Power Washing and Roof Cleaning Forum

Dunrite · Veteran Member

Roof Cleaning Safety

Softwash Australia · Approved Exterior Cleaner

Mike

You are 100% right. maybe this is a great opportunity for us all to share what we do or dont do when walking roofs.

Footwear, Harness, Anchors, ropes, lanyards, etc. I know i am quilty of spraying in roofs without harnessing up because of bother of it all. Stupid I know and as a result of Ted's accident I will be a bit more careful in the future.

So guys. What is your method.

Softwash Australia · Approved Exterior Cleaner

So here is a bit of what i use on the job.

The kit is a Millers Roof Access Kit made by Honeywell. They retail here at around $350.00 AUD. Should be a little cheaper in US.

I have included an additional rope if i need to create a static line. (not included in the kit). The rope that does come with the kit has a travelling stop included for setting your edge safe position etc.

Also I have included a pic of what many roofers here swear by. The good old Dunlop Volley. Every roof tiler, sheeter and solar guy I know, wears these on roofs.

Method

Often residential property does not have a provision for an anchor at the apex of the roof. Tying off to pipework or other obstacles on the roof is fraught with danger as I believe it leads to a false sense of security and can cause damage to things I may not be capable of fixing which could be costly and leave the client with a poor opinion of my service. having anchors installed is costly and would make most jobs unreasonably expensive leaving the door open to the cowboy who will do it and risk his neck and get away with it 99/100 times

Where possible I will anchor to a verandah post or solid structure and toss the rope to the other side of the roofline. Climb up and attach to the rope working only on the positive side of the roof. Keeping that tension is the key to being safe.

When I have completed this side of the roof I will reset the rope and work the other side of the roof. (Hope that makes sense)

I heard something the other day that there is also a rule here that you can attach to your vehicle but the guy in the harness must have the keys on him so know one can drive off in the vehicle and pull the guy off the roof. I am not sure how accurate that is but it sure paints a scary picture about what could happen when you think about it.

Anyway, stay safe and have a great christmas. Whilst you are all freezing in your winter enjoying your white christmas lunch we will be baking in 100 degree's F enjoying our cold cuts and seafood, salads and ham, turkey and the odd die hard with the traditional full blown roast. swimming and surfing and riding the kangaroo.

Merry Christmas

Michael Hickey · Approved Exterior Cleaner

we use a one ton rubble bag with 4x 25 ltrs drums of water inside at either side of the house. Each ltr equals one kg, so that is 100kg in each bag. We then run a rope over the roof from bag to bag with enough slack at each to let someone down using a petzl decender if they fall off. We also use rock climbing harness rather than the standard harness because you can die in under ten minutes if you are dangling in a standard harness.

Dunrite · Veteran Member

Whats the typical time frame to set up???

Jeff Thompson · Approved Exterior Cleaner

I found this ground anchor online and had it made for me by a friend who fabricates. Once it's in the ground it could anchor the Queen Mary. I've tested it. Problem I came across is I cannot find a way to get the rope over the peak of the roof. My throwing shoulder isn't what it used to be. Walking up on the roof and over the peak (without being harnessed) to throw it over kind of defeats the purpose in the first place. So until it I figure a way to get the rope over it sits. But.....99% of the roofs I have done could be reached from the gutter line on a ladder. It still wouldn't hurt to be harnessed up on the gutter line. I did a roof last season that had gutter guards so there was no place to tie off and I was to lazy to attach my stabilizer, 32' ladder started to slide down the gutter line....grabbing the downspout was the only thing that saved my butt. So even harnessing up when on a ladder is really a good idea as well....your still falling the same distance once you pass the gutter line.

I was told when I first started.....the best way not to fall off a roof is not to go on it at all. I've always found that to be sound advice.

Attached is a pic of what I had made up. Some ideas of how to get the rope over a two story home would be welcomed.

-- Edited by Jeff Thompson on Wednesday 17th of December 2014 06:35:46 AM

Jeff Thompson · Approved Exterior Cleaner

By the way....that ground anchor set up is for off roaders who get stuck and there is no place for their winch to hook up. I figured if you put this anchor into the ground to pull out an SUV that is stuck....it won't have a problem holding me when I fall.

Fred W · Guru

Jeff Thompson wrote:
By the way....that ground anchor set up is for off roaders who get stuck and there is no place for their winch to hook up. I figured if you put this anchor into the ground to pull out an SUV that is stuck....it won't have a problem holding me when I fall.

Yes and no.......The jeep would be pulling at a straight on force. You would be pulling upward. The anchors could easily "pop" out of a moist ground because that was not the design of the anchor.

Still much better than nothing!

Jeff Thompson · Approved Exterior Cleaner

Set it up like you would anchoring a boat. A boat anchor straight down won't set....let out 100' and it will set, same idea with this. Anchored straight under the roof it would probably pop. Anchor it away from the house with the spikes set towards the house it had no problem holding me. I tested it on a 6/12 and stepped off the ladder.....held.

mistersqueegee · Approved Window Cleaner

The age old problem of those first minutes off the ladder to get hooked in is not likely to be solved by anything. Anchors on the roof still require you to get to them to attach your harness.

Art O · Approved Exterior Cleaner

mistersqueegee wrote:
The age old problem of those first minutes off the ladder to get hooked in is not likely to be solved by anything. Anchors on the roof still require you to get to them to attach your harness.

Exactly, Great post Tony

tjteed · Approved Exterior Cleaner

The tree guys have a small line attached to a ball that is thrown over the roof, and it pulls the rope over top. You could also modify a ball thrower that people use to toss tennis balls to their dogs.

Doug Rucker · Vender

I am meeting with these guys Friday by phone.

Art O · Approved Exterior Cleaner

Great Doug keep us informed.

Michael Hickey · Approved Exterior Cleaner

We normally use a roof ladder to access the roof, bearing in mind that the roofs we work on are slate or tile. We often throw a light line over the roof from the gutter and attach our main rope to that and pull it over.
The rubble bags work very well and can be easily moved if you are working on a large roof.
I did a roof safety course with our local council and the system the course instructors recommended included using an eye bolt inserted into the footpath either side of the house and pressure tested to 600kg for 15 seconds. There is now way I would depend on one eyebolt to hold me if I slid off the roof.

Dunrite · Veteran Member

I would think the vast majority of roof cleaning jobs, maybe not all, can be accomplished with a ladder to the gutter line without ever setting foot on the roof.

If you have the right setup- air, electric etc you can spray just about anything from the gutter line

Jeff Thompson · Approved Exterior Cleaner

Doug Rucker wrote:

I am meeting with these guys Friday by phone.

I need a gun like the one in Dougs video. Who knows anything or where to find it?

Michael Wedge · Approved Exterior Cleaner

Aloha Jeff,

Drill a hole through a tennis ball and tie a small diameter chord through it and tie a double knot so it cant pull back out. If you use a small enough chord you don't even need to shoot completely over the roof, just get passed the peak and the ball will roll to the other side. If you cant throw it to the peak, buy or make a slingshot and your problem is solved.

John Aloisio · Approved Exterior Cleaner

I am an ex roofer and so are a couple of my employees, and we really don't walk any roofs. We carry a roof safer bucket and everything needed to fasten off to a roof and make the repair where we do, but it's really not need with all the tools available today. I pretty much changed our whole policy this year for walking roofs with my guys. We just don't do it anymore....too dangerous and too long to set up correct safety harness. It will cost a little bit up front, because you need to buy a really liget and really good carbon fiber pole, we use Unger, and SWS make an extention for you tips that screws right on and has 70' of chem hose. The whole unit only weights like six pounds and we really only need to clean a roof with them for about five minutes on the tough jobs with hard to reach areas....ie.. Crazy dormers and stuff. Also the help in the wind and with tall house washes.

Jeff Thompson · Approved Exterior Cleaner

John Aloisio wrote:
I am an ex roofer and so are a couple of my employees, and we really don't walk any roofs. We carry a roof safer bucket and everything needed to fasten off to a roof and make the repair where we do, but it's really not need with all the tools available today. I pretty much changed our whole policy this year for walking roofs with my guys. We just don't do it anymore....too dangerous and too long to set up correct safety harness. It will cost a little bit up front, because you need to buy a really liget and really good carbon fiber pole, we use Unger, and SWS make an extention for you tips that screws right on and has 70' of chem hose. The whole unit only weights like six pounds and we really only need to clean a roof with them for about five minutes on the tough jobs with hard to reach areas....ie.. Crazy dormers and stuff. Also the help in the wind and with tall house washes.

I just got my pole late last season and haven't had a chance to use it yet. But it was my hope that it would take care of all those hard to reach areas you mentioned. I am with what appears to me the minority when it comes to not walking on roofs. So many seem to do it for no reason. Why get up there when you don't have to. Like you mentioned, with all the tools available today, most roofs can be cleaned from the roof line, and sometimes right from the ground.

John, have you done a two story roof with your pole from the ground yet???

-- Edited by Jeff Thompson on Friday 19th of December 2014 06:42:47 AM

John Aloisio · Approved Exterior Cleaner

We have not done a whole roof from the ground with a pole, just some touch up if we already moved a ladder. Althought you could, especially with the 53' pole, but your arms would be tired.....just easier to use a ladder from the gutter line. Let the chemical do the work. Even if you use another ten gallons of mix, that's cheaper than a fall.

mistersqueegee · Approved Window Cleaner

mistersqueegee wrote:
The age old problem of those first minutes off the ladder to get hooked in is not likely to be solved by anything. Anchors on the roof still require you to get to them to attach your harness.

This might be the answer. What do you think?

Doug Rucker · Vender

Looks like a cheaper version of the chicken ladder

BlueRidge · Approved Exterior Cleaner

So good to see this post. As some here know, I fell 5/13 from eye level to the soffit. Really odd situation that I should have walked away from. The trees didn't allow access for the 36' ladder to allow the work to be completed from above so I set up under the soffit with the stand off to bring me out farther to repair two missing shingles on the edge. No gutter to help stabilize and before I knew it... I was in flight! After 35 years of all sorts of ladder work and crazy about proper ladder placement, I was just too comfortable. Fortunately the ground was soft from rain and that my elbow hit a rock and not some other part of my body that could have put me on the mantle or eating from a straw. The two broken ribs where the worst part of the whole thing. After that I made some big changes, one of which is to avoid jobs that can be problematic when it comes to safety. We got the roof clean the following week and they actually wanted us to continue with the repair. It never got done by us!

I like this Goat Assist. Certainly a tool that can have it's place but the roof ladder seems to me to be more comfortable and stable for those times you can't get that hidden spot.

Ed Thompson · Approved Exterior Cleaner

I feel like it should be code to have anchors installed on roofs. It will save lives with minimal cost. Maybe somehow we can lobby this? Not much of a politician, but I'm sure it won't take much to make a compelling argument.

Ed Thompson · Approved Exterior Cleaner

I've been thinking about this for a long time. I'm going to make an effort to start in my home town. It makes so much sense.

Dunrite · Veteran Member

Ed Thompson wrote:
I've been thinking about this for a long time. I'm going to make an effort to start in my home town. It makes so much sense.

City or Townships in NJ can add this to their existing code by ordinance

Its like Smoke alarms- The state code says one thing- many towns add more and have a different version as long as its not less than the State code

It sounds reasonable- what would a potential argument be made not to??

Ed Thompson · Approved Exterior Cleaner

I think you just have to make the effort to show up to the meetings and propose it, I guess. I'll look into it.

Art O · Approved Exterior Cleaner

The liability part of it may kill it. Who's responsible for it. The Homeowner or the installer. It may need to be inspected every few years also. But that would make the inspector liable. Its a tuff sell one way or the other.

Dunrite · Veteran Member

Art O wrote:
The liability part of it may kill it. Who's responsible for it. The Homeowner or the installer. It may need to be inspected every few years also. But that would make the inspector liable. Its a tuff sell one way or the other.

The bigger issue is you probably cant implement something like this to existing structures- like all updates to any building code they would probably be grandfathered in- You cant create a code to an existing structure unless a modification is done to it like an addition, etc

Since a building permit is not required for a re roof It would only apply, if it passed, to "new" construction

So most roofs that roof cleaning jobs would be performed on would most likely not be mandated by code to have an anchor