On 22/11/2020 10:42, T i m wrote:
On Sun, 22 Nov 2020 00:43:24 +0000, alan_m
wrote:

On 21/11/2020 21:54, T i m wrote:

Could (and this is back to the $100 question) a 'good' 5m telescopic
ladder give me useable access to a gutter 5m off the ground?


No, you need a ladder longer than 5m to reach 5m unless you intend to
rig your ladders in the same way as Fred Dibnah.

Yes, I know, but that wasn't really the question.

I read the question as would a 5m ladder give me USEABLE access to a
gutter 5m off the ground? What do you believe the question to be and
what answer would you expect?

Consider how much longer the ladder has to be if the angled away from
the wall. At 75 degrees you would need a 5.6m ladder (and using a
stand-off doesn't change this)


According to the official guidance I linked to previously, it
suggested you shouldn't work above the top of the ladder than past
your belly button. So, if I had a standoff and the ladder was directly
below (not underhung) I wouldn't need to go any higher than needed to
be able to see into the gutter and I could then reach what I could see
(whilst keeping my body directly over the ladder).

You have obviously not tried to clear a gutter with a ladder that only
just reaches the gutter (with or without a stand-off). You would find
with your belly button at the top of the ladder you have nothing to hold
on to with your "spare" hand except the gutter, which unlike those
portrayed in comedy films it will not support your weight if you are
considering it as your backup safety measure.

But having read all the official advice and ignored all the practical
advice I'm sure that you now have a cast iron guarantee that your
preferred solution is safe.

Just make sure that someone or something is footing the ladder. I'm not
a regular user of a ladder but when working alone I have two 25Kg bags
of sand or shingle at the foot of the ladder to help prevent movement. I
have 3 ladders, a 3.X metre telescopic, a light weight aluminium 2
section that extends to around 7m and a very heavy aluminium 2 stage
that extend to around 1m above my gutter height. Whilst the latter is a
complete PITA to erect (it is heavy) it is the only one that I would
consider using for clearing the gutters in my 1905 property.

Even for indoor use my preference over the telescopic ladder is an
aluminium step ladder that converts into an "up to" 3m conventional ladder.



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