have to get up that early doesn't mean I should wake the neighborhood.

Yes it was more backbreaking, but at that hour it is just inconsiderate to used the blower. It doesn't matter if you have to be to work early. Get up a little earlier and shovel yourself out. As someone else said, check your local noise ordinances and I'm sure 7am is the absolute earliest you can use such equipment.