Want to buy a ladder - questions

[haha]

Ha - it all boils down to "I've cleaned my gutters myself for ___ years. I'm in great shape. I can do this well into my 70's." It's a simple way for a guy to prove that he still has his youth.

Yes, I see. In do understand that.

Ha

 

[frank]

I installed gutter guards that I purchased at menards for about $1 per 3 ft. section. I have oak trees and pine trees all the way around my house and was cleaning them every time there was a storm, now the only problem is pine needles and only at the spot where the downspouts connect to the gutter, and then maybe only once or twice a year. I would think that with the guards and the contained area of congestion it would be a lot cheaper to have them cleaned. Also I think you should check around for prices, I thought 100 was maybe a little high to clean gutters.

 

[Texas Proud]

Ha - it all boils down to "I've cleaned my gutters myself for ___ years. I'm in great shape. I can do this well into my 70's." It's a simple way for a guy to prove that he still has his youth.

Actually, no.... on my last house I had them taken off... this created other problems with some big runoff on major storms... there was two places that would look like someone turned on a fire hose and was spraying down... it dug a hole in the ground...

I have been here for three years... I have cleaned the first story gutters without any problem... it is those second story ones that I just could not reach...

I am not THAT old yet... and am more stable on a ladder than my 14 YO son... I know my limitations and will not put myself in danger...


Right now we have a major storm passing by and the gutters have filled up and are spilling over... woke me up... I am looking to find someone who will clean them out now and will look to see what else I can get done to not have this be an ongoing issue...

As for the people who say get on the roof... I have a hip roof... the angle is like 60 degrees or more... not an option... it would have been on my old house as it was a standard roof...

but I do appreciate all the options given...

 

[TromboneAl]

Several years ago I bought one of the tools similar to this: Amazon.com: Gutter Sense Gutter Cleaning tool: Home & Kitchen .
Although the one I got was aluminum and plastic, it broke quickly and was a real piece of junk (found it at HD).

Was it exactly like that one? The reviews are mostly positive, but a few purchasers were not satisfied. It's the same one sold here.

It's all pine needles at our house, but then things start growing in the gutter. That actually makes cleaning easier, because I can grab a weed and pull, and a large section of stuff comes out, leaving the gutter clean. But I don't know whether this device could handle that.

I just ordered one, and will report on it.

 

[Texas Proud]

Was it exactly like that one? The reviews are mostly positive, but a few purchasers were not satisfied. It's the same one sold here.

It's all pine needles at our house, but then things start growing in the gutter. That actually makes cleaning easier, because I can grab a weed and pull, and a large section of stuff comes out, leaving the gutter clean. But I don't know whether this device could handle that.

I just ordered one, and will report on it.

Any update on this

It has been raining here off and on for a few weeks... and I have been putting this off....

I was thinking that this might be a problem for a second story... as you have to hold a long pole and then pull the cord...

 

[TromboneAl]

Update: I purchased one, and it works like a charm. It works on the second story gutters. I use a 17 foot pole. The pole (a skinny little extension pole pipe clamped onto a 2x2) I have is too flexible -- when I have a big wad of stuff in the jaws, it bends too much. Plants grow in the duff in the gutters, so it gets pretty heavy. I will be buying a sturdier, Fiberglas pole.

 

[FreeAtLast]

Should you decide to get a ladder get a good one.

 

[Lsbcal]

Update: I purchased one, and it works like a charm. It works on the second story gutters. I use a 17 foot pole. The pole (a skinny little extension pole pipe clamped onto a 2x2) I have is too flexible -- when I have a big wad of stuff in the jaws, it bends too much. Plants grow in the duff in the gutters, so it gets pretty heavy. I will be buying a sturdier, Fiberglas pole.

Here is something along those lines from Amazon: Amazon.com: Gutter Sense Gutter Cleaning Tool - Improvements: Home Improvement

 

[powerplay]

Update: I purchased one, and it works like a charm. It works on the second story gutters. I use a 17 foot pole. The pole (a skinny little extension pole pipe clamped onto a 2x2) I have is too flexible -- when I have a big wad of stuff in the jaws, it bends too much. Plants grow in the duff in the gutters, so it gets pretty heavy. I will be buying a sturdier, Fiberglas pole.

Sounds like this is working out for you.

This is the item I had a few years ago that broke and was a real piece of junk. Look at the price they are asking for it!
Rain Gutter Cleaning Tool with handles

 

[W2R]

Update: I purchased one, and it works like a charm. It works on the second story gutters. I use a 17 foot pole. The pole (a skinny little extension pole pipe clamped onto a 2x2) I have is too flexible -- when I have a big wad of stuff in the jaws, it bends too much. Plants grow in the duff in the gutters, so it gets pretty heavy. I will be buying a sturdier, Fiberglas pole.

Fantastic! I sent Frank a link to your post that I quoted here, and after reading it he called to tell me he ordered one. It sounds terrific and if it can save him from a potential fall sometime in the future, that would be worth a lot more than it cost him.

 

[TromboneAl]

Here is something along those lines from Amazon: Amazon.com: Gutter Sense Gutter Cleaning Tool - Improvements: Home Improvement

That's exactly the same one I got.

 

[Nords]

I installed gutter guards that I purchased at menards for about $1 per 3 ft. section. I have oak trees and pine trees all the way around my house and was cleaning them every time there was a storm, now the only problem is pine needles and only at the spot where the downspouts connect to the gutter, and then maybe only once or twice a year.

This whole thread has made me very glad that we have seven-inch gutters. I clean our gutters in May, just before opening day of hurricane season, and don't have to touch them again for another year. The worst problem we've had has been a few palm frond piling up over a downspout, and they tend to float when the rain is going down the spout.

Judging from all the scary stories about wobbly balance and falling, I can see that I should keep on doing taekwondo for the rest of my life. But, geez, I wish there was a less painful way to keep up with aging proprioception.

 

[Zero]

I highly recommend viewing this site for things "NOT" to do regarding the ladder and gutter cleaning.

Safety Tips

 

[mystang52]

I gotta add my own stories: I was on roof of my 2-story house, about 4 years ago, to caulk/tar a small seam where chimney met the roof {had a small leak going into the bathroom}. While up there I had an epiphany - "WTF am I doing up here??" Getting back on the ladder FROM the roof was sheer terror, despite my adult son assuring me my foot was on the rung. Nothing happened, but that was the last time I'll ever do that.
A month ago I was on a "simple" 6 foot ladder painting a sloped ceiling. I must've leaned the wrong way and took a nasty fall. No serious injuries, but my head missed the desk edge by INCHES. Needless to say, ladders are off limits for me rest of my life.

 

[Tree-dweller]

I gotta add my own stories: I was on roof of my 2-story house, about 4 years ago, to caulk/tar a small seam where chimney met the roof {had a small leak going into the bathroom}. While up there I had an epiphany - "WTF am I doing up here??" Getting back on the ladder FROM the roof was sheer terror, despite my adult son assuring me my foot was on the rung. Nothing happened, but that was the last time I'll ever do that.
A month ago I was on a "simple" 6 foot ladder painting a sloped ceiling. I must've leaned the wrong way and took a nasty fall. No serious injuries, but my head missed the desk edge by INCHES. Needless to say, ladders are off limits for me rest of my life.

I have had a similar epiphany when getting ON the ladder FROM the roof. Shortly after when I replaced the aging gutters I had the installers include guards. To me, worth the extra dough.

 

[eytonxav]

Was in Costco yesterday for some grocery shopping and noticed they had a special display of those Little Giant laddars. Those laddars always seemed so versitile and I've wondered whether to pick one up. Anyone have one of these?

 

[Texas Proud]

Was in Costco yesterday for some grocery shopping and noticed they had a special display of those Little Giant laddars. Those laddars always seemed so versitile and I've wondered whether to pick one up. Anyone have one of these?

I have one, but not the Little Giant brand... heck, I think it is Costco, but since I did not buy it in a Costco I am not sure.... I think I bought it in Home Depot...


But, the ladder IS great.... I can arrange it to do a number of things... a couple that I like is that you can have one side on something higher than the other by having that side a bit shorter... Or, having one side go straight up and the other leaning out... this allows you to get right next to a wall...

I have not taken mine apart and made it a scaffold, but I have seen that in pics... you need a cross beam to do this....

They are a bit heavier, but if you can handle that, it is good to go...

 

[FinanceDude]

Was in Costco yesterday for some grocery shopping and noticed they had a special display of those Little Giant laddars. Those laddars always seemed so versitile and I've wondered whether to pick one up. Anyone have one of these?

I have had one for 15 years, and I love it. It can do ANYTHING you need. Well built, and aluminum so no rust, and sturdy. You will love it!!

 

[TromboneAl]

Was in Costco yesterday for some grocery shopping and noticed they had a special display of those Little Giant laddars. Those laddars always seemed so versitile and I've wondered whether to pick one up. Anyone have one of these?

Yes, I have a similar type, and it is quite versatile.

I'd love a telescoping ladder, but those are too expensive.

Getting back on the ladder FROM the roof was sheer terror,

The dangerous thing is that you can get quite used to that, and then it's no longer scary. I used to feel that way, but after a while I would do it without feeling scared at all.

 

[Nords]

I'd love a telescoping ladder, but those are too expensive.

Too expensive compared to what?

We have a closet with an attic access hatch (not a door), and the only ladder I've been able to get in there is a Telestep (http://www.telesteps.net/1400T.jpg). Craiglist usually has them being sold by frustrated wannabe home inspectors.

 

[Free To Canoe]

Based upon this http:lRoofers blast new safety rules as bad for business It appears that the ladder rule is separate from the rule for roofers. Recently when a number of neighbors had roofs replaced after a storm I did not see any such equipment. Of course being in a rural area in Tx OSHA folks may not find it healthy to visit here.

A childhood friend recently passed away after falling about 6 feet. Since he was doing contracting work all of his working life, it was assumed that he had a heart attack or some such thing. The coroner said that the cause of death was from the trauma of the fall.

 

[Free To Canoe]

Yes, I have a similar type, and it is quite versatile.

I'd love a telescoping ladder, but those are too expensive.

The dangerous thing is that you can get quite used to that, and then it's no longer scary. I used to feel that way, but after a while I would do it without feeling scared at all.

Scared is good. They make you watch the electrical safety info every 2 years at w*rk so that you will stay scared (and respectful) of the hazards.
Still, one cannot just give up going on the roof or running the chain saw before it is time to. One should be very, very careful with these situations.

 

[travelover]

I have a colonial with an attached garage. I use two short ladders - one to get on the garage roof and a second one to climb from the garage roof to the house roof. Much less scary, at least for me. DW is still petrified, for me.

 

[Telly]

So many people do not use an extension ladder correctly. I first observed the issue when I was a kid. Everyone who got on a roof raised the extension ladder until the top of it was at most 1 rung beyond the gutter. Then they went up, and crawled over the top of the ladder onto the roof. To get back down, they sort of went on all fours, stuck a foot over and down the top of the ladder, and felt around blindly for a rung. Then they backed over and down. Looked real clumsy and risky to me.

I thought this was stupid. Why not extend the ladder further, like 4 rungs or so beyond the gutter. Then when your feet reach the rung even with, or just below the gutter, step sideways and up onto the roof with the other foot. Hold onto the projecting ladder to steady oneself. To return, just turn around backward and step off the roof onto the ladder.

I suggested it, and was told to shut up, what did I know about ladders!

So when I had my own house, and my own ladder, my way is the way I did it. Not scary at all. Many years later, I saw it described in a magazine as the proper method. Still see people doing it wrong.
Old habits die hard... literally?

 

[Texas Proud]

So many people do not use an extension ladder correctly. I first observed the issue when I was a kid. Everyone who got on a roof raised the extension ladder until the top of it was at most 1 rung beyond the gutter. Then they went up, and crawled over the top of the ladder onto the roof. To get back down, they sort of went on all fours, stuck a foot over and down the top of the ladder, and felt around blindly for a rung. Then they backed over and down. Looked real clumsy and risky to me.

I thought this was stupid. Why not extend the ladder further, like 4 rungs or so beyond the gutter. Then when your feet reach the rung even with, or just below the gutter, step sideways and up onto the roof with the other foot. Hold onto the projecting ladder to steady oneself. To return, just turn around backward and step off the roof onto the ladder.

I suggested it, and was told to shut up, what did I know about ladders!

So when I had my own house, and my own ladder, my way is the way I did it. Not scary at all. Many years later, I saw it described in a magazine as the proper method. Still see people doing it wrong.
Old habits die hard... literally?

That is the correct way to do it IF your ladder will go that high.... I have done it myself... getting onto the roof with a step ladder...

But talk about scary.... when I read your post I remember getting on the roof of our house when I was a kid... man, thinking about it scares the heck out of me now... we would climb up on our fence that was connected to the house, reach up and pull ourselves up onto the roof, while at the same time making sure we did not hit the electricity line coming from the pole that attached to the house at that same location

We got down by just jumping off..... what kids will do....