I have two fairly short stories in a split level house. The highest
gutters are approximately 15' above ground level. I know the 4:1 rule
for putting up an extension ladder but I'm not sure how much of a 20'
extension ladder is lost to the overlap. Is a 20' ladder enough to
reach eaves or do I need a 22'?

"Christopher Nelson" wrote in message
...
I have two fairly short stories in a split level house. The highest
gutters are approximately 15' above ground level. I know the 4:1 rule
for putting up an extension ladder but I'm not sure how much of a 20'
extension ladder is lost to the overlap. Is a 20' ladder enough to
reach eaves or do I need a 22'?

A 20' will extend to 17'

"Christopher Nelson" wrote in message
...
I have two fairly short stories in a split level house. The highest
gutters are approximately 15' above ground level. I know the 4:1 rule
for putting up an extension ladder but I'm not sure how much of a 20'
extension ladder is lost to the overlap. Is a 20' ladder enough to
reach eaves or do I need a 22'?

A 20' will extend to 17'

Christopher Nelson wrote:
I have two fairly short stories in a split level house. The highest
gutters are approximately 15' above ground level. I know the 4:1 rule
for putting up an extension ladder but I'm not sure how much of a 20'
extension ladder is lost to the overlap. Is a 20' ladder enough to
reach eaves or do I need a 22'?

You can figure 3 feet of overlap between sections for the lengths you're
considering, so a 24' ladder will be 21'. If you want to get on the
roof, you'll want a ladder that reaches a couple of feet higher than the
roof line.

Your choices may be limited to 20' or 24' -- I don't recall seeing any
22' extension ladders in stores.

Christopher Nelson wrote:
I have two fairly short stories in a split level house. The highest
gutters are approximately 15' above ground level. I know the 4:1 rule
for putting up an extension ladder but I'm not sure how much of a 20'
extension ladder is lost to the overlap. Is a 20' ladder enough to
reach eaves or do I need a 22'?

You can figure 3 feet of overlap between sections for the lengths you're
considering, so a 24' ladder will be 21'. If you want to get on the
roof, you'll want a ladder that reaches a couple of feet higher than the
roof line.

Your choices may be limited to 20' or 24' -- I don't recall seeing any
22' extension ladders in stores.

Should work. Worst case scenario, the ladder goes to the
house, and you have to lean back a bit.

The old fire department trick is to stand at the base of the
ladder. Extend your arms straight out front. Your hands
should barely go to the ladder. That's about the right
angle.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"Christopher Nelson" wrote in message
...
I have two fairly short stories in a split level house. The
highest
gutters are approximately 15' above ground level. I know
the 4:1 rule
for putting up an extension ladder but I'm not sure how much
of a 20'
extension ladder is lost to the overlap. Is a 20' ladder
enough to
reach eaves or do I need a 22'?

Should work. Worst case scenario, the ladder goes to the
house, and you have to lean back a bit.

The old fire department trick is to stand at the base of the
ladder. Extend your arms straight out front. Your hands
should barely go to the ladder. That's about the right
angle.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"Christopher Nelson" wrote in message
...
I have two fairly short stories in a split level house. The
highest
gutters are approximately 15' above ground level. I know
the 4:1 rule
for putting up an extension ladder but I'm not sure how much
of a 20'
extension ladder is lost to the overlap. Is a 20' ladder
enough to
reach eaves or do I need a 22'?

Mike Paulsen wrote:
Christopher Nelson wrote:
I have two fairly short stories in a split level house. The highest
gutters are approximately 15' above ground level. I know the 4:1 rule
for putting up an extension ladder but I'm not sure how much of a 20'
extension ladder is lost to the overlap. Is a 20' ladder enough to
reach eaves or do I need a 22'?

You can figure 3 feet of overlap between sections for the lengths you're
considering, so a 24' ladder will be 21'. If you want to get on the
roof, you'll want a ladder that reaches a couple of feet higher than the
roof line.

Your choices may be limited to 20' or 24' -- I don't recall seeing any
22' extension ladders in stores.

And be aware- a 24' will make you feel puny carrying it and placing it
by yourself. I have a 24' 1a fiberglas, and it is heavy. And for a
heavy-duty ladder, it is still pretty bouncy at close to full extension.
Don't even think about aluminum that long, unless you are under 150
pounds, with tools. A buddy at work, skinny guy, bought an aluminum
20-foot, a name brand, and returned it after one use because he found it
too bouncy to work from.

I wish a had a 20', since this 24' is really more than I need for this
one story house. But at the time, the 24' was 60-some bucks cheaper at
Sam's, than the 20' was at Lowes or Menards...

--
aem sends...

Mike Paulsen wrote:
Christopher Nelson wrote:
I have two fairly short stories in a split level house. The highest
gutters are approximately 15' above ground level. I know the 4:1 rule
for putting up an extension ladder but I'm not sure how much of a 20'
extension ladder is lost to the overlap. Is a 20' ladder enough to
reach eaves or do I need a 22'?

You can figure 3 feet of overlap between sections for the lengths you're
considering, so a 24' ladder will be 21'. If you want to get on the
roof, you'll want a ladder that reaches a couple of feet higher than the
roof line.

Your choices may be limited to 20' or 24' -- I don't recall seeing any
22' extension ladders in stores.

And be aware- a 24' will make you feel puny carrying it and placing it
by yourself. I have a 24' 1a fiberglas, and it is heavy. And for a
heavy-duty ladder, it is still pretty bouncy at close to full extension.
Don't even think about aluminum that long, unless you are under 150
pounds, with tools. A buddy at work, skinny guy, bought an aluminum
20-foot, a name brand, and returned it after one use because he found it
too bouncy to work from.

I wish a had a 20', since this 24' is really more than I need for this
one story house. But at the time, the 24' was 60-some bucks cheaper at
Sam's, than the 20' was at Lowes or Menards...

--
aem sends...

In article ,
aemeijers wrote:



And be aware- a 24' will make you feel puny carrying it and placing it
by yourself. I have a 24' 1a fiberglas, and it is heavy. And for a
heavy-duty ladder, it is still pretty bouncy at close to full extension.
Don't even think about aluminum that long, unless you are under 150
pounds, with tools. A buddy at work, skinny guy, bought an aluminum
20-foot, a name brand, and returned it after one use because he found it
too bouncy to work from.

I wish a had a 20', since this 24' is really more than I need for this
one story house. But at the time, the 24' was 60-some bucks cheaper at
Sam's, than the 20' was at Lowes or Menards...

--
aem sends...

Hmm, well, I bought a 24' aluminum ladder recently, and have been pretty
pleased with it. It's a bit springy at full extension but so what? The
wingtips of a 747 flex up and down about 10 feet and that doesn't worry
me either.

When I was a kid we hired the local house painter and he had the tallest
damn extension ladder I've ever seen. It must've been close to forty
feet. He'd scamper up that thing and paint as much as he could reach.
Then he'd grab the rails and throw his body weight away from the house
to release the top edges, and jerk it to one side about three or four
feet. A bit more painting, then do the same to the other side.

Christopher Nelson wrote:

I have two fairly short stories in a split level house. The highest
gutters are approximately 15' above ground level. I know the 4:1 rule
for putting up an extension ladder but I'm not sure how much of a 20'
extension ladder is lost to the overlap. Is a 20' ladder enough to
reach eaves or do I need a 22'?

Put stabilizers on it- and you can go to about the 10' height and your
body will make up the difference.

I bought one of these a few years ago because I needed the standoff
for a project. Now I love it -
http://www.google.com/products/catal... 49&sa=title#p


And while you're at it- if your ground is uneven, these make ladder
setup a breeze-
http://www.google.com/products/catal...5&sa= title#p

Jim

Smitty Two wrote:
In article ,
aemeijers wrote:


And be aware- a 24' will make you feel puny carrying it and placing it
by yourself. I have a 24' 1a fiberglas, and it is heavy. And for a
heavy-duty ladder, it is still pretty bouncy at close to full extension.
Don't even think about aluminum that long, unless you are under 150
pounds, with tools. A buddy at work, skinny guy, bought an aluminum
20-foot, a name brand, and returned it after one use because he found it
too bouncy to work from.

I wish a had a 20', since this 24' is really more than I need for this
one story house. But at the time, the 24' was 60-some bucks cheaper at
Sam's, than the 20' was at Lowes or Menards...

--
aem sends...

Hmm, well, I bought a 24' aluminum ladder recently, and have been pretty
pleased with it. It's a bit springy at full extension but so what? The
wingtips of a 747 flex up and down about 10 feet and that doesn't worry
me either.

When I was a kid we hired the local house painter and he had the tallest
damn extension ladder I've ever seen. It must've been close to forty
feet. He'd scamper up that thing and paint as much as he could reach.
Then he'd grab the rails and throw his body weight away from the house
to release the top edges, and jerk it to one side about three or four
feet. A bit more painting, then do the same to the other side.

Sounds like confusion with extended vs unextended ladder.

Smitty Two wrote:

When I was a kid we hired the local house painter and he had the tallest
damn extension ladder I've ever seen. It must've been close to forty
feet. He'd scamper up that thing and paint as much as he could reach.
Then he'd grab the rails and throw his body weight away from the house
to release the top edges, and jerk it to one side about three or four
feet. A bit more painting, then do the same to the other side.

I painted a house off of a 40 ft extension ladder one time. It worked
out well, but I sure didn't do anything like that. I just painted
as much as I could reach, then climbed down and move the ladder. It
took me a year. I started in July. I would come home from work,
put the ladder up and paint for an hour or 2. When it started
cooling off in October I laid off for the winter and started over
in May. Of course I didn't do it for a living.

Bill

aemeijers wrote:
Mike Paulsen wrote:
Christopher Nelson wrote:
I have two fairly short stories in a split level house. The highest
gutters are approximately 15' above ground level. I know the 4:1
rule for putting up an extension ladder but I'm not sure how much
of a 20' extension ladder is lost to the overlap. Is a 20' ladder
enough to reach eaves or do I need a 22'?

You can figure 3 feet of overlap between sections for the lengths
you're considering, so a 24' ladder will be 21'. If you want to get
on the roof, you'll want a ladder that reaches a couple of feet
higher than the roof line.

Your choices may be limited to 20' or 24' -- I don't recall seeing
any 22' extension ladders in stores.

And be aware- a 24' will make you feel puny carrying it and placing it
by yourself. I have a 24' 1a fiberglas, and it is heavy. And for a
heavy-duty ladder, it is still pretty bouncy at close to full
extension. Don't even think about aluminum that long, unless you are
under 150 pounds, with tools.

Nonsense. Aluminum is fine. What you don't want is a cheap aluminum ladder. The
heavier ones (Type 1A?) are plenty strong and stiff. My 32' Aluminum ladder is
getting kind of heavy for me to put up by myself these days, but it's plenty
secure when extended.

I have a light weight 20' ladder (Type III?) which is great for quick jobs when
not fully extended, but way floppy when near its limit.

On Sep 24, 8:40*pm, Christopher Nelson wrote:
I have two fairly short stories in a split level house. *The highest
gutters are approximately 15' above ground level. *I know the 4:1 rule
for putting up an extension ladder but I'm not sure how much of a 20'
extension ladder is lost to the overlap. *Is a 20' ladder enough to
reach eaves or do I need a 22'?

What you need is a Little Giant. I have one and it is fantastic.
Although it is somewhat heavy, it has wheels to move it around which
make it easier. Most people turn pale at the price, but if you are
doing a lot of DIY home repair is is a very good investment. Being
lazy and a bit clumsy, I also have 3' x 6' rolling scaffolding and a
24' aluminum ladder, plus 6' and 8' Type III fiberglass. Bottom line,
the more good ladders and scaffolding you have the easier the job.

Joe

On Fri, 25 Sep 2009 08:08:24 -0700, Bob F wrote:
Aluminum is fine. What you don't want is a cheap aluminum ladder. The
heavier ones (Type 1A?) are plenty strong and stiff.

I find my 24' one bounces a lot - but at the same time it feels strong; I
don't feel like it's about to snap in two or anything (and of course
when fully extended it's only significantly flexible in the middle - so
it's only an issue when going up or down, not when working at the top).

The pain in the butt isn't the weight, or carrying it, but getting it
from a horizontal to vertical position; I never have quite figured out
what the 'trick' is there (it likes to lift off the ground as I'm
hauling it upright, and the last thing I want is a ladder on top of my
head :-)

cheers

Jules

I tore off the siding on my house. The back was/is ~ 16' up to the
eves. I already had the little giant knockoff at Lowes for $160 on
sale. Folded in half, shaped like letter A, the top rung is at 9 feet.
I then bought 6 pcs of 2x4x12ft. Stood the 2x4x12's on end about 2'
apart (all 4 pieces form a square) then cut-up the 5th and 6th piece
into braces and screwed them all together. Now I have a "tower" with a
support at 9' high. Now I took my extension ladder, laid down
horizontally between the tower and little giant knockoff and I have a
scaffold that I don't rent. I used my 8' A frame ladder to climb up
and onto the scaffold. I used hand truck to move scaffold all around
yard. I don't feel comfortable with pump jacks so this is an excellent
and reliable/safe system. HTH, Tom

On Sep 25, 2:37*pm, Joe wrote:
On Sep 24, 8:40*pm, Christopher Nelson wrote:

I have two fairly short stories in a split level house. *The highest
gutters are approximately 15' above ground level. *I know the 4:1 rule
for putting up an extension ladder but I'm not sure how much of a 20'
extension ladder is lost to the overlap. *Is a 20' ladder enough to
reach eaves or do I need a 22'?

What you need is a Little Giant. I have one and it is fantastic.
Although it is somewhat heavy, it has wheels to move it around which
make it easier. Most people turn pale at the price, but if you are
doing a lot of DIY home repair is is a very good investment. Being
lazy and a bit clumsy, I also have 3' x 6' rolling scaffolding and a
24' aluminum ladder, plus 6' and 8' Type III fiberglass. Bottom line,
the more good ladders and scaffolding you have the easier the job.

Joe

Jules wrote:
On Fri, 25 Sep 2009 08:08:24 -0700, Bob F wrote:
Aluminum is fine. What you don't want is a cheap aluminum ladder. The
heavier ones (Type 1A?) are plenty strong and stiff.

I find my 24' one bounces a lot - but at the same time it feels strong; I
don't feel like it's about to snap in two or anything (and of course
when fully extended it's only significantly flexible in the middle - so
it's only an issue when going up or down, not when working at the top).

The pain in the butt isn't the weight, or carrying it, but getting it
from a horizontal to vertical position; I never have quite figured out
what the 'trick' is there (it likes to lift off the ground as I'm
hauling it upright, and the last thing I want is a ladder on top of my
head :-)


Keep the feet of the ladder right up against the wall until it's
vertical, then move the feet out.

You could also lay a tube of sand or other weight over the lowest rung.

Do like the fire department. Put the foot of the ladder
touching the building. Walk under the ladder, going "hand
over hand" towards the building, with hands above your head.
Pull the bottom out from the wall after the ladder is
vertical.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"Jules" wrote
in message
news
The pain in the butt isn't the weight, or carrying it, but
getting it
from a horizontal to vertical position; I never have quite
figured out
what the 'trick' is there (it likes to lift off the ground
as I'm
hauling it upright, and the last thing I want is a ladder on
top of my
head :-)

cheers

Jules

"Smitty Two" wrote in message
news

When I was a kid we hired the local house painter and he had the tallest
damn extension ladder I've ever seen. It must've been close to forty
feet. He'd scamper up that thing and paint as much as he could reach.
Then he'd grab the rails and throw his body weight away from the house
to release the top edges, and jerk it to one side about three or four
feet. A bit more painting, then do the same to the other side.

If the paint fumes didn't get the guy then the inevasible oops will.

Do not try this at home folks!

This is why they make scaffolds.

--
Roger Shoaf
If you are not part of the solution, you are not dissolved in the solvent.

"Bob F" wrote in message
...
Nonsense. Aluminum is fine. What you don't want is a cheap aluminum
ladder. The
heavier ones (Type 1A?) are plenty strong and stiff. My 32' Aluminum
ladder is
getting kind of heavy for me to put up by myself these days, but it's
plenty
secure when extended.

I have a light weight 20' ladder (Type III?) which is great for quick jobs
when
not fully extended, but way floppy when near its limit.



One reason you might not want an aluminum ladder is if there is any
possibility that wires will be involved. This includes portable power tools
or whacking the ladder into the power companied feeder lines.


--

Roger Shoaf

About the time I had mastered getting the toothpaste back in the tube, then
they come up with this striped stuff.

On Fri, 25 Sep 2009 17:35:40 -0400, Stormin Mormon wrote:

Do like the fire department. Put the foot of the ladder
touching the building. Walk under the ladder, going "hand
over hand" towards the building, with hands above your head.
Pull the bottom out from the wall after the ladder is
vertical.

D'oh! Yes, that makes perfect sense - thanks :-)

J.

Y'welcome. Really, I deserve very little credit. I just
repeated how I was taught. Be careful to avoid power wires,
as others have cautioned.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"Jules" wrote
in message
news On Fri, 25 Sep 2009 17:35:40 -0400, Stormin Mormon wrote:

Do like the fire department. Put the foot of the ladder
touching the building. Walk under the ladder, going "hand
over hand" towards the building, with hands above your
head.
Pull the bottom out from the wall after the ladder is
vertical.

D'oh! Yes, that makes perfect sense - thanks :-)

J.

Roger Shoaf wrote:
"Bob F" wrote in message
...
Nonsense. Aluminum is fine. What you don't want is a cheap aluminum
ladder. The heavier ones (Type 1A?) are plenty strong and stiff. My
32' Aluminum ladder is getting kind of heavy for me to put up by
myself these days, but it's plenty secure when extended.

I have a light weight 20' ladder (Type III?) which is great for
quick jobs when not fully extended, but way floppy when near its
limit.



One reason you might not want an aluminum ladder is if there is any
possibility that wires will be involved. This includes portable
power tools or whacking the ladder into the power companied feeder
lines.

The power lines to my house are well insulated, then wrapped around the
supporting ground wire.

Tom wrote:
I tore off the siding on my house. The back was/is ~ 16' up to the
eves. I already had the little giant knockoff at Lowes for $160 on
sale. Folded in half, shaped like letter A, the top rung is at 9 feet.
I then bought 6 pcs of 2x4x12ft. Stood the 2x4x12's on end about 2'
apart (all 4 pieces form a square) then cut-up the 5th and 6th piece
into braces and screwed them all together. Now I have a "tower" with a
support at 9' high. Now I took my extension ladder, laid down
horizontally between the tower and little giant knockoff and I have a
scaffold that I don't rent. I used my 8' A frame ladder to climb up
and onto the scaffold. I used hand truck to move scaffold all around
yard. I don't feel comfortable with pump jacks so this is an excellent
and reliable/safe system. HTH, Tom

I think I'll take a couple ladders and ladder jacks and a plank for that job.