At Home In The Woods

[clemsonfor]

Gutter Cleaning Time Again

When we got some heavy rains last week, I noticed our gutters were overflowing again. It was obviously time to clean the gutters. When we cleaned out our gutters for the first time this past spring, CurlyDave said the "pictures looked like a circus act". Since I didn't think I could sell any tickets to this fall's gutter cleaning act, I decided to buy a ladder stabilizer as suggested by Barton.

Thus, I went to Lowe's to buy a ladder stabilizer. Unfortunately, the stabilizer sold by Lowe's only stands the ladder 10" off the wall. Our eaves are 24" plus the gutter depth so I had to go online and order a Louisville Ladder stabilizer that has a 24" stand-off. However, the stabilizer would not be delivered in time for the weekend so the circus act returned to our house this weekend.

Is started at the easiest spot which is the single story section above the garage. I then moved around to the front of the house and worked my way from the garage end of the house to the opposite end. Using the hoe handle, I would drag the leaves to me and then pull the leaves out of the gutters with my hands. The hoe handle extended my reach and minimized the number of times I had to move the ladder.

There is one section in the front of the house where the ladder had to stand on a very unlevel piece of ground. I stacked some boards under the ladder to level the spot and asked my wife to steady the ladder when I climbed it. Having the ladder stabilizer would certainly have been nice at this point. The stabilizer arms rest against the brick and provide lots of friction to keep the top of the ladder from slidding right or left. Without the stabilizer, my ladder was resting against the slippery edge of the aluminum gutters and did not have a lot of lateral support. The gutter cleaning the on the front of the house went smoothly.

I observed that a large section of the gutters on the front of the house slope away from the downspouts instead of toward them. I'm not very happy about that. The gutter company rep assured us that the gutters would all slope toward the downspouts. However, I am fairly confident that the installers never used a level at all. They just installed the gutters even with that trim work around the eaves. I would estimate that the worst section of gutter will have 3/8" of water standing in it after the rain stops. If real terms, I don't know how much of a problem the standing water is but it is definitely annoying.

After finishing the front of the house, I cleaned the gutters on the back of the house. I can access the main floor back porch roof via a window in the attic. Both porches on the back of the house have 3/12 pitch shed roofs. Cleaning the gutters on the shed roofs was easy. I just got on my hands and knees and pulled out the leaves with my hands. I was able to get to the basement back porch by climbing out a living room window.

The hairiest part was cleaning the gutters around the dormer on the back of the house. I've attached an older picture that gives a view of the back dormer. I had to climb out on the 8/12 pitch roof to get to the gutters on the side of the dormer. I've very uncomfortable walking around on that steep of a roof.

I did not clean out the gutter over the two story section of the back of the house. I'm going to wait for the ladder stabilizer to arrive before I tackle that section of the roof. For those who were looking for this episode of the circus act to be as exciting as the spring edition, I must apologize. The circus act this fall was pretty boring.

WOW! im with the other guys. I would not be taking pics of this let alone climbing over 8 feet or so on a latter like that. At least if your gonna do that use some larger pieces of wood! Your putting stuff on the net that will deny a claim if you need one like the others have pointed out. We all do really unsafe things but i hope when im your age im not doing things like this. At 29 i think i wont even do this! im with the other guy, dig a hole for the other foot.
Also since you live near those trees you need those gutter gaurds for real, not that expensive esp if you use the same company id imagine. All these latter holdoffs and things your a part of the way to it anyway.

And just curious do you have any other clothes other than the grey pants and light blue shirt? Seems every picture of you your wearing them! Like one of those shows where the guy has a closet of the exact same thing.

 

[shane]

OK, this is getting funny. I understand some of the safety critiques and even agree with most of them to a degree, but questioning his wardrobe...

 

[dex3361]

WOW! im with the other guys. I would not be taking pics of this let alone climbing over 8 feet or so on a latter like that. At least if your gonna do that use some larger pieces of wood! Your putting stuff on the net that will deny a claim if you need one like the others have pointed out. We all do really unsafe things but i hope when im your age im not doing things like this. At 29 i think i wont even do this! im with the other guy, dig a hole for the other foot.
Also since you live near those trees you need those gutter gaurds for real, not that expensive esp if you use the same company id imagine. All these latter holdoffs and things your a part of the way to it anyway.

And just curious do you have any other clothes other than the grey pants and light blue shirt? Seems every picture of you your wearing them! Like one of those shows where the guy has a closet of the exact same thing.

I have to question any guy who notices the clothes another guy wears. Your man card may be revoked for such things or at least be put on probation. If the desire to critique the fashion of others Womans Day has a nice web site that may interest you.

 

[Coyote machine]

I have to question any guy who notices the clothes another guy wears. Your man card may be revoked for such things or at least be put on probation. If the desire to critique the fashion of others Womans Day has a nice web site that may interest you.

Dude, YOU'RE the one recommending a women's fashion web site, so what does that tell us!?:confused2:

 

[Obed]

I would not be taking pics of this let alone climbing over 8 feet or so on a latter like that. ... Your putting stuff on the net that will deny a claim if you need one like the others have pointed out.

Is anybody out there an insurance agent who can comment on this concern?

Also since you live near those trees you need those gutter gaurds for real, not that expensive esp if you use the same company id imagine. All these latter holdoffs and things your a part of the way to it anyway.

If you are interested, please see the discussions in this thread regarding gutter guard decisions here.

And just curious do you have any other clothes other than the grey pants and light blue shirt? Seems every picture of you your wearing them! Like one of those shows where the guy has a closet of the exact same thing.

Yes, I own one other shirt but I wear it 5 days a week during my day job so it is already dirty by Saturday. So I bring out the blue shirt for Saturdays.

Obed

 

[Coyote machine]

Did your insurance agents tell you that most people are hurt or killed by falling off ladders, and falling in general, from a height of no more than 6-8' off the ground?
Is there any real point to this never ending thread in which you pose various ridiculous scenarios, where you then want to argue in defense of your way of doing things? Those who reply are seeking to pass FREE knowledge on to you to help keep you from hurting yourself or your family members. I can only speak for myself but I'm tired of trying to make a difference in this thread. It is pointless

FWIW:

Work-related falls from ladders – a follow-back study of US emergency department cases

by Lombardi DA, Smith GS, Courtney TK, Brennan MJ, Kim JY, Perry MJ

Objectives Ladder falls comprise 16% of all US workplace fall-related fatalities, and ladder use may be particularly hazardous among older workers. This follow-back study of injured workers from a nationally representative sample of US emergency departments (ED) focused on factors related to ladder falls in three domains of the work environment: work equipment, work practices, and worker-related factors. Risk factors for fractures, the most frequent and severe outcome, were also evaluated.

Methods Workers injured from a ladder fall, treated in one of the 65 participating ED in the occupational National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) were asked to participate. The questionnaire included worker demographics, injury, ladder and work equipment and environment characteristics, work tasks, and activities. Multivariate logistic regression models estimated odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals of a work-related fracture.

Results Three-hundred and six workers experiencing an injury from an – on average – 7.5-foot-fall from a step, extension, or straight ladder were interviewed primarily from construction, installation, maintenance, and repair professions. Injuries were most frequently to the arm, elbow or shoulder; head, neck, or face with diagnoses were primarily fracture, strain, sprain, contusion or abrasion. Workers were most frequently standing or sitting on the ladder while installing, hanging an item, or performing a repair when they fell. Ladder movement was the mechanism in 40% of falls. Environmental conditions played a role in <10% of cases. There was a significant association between fracture risk and fall height while working on the ladder that was also influenced by older work age.

Conclusions This study advances knowledge of falls from ladders to support those who specify means and methods, select equipment, and plan, supervise, or manage the performance of employees working at heights.
Refers to the following text of the Journal: 2010;36(3):258-265

Key terms construction; emergency department; epidemiology; fall; follow-back study; fracture; injury; ladder; safety
Additional material

 

[dex3361]

Dude, YOU'RE the one recommending a women's fashion web site, so what does that tell us!?:confused2:

That I am married.:laughing:

 

[CurlyDave]

...Is there any real point to this never ending thread in which you pose various ridiculous scenarios, where you then want to argue in defense of your way of doing things? Those who reply are seeking to pass FREE knowledge on to you to help keep you from hurting yourself or your family members. I can only speak for myself but I'm tired of trying to make a difference in this thread. It is pointless...

I like Obed and his thread.

He might not do everything according to the best advice he gets, but I have learned a few things along the way.

Personally, I only do ladders when all conditions are right. I am too old to take a fall. If I can't get a safe setup, I hire someone to do it for me. Someone who has experience, the right equipment, and about half my age.

 

[bem1965]

Well, I love this thread! Obed is a fantastic guy who seems to live out a dream! A daughter, a self-made house! If I'm not mistaken Obed and his wife have done a lot of climbing so he is probably quite relaxed with heights... Me I have vertigo so I have big problems with ladder an roof work. On all my houses (5) I have a line permanently attached to the chimney and use a safety harness all the time. I usually hire people to do roof work if my wife isn't interested in doing it.

/Lars

 

[woodlandfarms]

Hey Obed.

I am NOT an insurance agent, but my agent is a close friend. One day he said something to me that has always stuck. We don't insure accidents as much as we insure stupidity. His words, I am NOT calling you stupid. I have come off a ladder bad twice in my life. Once I was on a secure platform that was rotted underneath and I dislocated my shoulder. Second time was just recent, it was VERY stupid of me and it ended with a broken elbow. Both times I copped to what I had done and both times I was covered under insurance.

I do not believe that showing picture of what you did will ever negate your insurance for this. Willful misconduct is what they will deny for. Putting a ladder in a bad spot can be argued that you were in a hurry and forgot. You felt it was secure but it was not. Falling 16 times in am month and claiming it was an accident every time, well, that is something else.

Generally you do not place a ladder to intentionally fall.

I have seen stuff that I would never climb up that people go up and down all day. the other day a very loose acquaintance of mine was killed when the scissor lift he was on fell over. Not sure why yet but stuff happens.

As for the questions you pose. Keep it up. I would pose exactly the same ones. I don't know and quite frankly was never raised in an environment to know (Dad was a bit hands on but not to the level I am and there were no relatives or friends who could teach). I had to just figure it out on my own.

Carl