Could anyone advise me on the safe angle a ladder should be at for working on the outside of the house? I want to paint the sofits and facias, so advice would be useful so as I know what size ladders to purchase. The house is a two storey detached. Also, where should I purchase the ladders, as I don't think B&Q are the cheapest. I am based near Preston, any advice is welcomed. TIA, Ewan
On 03 Mar 2004, ewan wrote
Personally, I'd look into buying/hiring a tower to work from, rather than a ladder.
Your mileage may vary, but have you worked at height on ladders? Sh*t, that's scary.....
{I can't even clean gutters from a ladder -- never mind trying to wield a paintbrush whilst both hands are white-knuckle gripping the ladder rungs... ;)]
On Wed, 3 Mar 2004 21:52:33 -0000, in uk.d-i-y "ewan" strung together this:
For every 4m in height the bottom of the ladder should be 1m from the wall.
Some ladders have this marked on them.
Long enough to reach the facia with some overlap and not so long that you cant store it easily
A stand off to keep the top of the ladder away from the wall can be useful for this job.
Look at the feet of the ladder for any non slip properties.
See
Whatever you do, don't climb up such a long ladder without someone stabilising at the bottom, or one of those stabilising contraptions. Falling off ladders is one of the most common forms of accidental death.
All the (metal) ladders I've used have had a line marked on a side panel that should be made vertical for optimum angle.
Christian.
In article , Christian McArdle writes
It is better to tie off the top of the ladder to an eyebolt fixed to the house. The person at the bottom can really only stop the ladder bottom sliding away from the wall. If you start to fall sideways they can't do much (been there).
Regarding where to get them from, I got mine from Wickes. They are only "DIY" standard and are priced as such but are fine for occasional use.
Cleaning the gutters is more of a chore than painting IMO, as you need to reach up and over, but a proper stand-off could solve this problem.
Now drilling some holes for soffit vents recently was far more fun and had a couple of hairy moments as a fair amount of force was required to get the hole saw through the soffit board, but thats what I get for buying a cheap hole saw ;-)
But then there was the time that I stayed in a 3 storey tenemant and cleaned the gutters once, this was done from the roof side of course, and no ladders were involved ;-) but there were some great views from up there and some strange looks form down below.
cheers
David
Rubbish. It's hitting the ground that is one of the most common forms of death - falling off a ladder is not of itself dangerous, neither is the short-term flight that occurs immediately afterwards..... ;)
PoP
But when you fall, you'll go over about 30mph, which will suck all the air from your lungs meaning instant, but painful, death.
Christian.
The recommended ratio is 4:1, eg at 20' height, the ladder base should be 5' from the wall. Ideally the ladder should be secured at the top and footed by an assistant at ground level. Never lean sideways when up the ladder. Move the ladder instead. Wear a hard hat, especially when working at roof level. It's silly not to, when they're available for about £3 at Arco. Always remember that if you fall, you will almost certainly suffer a serious injury - please don't take any unnecessary risks.
Terry D.
Is that in case you get hit by low flying aircraft? Or to give you a handy missile to launch at the half-wit footing the ladder who's forgotten what he's supposed to be doing and has gone walk-about?
Richard.
On Thu, 4 Mar 2004 19:35:23 -0000, in uk.d-i-y "Frisket" strung together this:
I thought it was for low flying pigeon crap.
I've always though if that happens, wrap arms round the sides, take your feet off and slide down. But... unless you actually practice it, its unlikely to happen IRL.
Its quicker to make your own than it is to go collect one. And you can make it fit the storage area perfectly. Are there any BSs regarding ladders?
Regards, NT
I imagine you've got a mental block problem as the ladder starts to tip sideways - your knuckles will be brilliant white as your fingers grip hard on the ladder.....I doubt you'd be able to think about doing what you suggest in time.
PoP
In article , Tim Mitchell writes
Could you suggest a suitable rawlfitting to captivate the 'nut' so the eyebolts can be taken out and threaded into other holes?
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