Tall extension ladders for gutter cleaning

[Win]

Originally Posted By: Blkstanger
I fell off of my work truck a few years back. It was a 4' fall that broke my right leg and tore ligaments too. Still have pins through my knee. Walk with a slight limp.


Yeah, a 3 or 4 foot vertical drop broke my heel in one place and ankle in two places. And I consider myself in excellent physical shape. If you land wrong, even a short drop can really mess you up. I never really appreciated that until it happened. A fall fron an ordinary household ladder left an acquaintence of mine paralyzed from the neck down.

 

[bioburner]

Originally Posted By: Ramblejam
(JHZR2 - This thread made me realize I'd forgotten about your extinguisher question; ever make a purchase?)
As for this question -- I'm a firm believer in DIY/self-reliance, but 100% in agreement with your wife.

Originally Posted By: bioburner
Figure a way to secure the ladder well to help the shake. Get the legs on a hard surface or feet for the legs. If you ever watch a good fire dept scale and secure ladders you will see what I am talking about.

Can you be a little more specific with what you mean by "scale and secure"? What techniques have you observed?

I was on a fire dept and we trained in how to get up and down and use of fall protection equipment and usually had someone on the back side of the ladder with a belt and hook to help secure the base and stabilize the ladder. Last time I went up over 15 ft I backed the truck up to the ladder and tied the ladder to the trucks hitch and that kept the ladder from wobbling and no way the feet were going anywhere.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: Donald
Consider getting it done and installing some kind of cover. I found some covers that were a super fine screen that would not clog even with pine needles. My current house has no gutters except 6' over front steps. Some covers like Gutter Helmet cost more than gutters.

Around here they get filled with ice and rip off in the winter.


Ive heard as much bad as good regarding guards and covers... Ive also read that often the covered systems still need to be pulled and gunk removed now and again...

Ones that fit under the first shingle can facilitate rot in the wood underneath. The ones that water rolls over, once they get dirty, lose surface tension and dont flow properly into the gutter.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: Ramblejam
(JHZR2 - This thread made me realize I'd forgotten about your extinguisher question; ever make a purchase?)
As for this question -- I'm a firm believer in DIY/self-reliance, but 100% in agreement with your wife.

Originally Posted By: bioburner
Figure a way to secure the ladder well to help the shake. Get the legs on a hard surface or feet for the legs. If you ever watch a good fire dept scale and secure ladders you will see what I am talking about.

Can you be a little more specific with what you mean by "scale and secure"? What techniques have you observed?


Thanks for your question... Yes, a bunch of Amerex ABC extinguishers, with an AFFF one in the upstairs closet. Also a purple K extinguisher in the garage where I keep all the oil, fuel adds, fuel cans, etc.

 

[pandus13]

Originally Posted By: Ramblejam

Can you be a little more specific with what you mean by "scale and secure"? What techniques have you observed?


firefighters linky

 

[bmwpowere36m3]

Besides the height, what's the pitch of the roof. I have no issues with heights, but my folks house the pitch is very steep. I've definitely slid a little a few times when helping my dad install, reinstall and move the dish a few times over the years.

 

[JTK]

Same situation for my home. I bought a 24ft aluminum extension ladder off CL some years ago. It's heavy and awkward to maneuver and position, but it gets the job done. To help mitigate the clogging, I installed gutter guard myself. Frost King 3ft panels. I bought it (in sections) when my local home/hardware store had them on sale for $1/ea. You can get'em in white or brown. These helped considerably for me. All I have to do now is clean the last ~2ft before the downspouts.