Roof ladder

[23vc]

The wind damaged my chimney last night, I guess it caught the TV aerial and has twisted the top half of the chimney round so it's now in danger of falling off
I went to get one of the extendable roof ladders, but totally failed to get it up there and gave up in the end. I had my dad at the foot of the ladder and I couldn't for the life of me get the roof ladder up there without it taking me sideways with it due to the weight - wasn't even a heavy one.
Anyway I've got the scaffolders coming out now (less likely to die that way) but how do people normally get those roof ladders up there, I guess I may just be a wimp but it seemed like you'd need at least another bloke half way up the ladder!
Cheers
John

 

[Alastairreid]

Lie the roof ladder up the wall, next to your ladder... climb the ladder and take hold of the roof ladder about four rungs down..climb up till your feet are 3-4 rungs below the gutter hook your leg thru the rungs of the ladder to free up both hands then pull the ladder up...easy.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Thing with ladder work is, if you're not OK with it and you fall off there's a good chance of major injuries or death even when you're not going up very high so some call it being a wimp others call it foolhardy. Let other Muppet's risk their necks!

 

[23vc]

hook your leg thru the rungs of the ladder to free up both hands then pull the ladder up...easy.

I'll give most things a go but I'll take your word for that one!

 

[Alastairreid]

Did you never watch fred dibnah?

 

[SFK]

 

[pilsbury]

Roof ladders have a balance point. Like Alistair said, usually 3-4 rounds from the top. I prop it up against the wall next to my regular ladder, climb up then stick my arm through the gap between the rounds and bring it onto my shoulder with the hook facing towards my head. Climb up till your stomach is gutter level, slip it off your shoulder and shove it onto the roof on its wheels. Feed it up at an angle away from you so that when you flip it over to hook the ridge it comes back towards you. Job done.

Scaffold is expensive, but if you think you’re gonna die, perhaps a price worth paying.

I’ve got a very tall chimney I need to put a flue liner down later in the year. Impossible to reach from the roof. I intend to “Fred Dibnah” that chimney with 2x4!

 

[23vc]

Thanks, I guess I was just trying to lift and feed the whole thing up from the ground, while at the top (gutter at waist height) it felt like you'd have to be superman to do it. Balance point makes sense

 

[^woody^]

Tie the ladder first

 

[Ian H]

If you don't die you can do the chimney.

If you die you will save £600 on your home insurance.

It's win win.

 

[Nige F]

I couldn't for the life of me get the roof ladder up there without it taking me sideways with it due to the weight - wasn't even a heavy one.

John

Taking you (and the ladder you were on ) sideways ? As said; that ladder should have been tied to a screw eye in the soffit (rafter foot) and to a post driven in the ground. But to access a damaged chimney, scaffold is a must.

 

[foxhole]

Did you never watch fred dibnah?

My old man used to work with him for a while [steeplejack] when he came home early we new someone had fallen off.!!

 

[Ian H]

Was he from Oldham?

 

[noseall]

Take 4 foot of 4" x 2" up the ladder with you (to wedge in the gutter) to prevent the gutter from collapsing as you take the strain of the cat.

 

[23vc]

Thanks all, scaffold is up now, pig of a job still though due to massive 3” concrete slab on top of several courses of totally disintegrated brickwork.
Hopefully I’ll get it done tomorrow and live to tell the tale (planning on using some temp 4x2s strapped to the sound brickwork below to stop the top falling off so I can try and break it up in a controlled fashion)