I need a ladder for things like painting upstairs windows & cleaning gutters. I've had a look at various websites, but as I'm not very experienced or confident with ladders I've got some questions:
What's the difference (apart from the obvious) between a double & triple set. Is 1 more stable or easier to manoevre than the others?
I've seen several 'Combination' ladders; are these a good idea - or a bit of a 'jack of all trades'?
Can anyone recommend somewhere to get good advice & a good deal?
Are any of the various mats or specialist feet a good idea?
Doubles are easier to move about when extended than triples, although they are obvioulsy longer for storage purposes.
Jack of all trades - in general, don't use them unless you have absolutely no alternative
Local hardware store.
No.
Some more free advice: Don't buy ladders that have box section, square rungs - when they are upright and at an angle, you are stood on a corner of the rung, instead of the flat part.
Don't buy ladders that slide together via runners - these don't come apart and often you may need several sections of single ladders.
Triple is smaller to store, thats about it really.
They certainly have their place, I use one all the time, but they aren't generally long enough to reach gutters or upstairs windows. I assume we are talking about the same thing? Mine will become a set of step ladders or a long ladder, or a platform, or work on stairs.
Can't help with that. Hire shops know their onions though.
Absolutely, positively, definately whatever you do buy a ladder stay
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they make so much difference & make you feel much more secure.
Doubles are slightly easier to move about extended, but harder to store. A triple breaks down to a smaller single piece ladder which can be handy if you need a very long one (half a very long double may still be too long to be useful in many cases)
Jack of all trades. Handy to have, but usually in addition to a "proper" one.
Got mine from screwfix - was pleased with it. Had a couple of tripples so far (bought one, then made the house taller so needed to get another!)
A standoff is well worth having (get one with a tray on it). A roof hook can be useful sometimes.
Other stuff to look at:
There are several classes of ladder. The domestic stuff usually has a maximum loading of only 95 kg. That includes you and anything you are carrying. If you are comfortably inside that weight, then they have the advantage of being light and easy to move about. If you are close to it they will feel (and be) dangerously unstable. Box section styles are usually better than "I" section, and D section rungs are much better than other types (round is next best and square least nice).
The next class up is to BS EN131. These are far more substantial and rated for loads of 150kg. They in general feel far more secure especially if you are on the larger side. This is the type of ladder I always go for. Downside is they cost a bit more and are heavier to move about.
Beyond that you have the industrial rated stuff - again heavier still (although some are fibreglass and hence not so bad). I don't have much experience of these and so can't tell you much else other than they are handy when working near high voltages.
Don't dismiss wooden ladders either - some can prove less "bouncy" than an ali one of the same weight. Things like wooden scaffold ladders are often astonishingly strong.
I agree with the sentiment but that model doen't impress me. Because it's a relitively flat bar is not good on an uneven wall. Have a look at the "Screwfix superior" which additionally provides a tray. The serious point for the OP is that a good standoff should move the points of support outboard and allow part of the ladder to extend beyond the point of work typically at a gutter.
That picture doesn't do it justice. There's a thick rubber tread at each end of the wall bar. Make sure it includes the spring clip to hold it on to the rungs -- I've seen ones on the shelf in Wickes with that part missing. I've found the Wickes one to be very solid and stable. It's actually a Youngmans Ladder stay, and it's available elsewhere with an optional clip in tool tray, although I've not found a tool tray as useful as I thought it would be.
A look at the picture of the "Screwfix superior" leaves me very unimpressed with the fixing to the ladder, compared to the Youngmans/Wickes one.
I went for a triple as whilst I required the height to safely reach my roofline (~7m) I also needed the sections to be short enough ( 2. I've seen several 'Combination' ladders; are these a good idea -
I've got a small 'mutli-purpose/combi' stepladder for indoor work but for outdoor work at height I'd stick with a 'proper' ladder - no point paying a premium for a feature you might never take advantage of, particularly so given the additional cost in terms of money and weight.
I bought mine (2.91m-7.44m triple trade) from
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- good price, service and product. The ladders actually come from TBDavies in Cardiff.
One safety item that I consider exceptional value-for-money, if only at least for the fact that it gave me the confidence to paint my whole house without too much stress, is the 'Laddermax' stand-off. Not only does it provide a very stable (wide) contact against the wall but it can straddle drainpipes etc with ease. Also, the platform is perfect for tools, paint trays etc and what's more it stops you looking down!! Having been up the ladder with/without the stand-off the difference is incredible. Quick to install/remove and worth every penny at ~=A335 - I cannot recommend it enough.
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(also available at LaddersOnline and Screwfix etc however this page shows some good pictures of it along with a couple of useful links)
Triple ladders are shorter overall for storage, but are more expensive and weigh more for a given overall length.
Nobody's mentioned yet, but if you have a very long double ladder it can be a real sod to erect it: it you stand it up against the side of your house while not extended, and then push up the extending section, before long you are standing on tip toes with outstretched arms, and you can't reach any higher. (Ever seen builders standing on the bottom of them two rungs up, bouncing the ladder on and off the wall as they push up the extending section?!)
And as another Screwfix Superior Standoff owner, may I add my vote for that, too - it's excellent.
I had exactly the problem described this weekend. In order to reach the soffits on the gables, I couldn't stretch the ladder up enough. I ended up standing on a stepladder to push the main ladder up high enough.
There seems to be a range of ladders that fall into that intermediate length - too long to raise manually from he ground, but not long enough to warrant ropes. My triple is a bit like that, I can't quite get each section to full extension from the ground (and I can reach over 8' on tip toes!)
Thanks for all of the really useful responses. I'd been planning to get a combination ladder, or failing that a double. After reading the responses it looks like I'll be better off with a triple. Also the response couldn't have been much clearer about getting a ladder stay.
I've measured my gutters as being about 6.1 mts up. Based on a 1:4 ratio I reckon I'll need ladders at least 7.6m long. Looking at the various websites it looks like the 7.44m long ladders will be too small to get to the gutters & I'll have to go for the 8.94m length, which will be heaver / more expensive / harder to store. Pls could someone shout if I've got this wrong.
I've got a triple aluminium lightweight job a bit bigger than that. Easy for me (and all my neighbours) to cart about, and pretty easy for one person to push up to, say, two thirds its maximum. Beyond that, damned near impossible I'd say. My advice would be as long and as light as you can.
Only you can decide but here's how I would approach the choice.
EN131 (150kg) and hang the weight.
chose whether you just want to access the gutter or might someday want to access the roof (see HSE guidance about ladder extension beyond point of work)
3(a) measure your storage space and/or how long a load you are comfortable carrying on your car.
3(b) decide if you or your helpers are strong enough to "walk-up" a 2 section ladder which you can't quite extend from ground level.
select a 2 section ladder unless step (3) indicates a 3 section.
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