Why one should hire out gutter cleaning

[perc-o-prince]

David,

BEST to you for healing, and glad to hear you're not soured completely on the idea of future projects! It could have been so much worse, as I'm sure you are well aware of.

I was acting as a spotter for Rich's father since I had elbow surgery and couldn't do much else. He cut a limb, the limb swung way out of the norm, knocked his father off the ladder, and he was hanging only because his arm was caught between the tree and the limb! With one arm, I could try moving the ladder, but only so much since it was about 20' up. Meanwhile, his father was still holding on to the chain saw! Didn't want to drop it because he might break it!

I got him to drop it, and as I was calling 9-1-1, he managed to get a grip w/ the chainsaw hand and hold himself enough that he could use his legs to help me move the ladder. Some bruises and bent pride, but that was it.

We have gutter guards on most of our gutters, and they've worked very well! Got them at a flea market years ago REALLY cheap! They're 3' sections and snap in easily, and were easy enough to cut to fit corners, short ends, etc. IIRC, they were less than $2 each. Most of ours don't have a screen backer and just the diamond-shaped perforations. I think they were about a buck a piece. I know they sell them now with a fine mesh screen backer that stops even more stuff, but I don't see bits of about 1/4" diameter clogging up our gutters when there's rain!

Chuck

 

[perc-o-prince]

"I sort of sit down a few feet from the edge and scoot along on my arse. It's not doable this way when the sun has been shining as you can well imagine."

So you get a hot arse? I wish that's all it would take me! I'd roof-scoot all day long!!!

Chuck

 

[rapunzel]

Gutter Guards!

Got those installed last year and they are a heaven-sent. The back of my house is three storeys up. I used to climb a ladder to clean out the gutters at least twice a year. We have lots of gum trees out the back and they shed like crazy. Gutters here should always be clear of cumbustibel materials, especially during the fire season.

Anyway, now that I've got the gutter guards the wind blows the leaf litter off the roof, the rest I take care of with my garden blower/vac. My guttering drains into a rainwater tank and the guards keep detritus from washing into the tank and clogging up the down pipes.

Glad you weren't seriously hurt. Ladders are dangerous and one should never climb higher than six feet without some kind of harness and a second person in attendance.

A friend of mine changed a light bulb at her work. Her ladder did the splits and so did she, ending up with a fractured pelvis. Not nice.

rapunzel

 

[norgeway]

I don't do---- ---- ---

Ladders ledges airplanes or anything else that is higher than my 5ft11!!!!!hope you recover quickly.

 

[autowasherfreak]

I don't do ladders either.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery. Our gutters need cleaned desperately, but I don't like ladders unless I'm on the inside of the house. I thought about climbing out on the roof through my bedroom window, but with my luck I would probably fall of the damn roof.

 

[sudsmaster]

Sorry to hear of your accident and injuries.

Yes, roof work can be very dangerous, especially when one is trying to beat the sundown, or when one is distracted.

I've fallen through roofing twice since I bought my home. The first time was when I was replacing the reed matting that served as a shade over the fish pond, about eight feet below. I got distracted by a wasp nest and stepped on the edge of a plywood board that wasn't supported by a joist. I wound up with it flipping up into my chest, and I sort of rode it down to the bench below, bounced off that, and landed on my back in the pond. Only injury then was a rather large and painful bruise to my inner thigh from the board. And a big gulp of fishy pond water.

The second time was a bit worse. Last December I had finished cleaning out all the gutters, and putting screens over all of them to keep leaves from clogging them so fast. Then I started in on clearing leaves from the old corrugated fiberglass/vinyl roofing over the carport. I had laid down 2x8 foot plywood panels as walking areas. It all went very well, but I was short on panels. I moved one from one area to another, but went back to the first area and forgot it wasn't there. I was directing a stream of water from a hose to wash leaves off a section of the roofing I couldn't other wise reach, and focused on that. I took one last step to the left, and my left foot went right through the brittle fiberglass. This time I tilted to the left and back, and the grid like network of joists broke my fall - but not before it broke a rib or two. Extreme pain, difficulty breathing, etc. I've broken ribs before so I knew the routine... pain meds to get in and out of bed, wait a month or so, all better. I remember I gritted my teeth and went back up there the next day to patch the hole I'd put in the roofing. Haven't been back up there since, but I still need to clear those leaves! All the fiberglass needs to be replaced, and I'm think I will be either putting in a plywood subroof (sheeting) with corrugated galvanized steel over that, with some areas covered only by the translucent (new) corrugated lexan for letting light in. In others words, something I can walk on. Or, might install extra blocking between joists. The existing vinyl portion of the roofing was installed incorrectly way back when. It doesn't have enough pitch, and it sags and collects water and it leaks at the seams. But at least the gutter that runs through the middle of it is clean ;-)

 

[circlew]

Wow David, I'm so sorry to hear about your accident, and glad it wasn't any worse. Hope your not in much pain. I've been very lucky and haven't had the misfortune to fall off, but have missed a step a couple times. As mentioned by others, accidents usually happen when tired and trying to finish things up.

As for a new ladder, I prefer fiberglass, with at least a type I (250 lb.) rating. If you are a larger person, a IA (300 lb.) or IAA (350 lb.) as the rating is the total of the climber plus any materials or items they are carrying up. An aluminum ladder is OK, too, (except obviously around electric wires) if it's type I or heavier. Just stay away from the "household use" type, as they flex too much, and only rated at 200 lbs. Most men weigh almost this much or more alone.

 

[retroguy]

Wow...

So glad you're okay David. I hope that you heal quickly. I've almost had the same thing happen a number of times. I've started tying myself, since it usually only takes a bit of a stiff wind to blow me off my feet anyway, but I also tie the ladder to the house. As Rapunzel said, I too purchased gutter guards. They aren't perfect, but they do keep the hands on maintenance to a minimum.

 

[mattl]

David, you are so lucky, as has been said it could have been much, much worse. Wishing you a quick and uneventful recovery.

Went through a similar situation with my dad. At the time he was 90 and decided to clean the gutters. The ladder slipped and he fell onto a concrete patio maybe 5 or 6 feet below and shattered his femur. Ended up with a rod and pins in his leg. Made a full recovery, but had a little issue with one of the pins that had to be removed a few months ago.

 

[sudsmaster]

That reminds me. I have a 200 lb rated aluminum extension ladder that I like because it's light and portable. But it's definitely a bit flexy. I have a hefty class 1A fiberglass ladder, but it's bigger than it needs to be and difficult to manuver out of the shop and into position.

I guess I should retire the aluminum one and get a shorter class 1A fiberglass instead.

 

[earthling177]

I'm sorry to hear you got hurt, here's hoping you get better soon.

In your case, I'm not sure if laughter is the best medicine or if it will hurt only when you laugh... still, here's an old file that did the rounds on the intartubes for at least 20 years. Don't worry, Snopes says it's not true... still, it makes me laugh every time someone posts it.

Cheers,
-- Paulo.

------ Begin Forwarded Message ------

Antenna Raising Incident

"I'm writing in response to your request for additional information for
block number 3 of the accident reporting form. I put "poor planning" as
the cause for my accident. You said in your letter I should explain more
fully, and I trust the following details will be sufficient."

"I'm an amateur radio operator. On the day of the accident I was working
alone on the top section of my new 80 foot tower. After completing my
work, I discovered that I had, over the course of several trips up the
tower, brought up about 300 pounds of tools and hardware. Rather than
carry the now unneeded tools and materials down by hand, I decided to
lower the items down in a small barrel by using a pulley, which
fortunately was attached to the gin pole at the top of the tower."

"Securing the rope at ground level, I went to the top of the tower and
loaded the tools and materials into the barrel. I sent back to the ground
and untied the rope, holding it tightly to insure a slow decent of the
300 pounds of tools. You will note in block number 11 of the accident
reporting form, I weigh only 155 pounds."

"Due to my surprise at being jerkied off the ground so suddenly, I lost
my presence of mind and forgot to let go of the rope. Needless to say,
I proceeded at a rather rapid rate of speed up the side of the tower.
In the vicinity of the 40 foot level, I met the barrel coming down; this
explains my fractured skull and broken collarbone. Slowed only slightly,
I continued my rapid ascent, not stopping until the fingers of my right
hand were two knuckles deep into the pulley."

"Fortunately, by this time, I had regained my presence of mind and was
able to hold onto the rope in spite of the pain. At approximately the
same time, however, the barrel of tools hit the ground and the bottom
fell out of the barrel. Devoid of the weight of the tools, the barrel now
weighed approximately 20 pounds. I refer again to my weight in block
number 11. As you might imagine, I started a rapid descent down the side
of the tower. In the vicinity of the 40 foot level, I met the barrel
coming up; this accounts for my two fractured ankles and the lacerations
on my legs and lower body."

"The encounter with the barrel slowed me enough to lessen my injuries
when I fell onto the pile of tools, and fortunately only 3 vertebrae
were cracked. I'm sorry to report, however, that as I lay there on the
tools, in pain, unable to stand, and watching the empty barrel 80 feet
above me, I again lost my presence of mind....I let go of the rope."
------ End Forwarded Message -------

 

[sudsmaster]

Well, it just goes to show.

Most accidents are the result of improper human actions. When I look back at my mishaps I can usually figure out what I could have done differently to prevent it. And part of that is to take a moment before doing such things as climbing ladders, firing up power equipment, etc., to analyze the setup and make sure that everything is as safe as can be first. The phrase "accident waiting to happen" is all too true...

 

[alr2903]

When we had shingles and siding done, i got rid of our gutters, we have LOTS of trees. LOL the only way to keep them clean in the fall/winter would be to camp on the house. We are on the side of hill so the water goes away quickly. Its been one year now, and i have no regrets, I do need an awing over the downstairs door we use as our main day to day entry. See it run im glad your on the mend. we have a split level and you know the house built in 1953 always had a musty odor. after the gutters were gone the musty smell was gone too. alr2903

 

[sudsmaster]

Yes, if the home has ample roof overhangs and excellent drainage, then gutters are not necessarily needed. But a lot of homes are on the flats and water pooling around the foundation is not a good thing to have.

The gutter screens do help a lot. The main house has a shake roof and standard gutters, but is not shaded by trees so the gutters don't really need screening. There are a few trouble spots that I know will need attention every winter, no biggie. The workshop, garage, breezeway, and carport roofing is all corrugated, and it took quite a while to devise a screening that would work with the corrugated roofing. I tried metal screening but it was very difficult to fit under the roofing and had nasty sharp edges as well. I finally settled on a fairly inexpensive plastic screening that comes in rolls that I simply use to build a little arch or sorts in the gutters. I also use a relatively simple water jet on and extension wand to clean the gutters from down below. This even works through the screens I've installed in the gutters.