Repairing guttering from a ladder
AL_n
plan to attempt this using a ladder. I've seen ladder attachments that keep
the top of the ladder about a foot or more away from the top of the wall,
so that you don't have t bend backwards while working on the guttering. Is
there a name for these attachments? What are they called, and where can I
get one cheaply?
Thank you,
Al
A.Lee
Stand-offs or stays.. Around Ł40 from Wickes.
<http://www.wickes.co.uk/ladder-stay/invt/530039/>
Others sell them too
--
To reply by e-mail, change the ' + ' to 'plus'.
Robin
ladder stand-off
all over the place for ~£25. Try your local supplier (eg where you are
buying the gutter etc) or the search engine of your choice : eg
http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&tbs=p_ord%3Ap&tbm=shop&q=%2B%22ladder+stand+off%22&oq=%2B%22ladder+stand+off%22&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=337l4708l0l4963l5l5l0l2l0l0l170l401l1.2l3l0
in my v limited experience also well worth buying anchors to tie the
ladder to the wall: makes a big difference when you are waving around a
long length of gutter or floppy fascia in the wind
--
Robin
PM may be sent to rbw0{at}hotmail{dot}com
Lobster
Ladder stay, or ladder stand-off.
There are a couple at Screwfix - see:
<http://www.screwfix.com/c/storage-ladders/ladder-accessories/cat831466>
You say you want cheap - have to say that I think ladders is one area
where economy is not necessarily the best plan... personally, I havea
"Laddermax" which is brilliant - it's very easy to put on and off
(unlike most ladder accessories, which are a right fiddle); but best of
all it has a work-platform in front of you where you can put your tools
etc. It's really sturdy too, and you feel much more secure than when
at the top of a conventional ladder.
See http://tinyurl.com/3uwhzlk (or
<http://www.haxnicks.co.uk/gardening/diy-builder-products/laddermax/?gclid=CL3vuOGTxKoCFdFc4Qodkzssxw&>)
- Google may come up with a cheaper supplier?
David
The Medway Handyman
Stand off as others have said. I rarely go up a ladder without using
one, they make a huge difference.
I'd also suggest you get one of these; > http://www.laddermat.co.uk/
--
Dave - The Medway Handyman www.medwayhandyman.co.uk
Tim Lamb
<alan@darkroom.+.com> writes
>AL_n <fgdf...@fghfghfg.com> wrote:
>
>> I need to replace the guttering and clad the facia boards on my house. I
>> plan to attempt this using a ladder. I've seen ladder attachments that keep
>> the top of the ladder about a foot or more away from the top of the wall,
>> so that you don't have t bend backwards while working on the guttering. Is
>> there a name for these attachments? What are they called, and where can I
>> get one cheaply?
>
Useful to have a shallow tray on top to hold parts and tools etc.
regards
>
--
Tim Lamb
Nightjar
IME, that needs two people and two ladders. A length of guttering is a
difficult object to hold at the top of a ladder.
Colin Bignell
Geo
<davidlobs...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>You say you want cheap - have to say that I think ladders is one area
>where economy is not necessarily the best plan... personally, I havea
>"Laddermax" which is brilliant - it's very easy to put on and off
>(unlike most ladder accessories, which are a right fiddle); but best of
>all it has a work-platform in front of you where you can put your tools
>etc. It's really sturdy too, and you feel much more secure than when
>at the top of a conventional ladder.
>
>See http://tinyurl.com/3uwhzlk (or
><http://www.haxnicks.co.uk/gardening/diy-builder-products/laddermax/?gclid=CL3vuOGTxKoCFdFc4Qodkzssxw&>)
Agree - I use that one when clearing the gutters etc.
Only problem we (+wife) find is that it adds quite a bit of weight
right at the end of a long lever arm so moving the ladder is
'interesting'.
sm_jamieson
I put up a loop of rope to hold the other end. Temporary supports is the 1st rule of doing jobs on your own.
Simon.
Another John
Geo <hw9j...@dea.spamcon.org> wrote:
> >"Laddermax" which is brilliant - it's very easy to put on and off
> >(unlike most ladder accessories, which are a right fiddle); but best of
> >all it has a work-platform in front of you where you can put your tools
> >etc. It's really sturdy too, and you feel much more secure than when
> >at the top of a conventional ladder.
> >
> >See http://tinyurl.com/3uwhzlk
>
> Agree - I use that one when clearing the gutters etc.
> Only problem we (+wife) find is that it adds quite a bit of weight
> right at the end of a long lever arm so moving the ladder is
> 'interesting'.
Ditto, Geo. To the extent where I can barely lift the ladder sometimes.
I'm not tiny (5'8", 11stone, pretty fit), but I struggle with this.
When I do get manage to get the Laddermax up, it's great, but I find it
very hard to (a) put the ladder up in the first place and (b) get the
Ladder Max in *just* the right position in some applications. (Having
said that it's been great for gutters)
I've even been thinking of buying a different one, which is lighter
(Screwfix have one at 29.99).
John
chris French
<davi...@blueyonder.co.uk> writes
Dave), works well.
Re the standoffs. Cehck how deep your soffits are. I had to buy a deeper
one, as we have deep soffits on our current house and the old one (which
is the size most commonly sold by Screwfix etc) wasn't big enough
--
Chris French
Phil L
If it's a one-off job, just hire one, or preferably two and a second ladder
as you'll probably need another bod to give you a hand.
A few tips if you've never done this type of thing before:
use polytops (white pvc headed, stainless steel nails) to affix the fascia,
and be carefull with them - they bend and snap very easily and getting them
out is practically impossible without mangling the face of the board. keep
lines of fixings straight and neat as they are visible from down below.
Also when hammering them home, stop when the head is a few mm away from the
face and lightly tap it just so the head touches the fascia - the surface of
it pulls in and it looks hideous if you rattle the nails home.
once your fascias are on, screw the outlet where it needs to be (in relation
to the downpipe) and position it as low as possible on the fascia without it
looking ridiculous.
then screw on the bracket (or jointer if it's a terrace) as high up the
fascia as possible - even if it''s touching the tiles/slates.
tie a string line tightly on top of the bracket, and through the outlet of
the outlet, so that all the other brackets between can be offered up to the
stringline.
Don't guess distances between brackets, cut a marker about 30 - 35 inches
and screw a bracket on (don't use pen or anything else to mark the fascias
as it won't come off)
there's 3 holes in each bracket, you only need 2 screws max, and I'd use
stainless if possible, everything else rusts and it stains the fascia below
each bracket.
Don't use 5m lengths of guttering in full lengths unless it's white - brown
and black absorb so much heat on hot days that they twist, and in winter
they shrink, often pulling themsleves out of joints etc, cut 5m lengths into
2.5s and buy a few extra straight jointers
Phil L
> once your fascias are on, screw the outlet where it needs to be (in
> relation to the downpipe) and position it as low as possible on the
> fascia without it looking ridiculous.
> then screw on the bracket (or jointer if it's a terrace) as high up
> the fascia as possible - even if it''s touching the tiles/slates.
This should be:
then screw on the farthest away bracket (or jointer if it's a terrace) as
Nightjar
To my mind, the first rule of working a couple of stories up on a ladder
is not to do it on your own. I also have a problem envisaging a safe way
to use a loop of rope to hold the other end of a six foot length of
guttering when you need to go up 20 feet, holding the other end.
Colin Bignell
Robin
>> I put up a loop of rope to hold the other end. Temporary supports is
>> the 1st rule of doing jobs on your own.
>
> ladder is not to do it on your own. I also have a problem envisaging
> a safe way to use a loop of rope to hold the other end of a six foot
> length of guttering when you need to go up 20 feet, holding the other
> end.
gutter alone when the helper had to cry off*. Admittedly I had 2
ladders which made life easier but I did not have problems with 5m
lengths of fascia and 4m lengths of gutter. I used several loops of
rope, temporarily looped around rafters, to slide them into. I also
found that both would rest on the roof so long as the wind was not high.
One point I would stress since the OP mentions cladding the fascia was
that I was (as a novice) surprised how floppy uPVC fascia was compared
with wood. I couldn't raise a 5m length or slide it into the loops like
a "pole" as it flopped about all over the place. I imagine the thinner
uPVC cladding would be even worse. But with luck an expert will be
along shortly to confirm/correct/tell us what I ought to have done.
*I did have someone in doors briefed to phone the FB if she heard the
traditional FT :)
AL_n
It's good to hear from someone who has done it single handed. Your input is
very helpful. I do most jobs single handed, even when everyone tells me I
shouldn't! It's surprising what one can accomplish with concentration. The
main difficuly is that I donlt have much room to put the ladder, except by
having it extremely steep. So I may be forced to hire some scaffolding at
the end of the day. Not really my style, as it costs...
Al
AL_n
news:CTw0q.37863$VZ6....@newsfe18.ams2:
Many thanks for your tips and advice. Just what I needed! Yes, I will be
using those white-headed stainlesss pins. I need to remove the old
guttering and hopefully re-use it. It is the brown deepflow polypipe
stuff, and you are right, it has got a little distorted. Perhpas I ought
to ditch the old and use 100% new guttering. The old stuff has been up
for 20 years. I'm not sure how long it is supposed to last...
Al
AL_n
> This should be:
> then screw on the farthest away bracket (or jointer if it's a terrace)
> as high up the
> fascia as possible - even if it''s touching the tiles/slates.
Understood. Thanks.
Al
tony sayer
<fgdf...@fghfghfg.com> scribeth thus
Bin there dun that and lucky to have got away with it;!..
Is it really worth the risk the fall I had the other year was a month in
hospital and very very lucky not to be gibbering away brain damaged in a
wheelchair...
> So I may be forced to hire some scaffolding at
>the end of the day. Not really my style, as it costs...
>
>Al
Yes what's your health worth and life come to that?..
--
Tony Sayer
Nightjar
Much safer and much easier to do the job single handed.
Colin Bignell
Harry Bloomfield
That is how I did soffits, gutters and facias. Loop of rope fixed where
the far end of the length would be, then a long rope through that
lashed to the far end of what ever I was trying to install. Lashed on
and as these things are so slippy, add some gaffa tape to stop the
lashing slipping.
For facias...
Pull the section up, tie the loose end of the rope then climb up and
fix the nearest end in place temporary, then move to far end to fix
that temporarily, back to near end and fix properly.
For gutters you just fix the brackets all the way along on the facia
first and you can then just lift it into place with one hand onto the
brackets then use the brackets to support whilst you slide it to the
correct location.
--
Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk
Harry Bloomfield
Steep is OK, providing you lash the ladder close to the top first.
chris French
<fgdf...@fghfghfg.com> writes
>"Phil L" <neverc...@hoitmail.com> wrote in
>news:CTw0q.37863$VZ6....@newsfe18.ams2:
>
>> AL_n wrote:
>>> I need to replace the guttering and clad the facia boards on my
>>> house. I plan to attempt this using a ladder. I've seen ladder
>>> attachments that keep the top of the ladder about a foot or more away
>>> from the top of the wall, so that you don't have t bend backwards
>>> while working on the guttering. Is there a name for these
>>> attachments? What are they called, and where can I get one cheaply?
>>>
>>> Thank you,
>>>
>>> Al
>>
>>
>> If it's a one-off job, just hire one, or preferably two and a second
>> ladder as you'll probably need another bod to give you a hand.
>>
>> A few tips if you've never done this type of thing before:
>>
>>
>
>Many thanks for your tips and advice. Just what I needed! Yes, I will be
>using those white-headed stainlesss pins. I need to remove the old
>guttering and hopefully re-use it. It is the brown deepflow polypipe
>stuff, and you are right, it has got a little distorted. Perhpas I ought
>to ditch the old and use 100% new guttering. The old stuff has been up
>for 20 years. I'm not sure how long it is supposed to last...
>
I'd use new, given the effort required to get the stuff up.
--
Chris French
Newshound
> Many thanks for your tips and advice. Just what I needed! Yes, I will be
> using those white-headed stainlesss pins. I need to remove the old
> guttering and hopefully re-use it. It is the brown deepflow polypipe
> stuff, and you are right, it has got a little distorted. Perhpas I ought
> to ditch the old and use 100% new guttering. The old stuff has been up
> for 20 years. I'm not sure how long it is supposed to last...
>
> Al
>
I'd prefer black I am going to use new. I have the luxury of a s/h
professional alloy tower (Ł600 from eBay). Don't skimp too much on the
number of brackets (which is what the previous "pro" installer did).
Harry Bloomfield
> use polytops (white pvc headed, stainless steel nails) to affix the fascia,
> and be carefull with them - they bend and snap very easily and getting them
> out is practically impossible without mangling the face of the board. keep
> lines of fixings straight and neat as they are visible from down below.
I made up a template, to make sure they were in line. I also found I
needed to make up some ply strips to act as spacers the length and
width of the rafter ends, because the ends were not perfectly in line.
Fix the strips in place first, using a string line as a reference. Then
another string line to get the gutter brackets in line, but with th
correct fall.
I managed the complete job facias, soffits, gutters plus fall pipes
front and rear on our semi in a weekend - two of us, on two ladders but
only one long enough to reach the top.
It was one of those jobs I wouldn't trust to the pros to do to my
standards of straight,having seen some poor examples.
Harry Bloomfield
>>
>> Many thanks for your tips and advice. Just what I needed! Yes, I will be
>> using those white-headed stainlesss pins. I need to remove the old
>> guttering and hopefully re-use it. It is the brown deepflow polypipe
>> stuff, and you are right, it has got a little distorted. Perhpas I ought
>> to ditch the old and use 100% new guttering. The old stuff has been up
>> for 20 years. I'm not sure how long it is supposed to last...
>>
>> Al
>>
> I'm about to replace some distorted grey half round (22 years), but as I'd
> prefer black I am going to use new. I have the luxury of a s/h professional
I interspersed a pair of pins, gutter bracket, pair of pins, bracket -
at each rafter end. I used 2" x 8 brass screws for the brackets, which
I just happened to have in stock. Stainless or brass, so there is no
chance of them rusting away.
Robin
> have much room to put the ladder, except by having it extremely
> steep.
Is that steep *before* you have fitted a stand off? If so remember that
the stand off will make it steeper still.
So I may be forced to hire some scaffolding at the end of the
> day. Not really my style, as it costs...
>
But it doesn't cost as much as fu*******k, thump. At the very least I
echo the point about tying off the ladder at the top to solid anchors.
Robin
<>
Nightjar
Last time I replaced gutters, they were made of cast iron - definitely
not something that could be held in one hand. They were also Ogee form
and were attached by screws through the back upstand - no brackets. That
was a job that had to be done from scaffolding.
Colin Bignell
m...@privacy.net
chris French <newspos...@familyfrench.co.uk> wrote:
> Re the standoffs. Cehck how deep your soffits are. I had to buy a deeper
> one, as we have deep soffits on our current house and the old one (which
> is the size most commonly sold by Screwfix etc) wasn't big enough
Mine is adjustable, I think it came from Machine Mart. The downside is it
just contacts teh wall in two places.
For the OP's job, after initial work and inspection I got in scaffolding (at
a very reasonable price) to complete the job[1]. It was much easier.
[1] I also had to strip off the bottom rows of tiles, and those at the verge
in order to replace the felt which had been wrongly/badly fitted when the
house was built.
--
B Thumbs
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