Can you make an extension ladder safer?

Can't sleep tonight, so I'm reading the Forums and am putting off the inevitable but one of the worst jobs ever created - cleaning gutters. I've got an extension ladder which I rest against the gutter, climb up and clean. I've read some of the horror stories about members falling off ladders and I'm now seriously thinking about leaving the gutters and hurting myself some other way. A couple of the gutters are several feet off the ground necessitating the use of the extension ladder but I never feel comfortable on these things especially resting against old gutters. What can you do to make cleaning gutters safer with these extension ladders? You guys clean your gutters, don't you .....?

The easiest thing to make your extension ladder safer is to attach one of these stabilizers.

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?actio...C78&lpage=none

Probably carry them at Bunnings or Mitre10. They keep the ladder off the gutter and prevent side sway. Happy cleaning. :)

Tiger

You need to get a mate to do it for you. Give 'em a six pack or have a BBQ and avoid the angst.

Mate if you seriously dont feel comfortable just dont do it. you are a long time injured or worse. There must be someone you can 'bribe' into it.

Other than that if it is you who must climb said ladder go get the stabilizer HB has suggested, but also pick up levelling feet as well. They allow you to use the ladder on uneven ground by being adjustable at each leg.

AND get someone to hold the damn ladder. Tell someone you are going to go up the ladder and make a pre-arranged time to call them again so they know you have not hurt yourself.

Pete

Agree with Doughboy on all of his points.

I'm fortunate that my house is low set but my shed has 3.6m gutters - as an extra I run a length of silver rope through the top hollow rung [with a loop through it] and then down to a heavy tent peg driven into the ground on each side - ladder doesn't shift. I use my ladder to get me up on the roof [to use the blower] rather than move it along the gutter for cleaning out by hand.

Regards,
Bob

Ladder with levelling feet.

Stabiliser legs that splay out sideways from bottom of ladder.

Standoffs that enable ladder to be leaned against fascia rather than the guttering.

A point to note which may make your ladder usage safer is that, strictly speaking, ladders are for access only, not for working from. To work at height you should really use scaffolding of some sort.

Mick (who always follows all the WH&S rules:; )

Easiest way to make an extension safe - pay someone else to climb it..... :roll:

I prefer those multi function ladders, you know the ones that can be locked in different configurations. It has 4 sections, so 3 are straight up and the top section I set at an angle, so that it rests on the roof tiles. But I guess it depends on the hight of your roof also.:)

Ladders have never been, and never will be safe! If you don't feel like gambling with your life, then don't buy a ladder, pay someone younger and more agile to do it.

I wish I could find it, but there was a study that said that performance on a ladder decreases after the age of 30 (yes three - oh, thirty) so as an aged 35 yo, after a youth spent walking along rooflines, three storeys up, I pay other people to climb ladders.

Oh, and get gutter guard so your gutters never need cleaning - wish I could afford it!

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Originally Posted by Doughboy

Mate if you seriously dont feel comfortable just dont do it. you are a long time injured or worse.

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Excellent advice for anything to do with the workshop.

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Originally Posted by Tiger

A couple of the gutters are several feet off the ground necessitating the use of the extension ladder

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G'day Tiger,

:? You must be one of the those vertically challenged people.

In the past I used to climb on roofs every day installing TV antennas.

The two best things I ever did for a lader was cutting the top rung out and getting two vice grip clamps.

Having the top rung out makes it much easier to get on and off the ladder.... which is the most dangerous time..... you can step thru the lader rather than round it.

the vice grip clamps I place either side of the ladder as soon as I reach the gutter. stops the lader sliding sideways. If it was a bit windy or I wanted to be doubly sure I would tie off between the clamps too.

QLD work place health and safety have got realy conchy on ladders .

cheers

If you do get up there, install some really good quality leaf guard. No more getting up there again.



sf

Hate bloody extension ladders!
We've got a Bailey and when you read the safe working load is a 100Kg....hell, that's me and a hammer!
Lucky I'm getting too wobbly to get up the thing
Regards,
Noel

I used to scramble up and down a massive (and shonky) ladder to the top of the auditorium at school when I did all the theatre lighting.

Oh to be young and carefree (and much lighter!!) again.

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Originally Posted by watson

Hate bloody extension ladders!
We've got a Bailey and when you read the safe working load is a 100Kg....hell, that's me and a hammer!
Lucky I'm getting too wobbly to get up the thing
Regards,
Noel

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I wouldn't be allowed up your ladder even without the hammer.

I have an attic/loft ladder rated at 130Kg but prefer to use a small winch to haul anything heavy up into loft.

Ladders leaning up against gutters are accidents waiting to happen. Typically people over reach and the ladder slides out from under them. when the wifes uncles did this he cracked his head on the side of his pool and rolled into the water - unconcious. If his dog hadn't raised a racket his missus would not have come outside to see what had happened,

Nothing to do with ladders but Stihl used to have an extension with a bend for the garden blowers, just fit on the blower, the 'U' bend would point into the gutter and blow away all the compost.
Don't do it on a BBQ day though:p

Remove the gutters, no more ladder worries.:)
Best thing I ever did to those gutters!

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Originally Posted by Gil Jones

Remove the gutters, no more ladder worries.:)
Best thing I ever did to those gutters!

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No gutters, well that's one way out of it :o . Not sure how that would go with Australian tiles and our fascia boards, don't think they would last quite as long without gutters though.

Soundman, your idea about removing the top rung is interesting, it would be a lot easier but I thought it would weaken the ladder somewhat, however it sounds as though you've spent a lot of time up on ladders so maybe it wouldn't weaken the ladder much.

It is actualy best to order the ladder top rung out when you buy one ( special order.

Yeh it does weaken the lader a bit but only at the very top and its never been a problem for me.

I need top rung out for working on poles. I run a chain at the top most times.

cheers

Tiger,
The issue of height safety when on a ladder is two fold, as an engineering officer with an electricity authority we have these issues all the time.

First up if you want to work from a ladder you must wear a ladder safety belt unless you can maintain 3 points of contact (2 feet & 1 hand / 2 hands & 1 foot etc).

Alternatively you may find your more comfortable moving around on the roof rather than actually standing on the ladder. Using a blower on a ladder one handed is almost impossible and leaning out to one side on the ladder is dangerous. If this is the case invest in some roof safety points, a good quality harness and an adjustable "lanyard" which should prevent you falling off the roof and use the ladder to access the roof only. The provision to prevent you falling from the roof is dependant on the shape of the roof and the positioning of tie off points and running ropes etc.

Find the most comfortable position for you to stand the ladder then have fitted some eye bolts to give upper and lower tie off points - remember the ladder needs to be at a 4:1 ratio of hieght to distance laid forward. The bottom rope needs a single point to prevent the ladder base moving outward away from the wall. The upper tie off should have 2 points (one each side) to prevent the ladder moving away from the wall or sideways to the wall.

There are many height safety companies around where you can get tie off points supplied and most especially fitted. There are many knuckleheads out there who would advocate installing your own tie off points, but I'd want to know that if I went over the edge by accident (lack of conerntration etc) that the safety system designed to pull me up wont tear out of the mounting points.

This is an expensive way to go but in the long run is generally safer than trying to continually position a ladder, tie it off and working with a ladder safety belt.

If you what to go into more depth PM me.