I need, for reasons I’ll explain in a second, to get on top of my house and get really close to the edge of the roof. I need to do this while simultaneously not killing myself. Really serious on the not dying part.
So why do I need to do this? Because I’m sick of paying some “guy with a truck and a ladder” (hereafter known as GWATAAL) to do a half-ass job cleaning my gutters and sealing the seams. I have paid at least 6 different GWATAALs to clean my gutters, including the downspouts, seal this one goddamn seam that keeps leaking, and replace any dislodged gutter screens. All unsatisfactory. You really can’t test their quality of work until the next time it rains, and by that time, they have your money and they are gone.
So, here is the situation: two story house with a walkout basement. So, in essence it’s a two story house on the front, and a three story house on both sides and the back. And oh, yeah, there is a concrete driveway on one side. Needless to say, that’s where the whole “don’t want to die” stuff comes in.
Oh, yeah, the roof has a relatively mild slope to it. The last GWATAAL that was up there was walking right up the edge like it was no big deal.
Getting up there: No big deal. I can rent a ladder that will get me up to the roof on the front, the two story part.
Staying up there: Ah, so here is the question finally. How do I not fall off the damn roof? Is there a safety harness thing I should be checking into? I emphasize again the whole “not dying” part of the thought process. I need to get close enough to the edge to clean gutters, so I’m going to be right there at the edge.
I don’t have an inordinate fear of heights, but that damn gutter looks to be way the hell off the ground. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
You could also rent a Boom Lift which actually gives you a small platform right there where you’re working. And they usually come with a safety belt/harness thing that latches onto the rail of the basket. Bit more expensive than a ladder, but safer, and slightly more useful (you don’t have to go all the way back down and up for each 4-5 foot stretch.
Get a harness. It’s fairly standard safety gear for roofers and other people who work near a fall hazard. Even one storey could cause significant harm if you land wrong.
Safety harness not a bad idea, although I’m a gal with a ladder and have spent 35 years without (have never seen one used on a residential or light commercial job actually), and managed to keep from falling off.
Non-skid shoes are mandatory. A rubber-backed bathroom rug will also help with the traction thing, as well as helping to prevent abrasions. Observe ladder safety, strictly. In my experience you’re statistically more likely to fall due to not using an extension ladder properly; and this I have seen more than once. Have a buddy to help you lift, carry, yell encouragement and on hand to call 911 if you do fall.
Carry a can of wasp spray. Wasps love roof vents and if you’re nervous about heights to begin with, you do not want to be alarmed by wasps when 40 feet off the ground.
I’ve never used a harness. I wouldn’t want to unless I had the training to put it on correctly and use it correctly.
Walking around on a low pitched roof isn’t difficult. If the roof is dry and you have good non skid shoes. Gutter cleaning is a little more challenging because you have to sit on your haunches and reach over and into the gutter. The key is keeping as much weight as possible on your backside. Your backside should be pressing into your heels. Practice on the ground first. Get really comfortable on your haunches before getting on that roof.
a photo might help.
If heights bother you at all. Pay somebody to clean your gutters. Don’t risk it.
Actually I suggest kneeling instead of squatting, and working parallel to the gutters instead of facing them. That way you have at least four (or five if you use one hand to balance) points of contact with the roof while leaning over. Two knees, two feet/toes, and at least one hand. The more points of contact you have with the surface, the better. Kneel, don’t squat.
This is safer, especially on a steep pitch. That’s where a non-slip bathroom rug (aka ghetto pad) comes in handy. Most roofing material is scratchy and gets uncomfortably hot with just a little bit of sunlight.
I agree that walking around a low-pitched roof isn’t difficult if you’re used to it. Not much different to walking on level ground, really. Kneeling and bending over the edge is a bit more risky.
First off, lie flat on the roof, belly down, arms and head peeking over the edge. Get a length of stout rope and tie to something heavy and solid on the ground on the other side of the house from where you will be working (car axle? Make sure no one gets in and drives away) run rope up that side of house and attach to your harness, leaving not much slack from you to heavy-on-the-ground-object. Reverse procedure for other-side-of-house gutters.
When I have my gutters cleaned the guy that does it yours a type around his waist and his partner ties the other end around his. They then stand on opposite sides of the roof, each keeping the other from falling. And a one story fall can certainly ruin your day. I fell about 20’ of a telephone pole and if you have seen my post on here you know how that turned out. Lifetime of pain, lots of surgeries and the end of my working days. Be careful, if your not comfortable doing this past someone.
Get the GWATAAL to do the job, and when he’s finished ask him to video the gutters so you can inspect them. (particularly the bits where it’s leaking.)
When one slip could kill you or have you dangling on the end of safety line you might want to re-thing the whole "on the roof’ thing. If you are determined to DIY Renting or buying a scaffold might be better solution.
One example See pics at bottom for height extension options.
Check the OP - his entire reason for not hiring someone to clean his gutters hinges around “it’s so expensive” and “hey, maybe I can do this!”
By the time you’ve rented or bought scaffolding (Obviously by your comments you have little experience with either otherwise you would not have suggested this) there’s many years’ worth of hiring GWATAAL right there.
If someone is so worried about slipping and getting killed over what is really a mundane exercise practiced daily by millions without getting tied in knots about unrealistic notions of “safety harnesses” and scaffolding (seriously?) this person seriously needs to abandon the notion of DIY and pay the GWATAAL already.
If any of you really needs me to 'splain further why talk of safety harnesses and renting scaffolding for Christ sake to clean gutters is utter crazy talk and evidence you’ve no experience with either speak up and I will try to explain how high things work. And why such talk of scaffolding and harnesses and other sillieness is a patently ridiculous question in this context.
Great big hairy hint: if it is no big deal, you wouldn’t be posting a question about it. :rolleyes: Clearly you are scared about the height thing otherwise you wouldn’t have posted such a thing to begin with. All the people responding with nonsense about scaffolding and safety harnesses obviously have no experience with any of this. I do. Ask me specific question and I will answer; I have 35 years of professional experience with working on ladders and roofs and scaffolding and lifts and high shit generally. I’ve done this since 1979.
But be aware that my standard answer to nervous-about-heights people is going to be:
If you are nervous, hire a professional.
Hire someone who has a fucking clue. It will be cheaper and safer!
Pay one last contractor to remove your gutters completely, your house will never miss them. I put a few drains in my beds to carry water away from the house, and graded all the turf areas to a gentle fall away from the house. I’ve seen more damage to structures from poorly installed, poorly designed, and ill maintained gutters than I’ve ever seen from water running off the roof onto the ground.
As the Wiki link states, the danger is in staying suspended for an extended period of time, say, 10-15 minutes or more, iirc. What happens is that circulation is cut off in the legs, and blood clots can form as a result. When the suspendee gets unsuspended, these clots can travel to the heart, with the associated unpleasantries.
I’ve heard (in fall arrest training I’ve had to take for work) that when one is suspended for extended periods of time, the rescuer will give him blood thinners for this reason.
Also, you want to make sure the harness is snug in the crotchal area. I’ve seen a picture (in the previously mentioned training) of the result of a loose harness. Wasn’t pretty. shudder
Incidentally, workplace guidelines where I work dictate that you need a fall restraint system at a height of 10ft or more. Shell dictates a height of 6ft or more.
If you do choose to use a harness, make sure to have a buddy there to get you down if you do fall. Never work at height alone to begin with. Also, have a plan on how he is to rescue you in the event of a fall, so you’re not dangling there, waiting for him to get his poop in a group and decide how he’s going to go about it safely.
Also, a safety harness can be even more dangerous because it gives the user a false sense of security. Safety harnesses and such rigs require training and a buddy system. It’s not something a DIY homeowner can rely on to be safe!
And going back to the OP, we are talking about cleaning gutters on a low-pitched roof. This is a mundane and easy task, not wire-walking Niagara Falls. Someone who feels they need a safety harness, scaffolding and a boom truck to clean freakin’ gutters out is either out of touch with reality and/or has not compared the cost of all this specialized safety equipment with the cost of having someone with experience just clean the damn things out already.
You are talking potentially THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS to rent a boom truck/safety harnesses/scaffold/whatever other nonsense some of you think you need. Never mind the fact you still need to get used to teh scary heights and technology and having a buddy and etc and etc. This is crazy talk. For cleaning leaf gunk out of gutters! Good lord.
He has indicated there is a two to three story drop to the concrete on various sides of his house and he wants to make a permanent repair to the gutter which assumedly involves various tools and sealing all the angles of the break which might be difficult to attempt kneeling or lying on an angled surface. Renting a scaffold for one day to undertake this hardly seems nuts if you are concerned about your ability to negotiate this repair safely and all prior repairs by handymen have failed.
Yes a scaffold is a PITA but if he cannot get it repaired properly by handymen it’s an option. There are more limitations as to what repairs you can safely attempt at the top of a tall ladder perched against the side of the gutter vs the stable platform of a scaffold.
Do you understand the cost and work involved in obtaining and erecting two or three stories of scaffolding? For doing a single repair to a small span of gutter? Not counting cleaning out all the other gutters? What if the ground is on a slope?What if there are, say, ten spans of gutter that need to be cleaned or attended to? You are under the common misconception that scaffolding is some magical and easy thing to erect, work from, and move. It is not. Scaffolding is expensive. The notion of scaffold being a cheap and safe way to clean gutters is absolutely ludicrous and you should not be espousing such notions in GQ.
And for someone with no experience or expertise the notion and cost of securing a single scaffolding tower (working span about 10-12 feet) to reach one problematic gutter spot being cheaper and safer than hiring someone with a clue and experience and an extension ladder is just…silly. Last time I checked, a rental company charged $350 to erect a single 2-story rolling scaffold not including the rental cost. Or moving it. Try that for cleaning gutters on a 3,000 sf house. When I had scaffolding, I charged $300-400 per day and that was pretty reasonable at the time. But that did not count moving, taking down, re-erecting, or any other services.
Again: you people that are talking about scaffolding and harnesses to clean freaking gutters are not talking from any basis of real-life experience. I know this for a fact. If you want to claim otherwise, please provide some sort of cite that harnesses and scaffolding and so on are a viable and realistic method to scoop dead leaves out of gutters a couple of times per year.
