# Best extension ladder



## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

Uh...3 stories...hire someone or get one of those gutter cleaners that is on an extension pole.

40' ladder is less than fun to handle as a single person.


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## roofermann (Nov 18, 2013)

Windows on Wash said:


> Uh...3 stories...hire someone or get one of those gutter cleaners that is on an extension pole.
> 
> 40' ladder is less than fun to handle as a single person.


A polite way to say it's a PITA!:wink2:


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## Bud9051 (Nov 11, 2015)

You may want to pick up some disposable diapers.

I had to deal with clearing snow and ice off of a 20' to 30' roof, 5/12 pitch. My thoughts (never built it) was to create an access through a ceiling/roof hatch so I could exit to the roof from inside the house. Then with proper ropes and harness I could easily access everywhere. If your slope is modest it sure would beat a 3 story ladder.

Note, I re-shingled my cape roof recently (9/12) and with a really sturdy 5/8" rope tied off getting around was a piece of cake.

PS, my 16' extension ladder goes to 30+ feet and no way am I working off the top of it, let alone another 10 feet or so.

Bud


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## MTN REMODEL LLC (Sep 11, 2010)

AGREE ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I had a 36 that was a PITA for one person......had to place it against a tree to get it vertical....and then wrestle it over to it's work spot.

If possible, I like buds idea for access on a regular basis to gutters. Get a good climbing belt and put some good tie offs I bolts into a chimney or something.


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## Yodaman (Mar 9, 2015)

Cleaning 4 times per year. Sounds to me like some near by trees need cutting.
Install screens to keep leaves out.


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## HandyAndyInNC (Jun 4, 2018)

We have a tall 3 story house with a full walk in attic that has 16ft ceiling height. I rented a boom truck for the last time I cleaned the gutters. with a porch roof 3/4 of the way around the house, I could not use a ladder. While I had it, I looked at all the chimney's for damage etc...
After that time, I rented the same 60 foot boom truck to replace all the gutters with half moon 6 inch copper gutters. I have had all the trees removed that were too close to the house. They had not been maintained well and were not in the best of health. We still have a few large trees, but none close/over the roof of the house. I would not have attempted this using a ladder. You have to think about the over hang of the roof. And for something that high, I would never think of using an aluminum ladder. It will only bow in the middle.
I did install eye bolts along the path of the roof above the porch. That way I can easily step out of a window and walk the roof to wash the windows. I ran a rubber coated steel cable thru all the eye bolts, and I wear a harness while working up there.
For maintenance on the upper roof area, I have a drone with a camera I use to check the condition of things first. Then if something is incorrect, or needing maintenance, I will rent the boom truck for that roof.


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## NickTheGreat (Jul 25, 2014)

A 40' Werner Fiberglass extension ladder is 125 lbs. The aluminum one is 100 lbs, and I wouldn't want to get up on that! 

I was on a quest for years for that very thing, then gave up on it. There's no way to get a boom truck in my back yard, so I just plan to hire out things like that when the time comes. And that type of thing really bugs me.


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## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

I find the Aluminum to be more stable than the fiberglass despite the rating. The fiberglass may hold more, but it flexes more too.


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## bluefish7 (Sep 22, 2014)

Well I say 3 stories but its just left side of the house in this attached pic, thats not outrageous


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## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

NickTheGreat said:


> A 40' Werner Fiberglass extension ladder is 125 lbs. The aluminum one is 100 lbs, and I wouldn't want to get up on that!
> 
> I was on a quest for years for that very thing, then gave up on it. There's no way to get a boom truck in my back yard, so I just plan to hire out things like that when the time comes. And that type of thing really bugs me.



I think those figures are wrong!


Type III ladder is rated for 200 lbs
Type II ladder for 225 lbs
Type I ladder is rated for 250 lbs
I'm not sure what the rating is for with a Type IA but it's heavier duty than type I


Personally I won't own a type III ladder and I don't want a type II that is over 24' Most of my ladders are type I. The heavier ladders are more stable and don't get wobbly as the age like the light weight ones do.


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## NickTheGreat (Jul 25, 2014)

mark sr said:


> I think those figures are wrong!
> 
> 
> Type III ladder is rated for 200 lbs
> ...


I just did a quick google and found the link at HD
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Werner-...apacity-Type-IA-Duty-Rating-D7140-2/203134431

:shrug:

Either way, I've lifted them up before and thought I would not want to be horsing it around my yard. And I'm a big dude, fairly young and strong. :vs_whistle:

**edit
I was talking ladder weight not ladder rating.


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## chandler48 (Jun 5, 2017)

This is "it" nowadays. I don't like ladders. If you hire someone to do the work, make sure they are insured and check your own homeowner's policy. It ain't the fall.....it's the sudden stop.


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## ChuckF. (Aug 25, 2013)

I have a similar layout, and I get by with only putting a ladder on the deck, and reaching the gutters to the left and right with a cleaning stick that I made. It's a 12' poplar 1x2" with a piece of plastic on the end that matches the bottom of the gutter, cut from a 6" wide plastic spatula. I have to jump the stick where the hangers are, but that's better than working off the ground with a much longer ladder.


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## roughneck (Nov 28, 2014)

You’ll not get a ladder around the whole house with that porch and such. 
Rent a boom lift. 1000% more stable, safer, and easier to use. 
This is coming from someone who uses ladders and accesses a lot of rooftop areas.


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## ron45 (Feb 25, 2014)

Way-back-when.

I had to deal with a wooden 40' extension ladder. 

Then we got a hold of an aluminum one. :smile:

To the crew that got the wooden one. :vs_smirk:


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## Old Thomas (Nov 28, 2019)

I have owned a lot of ladders and I like Louisville fiberglass the best. Flat top rungs are easy on the feet. They don’t conduct electricity, either.


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## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

> I had to deal with a wooden 40' extension ladder.



I also worked off one way back when. I could set up and move an aluminum 40' ladder by myself but with the wooden ones you had to have help!!


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## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

If you are doing it 3 times a year, get one of those gutter extension cleaners or just invest in some gutter covers.


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## SPS-1 (Oct 21, 2008)

HandyAndyInNC said:


> For maintenance on the upper roof area, I have a drone with a camera I use to check the condition of things first.



Great idea for somebody with a two or three story house.


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## huesmann (Aug 18, 2011)

What's the pitch on your roof?


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## 3onthetree (Dec 7, 2018)

If its a 3 or 4/12 I do it from the roof


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## ZTMAN (Feb 19, 2015)

bluefish7 said:


> Well I say 3 stories but its just left side of the house in this attached pic, thats not outrageous


I have a 12' step ladder and an extension for my leaf blower:

https://www.amazon.com/GENUINE-OEM-...ocphy=1024922&hvtargid=pla-443384616458&psc=1

Works great.

I won't go up my 36' Werner any more


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## carpdad (Oct 11, 2010)

I don't see overhanging trees or pines. Your worst problem could be stringy pollens in spring (depending on your trees, but again, not many and no overhangs) but they also blow away if dry. Install gutter guards like in the images and tuck under the shingles in a slope, never flat in the gutter. With spring and fall inspections, esp behind the chimney, you shouldn't have to clean very often.
I screw the front of the guard's reinforcing spine into the front the gutter. Also at the joints, remove about 2" of the spine on one side so the mesh can overlap.
Big ladder is also a storage problem and I think you should not tempt yourself with this kind of diy project, year after year.:smile:


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## huesmann (Aug 18, 2011)

3onthetree said:


> If its a 3 or 4/12 I do it from the roof


Same. Park my butt on the roof above the gutter sitting cross-legged and scoop the crud out of the gutter, tossing it over the edge. Then I scootch my butt along the roof to the next section of uncleaned gutter.


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## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

I don't do ladders like that. Crazy for a homeowner who doesn't do this routinely to take that kind of risk, IMO. My house backs to a big woods so I used to have to have a guy out a couple times a year, so I eventually got gutter helmet. It worked great and was 100% maintenance free for ~17 years then developed a small blockage. Luckily I have a ladder savvy friend who went up and easily took care of it using my 22' Little Giant ladder. I use this for lesser stuff like indoor cathedral ceilings but leave the high exterior stuff to thems that can. That ladder fees pretty solid and stable although when fully extended the upper rungs are a tad skinny... which makes it even tougher for me.

I have a townhouse so the $300 I paid for the gutter helmet way back when has long since been amortized by avoiding those cleaning costs. I suspect a few of the other gutter systems work pretty well, too, but I can personally attest to the gutter helmet brand.


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## ron45 (Feb 25, 2014)

When your done the wife would greatly appreciate the rinsing of the siding.

But that's no problem.

https://www.google.com/shopping/pro...&ved=0ahUKEwi4uJeL6IboAhXshHIEHQ4ZDzYQ8wIIrwM


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## Mattbingco (Nov 9, 2017)

3 stories!! Yikes.
I have one of those scaffold/ladder units and I love it. Super sturdy and versatile. I’d go for something similar. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## DerfIV (Sep 12, 2019)

raylo32 said:


> I don't do ladders like that. Crazy for a homeowner who doesn't do this routinely to take that kind of risk, IMO.


That's my thought on it too. Even dismissing humanitarian concerns there is no way I'd save enough money on a DIY project like that to pay for the care I'd need (assuming I survived the fall) should I make an "unplanned dismount" from the ladder. 

If you insist, do make sure your disability and life insurance policies are paid up. And the disability is the biggie; it costs your family a lot more for you to be disabled for decades than it does to merely die outright.


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## Mr.Vile (Dec 19, 2018)

bluefish7,
My gutters are high too so I built a gutter cleaning attachment for my shop vac. It works extremely well and now I don't hafta mess with the ladder anymore. I have one of those multi-position ladders and, fully extended, I was barely man enough to handle it. Plus, I'm not too fond of heights so the attachment was the perfect solution for me. It's also cheap to make. Here's a video of the assembly and operation:






If you have any questions, let me know.

-Mike


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## huesmann (Aug 18, 2011)

Your shop vac must be really powerful.


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## Mr.Vile (Dec 19, 2018)

huesmann,
It's the "5 HP" Ridgid model from Home Depot, I think it was around $50. They make stronger ones but the one I have works well for my needs.

-Mike


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## snic (Sep 16, 2018)

bluefish7 said:


> Well I say 3 stories but its just left side of the house in this attached pic, thats not outrageous


That looks a lot like the back of a house I used to own. I hired a gutter cleaning company, and if I recall correctly, their crew went up to the roof (with safety harnesses) and cleaned the gutters from there.

There is also a robot that is less prone to suing you if it falls:

https://store.irobot.com/default/looj-gutter-cleaning/irobot-looj-330/L330020.html


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## ron45 (Feb 25, 2014)

Actually I would use an extension ladder to get onto the deck/porch roof then a step ladder to get onto the highest part.

Or just the extension from the deck to the highest roof.


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## jmig7 (Jul 11, 2017)

https://www.wernerco.com/us/products/ladders/multi-ladders/MTSeries/MT-26


scroll down project height 3+ stories


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