Welcome to the UK Window Cleaning Forums

Starting or own a window cleaning business? We're a network of window cleaners sharing advice, tips & experience. Rounds for sale & more. Join us today!

Ladders & Accessories

Daniel Perkins

Premium Member
Messages
773
Location
Dublin
Just wanted to get some advice on ladders to reach 2 story gutter level as a just incase I cannot clear from the ground with the vac. I was looking at the likes of the little giant, werner, waku etc multi purpose ladders that extend up about 6m or so basically about 20ft. Would be just past 2nd story level gutters & a good height in the A frame position to stand on to work over conservatories/extensions. I was looking at the Little Giant/Little Giant Dark horse (Fibre glass version) but pricey. I came across this one which seems a little giant alternative and is  23kg, 6.17m and closed height of 6ft or so. I don't think it has levelers.

https://mtsdirect.ie/product/as6-multi-purpose-ladder/

Would these multi purpose ladders be safe for gutter usage or would the normal extension ladder be a better option? I just bought a ladder stop from Screwfix & was looking at their ladder stand off aswell.

https://www.screwfix.ie/p/recycled-rubber-ladder-mat/1268H?gclid=Cj0KCQjwl9GCBhDvARIsAFunhskHx4v7cdkChh4ZW26Y8YTkvb20ojDO185Beph2lXoZYflx-UH6itoaAnfgEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

https://www.screwfix.ie/p/ladder-stand-off/3571P?gclid=Cj0KCQjwl9GCBhDvARIsAFunhslZjQJ9QhkJOUGMIEj4YdL9VcQri5ziYyp0DsY6PH3dNN-4JRux978aAoJsEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

I take it you guys bring the ladders in at night and then pop them back in the roof rack in the morning? As regards roof bars, I take it guys that have rollers would be because their ladders are extremely heavy. I just had a quick browse onilne at Halfords roof bars. Would be for a VW Caddy maxi but haven't yet had a real good look.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, cheers.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I would definately buy stand offs. I keep my ladders on the van at night. It depends where you live obviously, and your vehicle. On a van, you would really have to climb up to seen if they are locked, which isn't as easy to do without the doors open to step up.

 
Thanks for the reply. I was actually going to mention in the original post if you don't take your ladders in over night, do you have a specific lock or clamp to secure them to the roof bar or rack? I have an Atom Mighty to do 2 story houses which the lads here have told me will do the job most of the time but an the odd occasion I will have to get the ladder out. My gutters in my standard 3 bed semi are 17 ft high.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
My gutters in my standard 3 bed semi are 17 ft high
Remember that using the 4:1 rule your ladders will be on an angle. So you will need slightly longer ladders than 17ft, not that much probably about 18ft to reach your gutters. So your 20ft ladders don't give you much extra to play with. Might be worth going that little bit longer. Actually thinking about it how long is your van? Ideally make sure they don't stick out front or rear of the van if possible. It's always a compromise between price, weight and length of ladders. 

Definitely get a standoff as you need to be away from the wall a bit to work on gutters. Some form of ladder mat and ladder mitts.

 
Some great advice there cheers. Yeah I do get what you guys are saying alright. Caddy Maxi is about 14.5 ft long I think and that was one of the reasons I was looking at the multiple purpose as the closed length is very compact. Never thought of ladder mitts actually.

I think the Little Giant 6 thread goes up to 23 ft so that sounds a bit more logical. Pricey but looks the business.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
You can get 25ft tripples which are about 20kg. 9ft closed. £185 from titan ladders. It was 25ft and 30ft ladders I used when we did gutters. I did them for years. But just stick to windows now.

Another thing I would concider would be an unger optiloc extension pole with gutter attachment. 

This will let you get to gutters above conservatories etc. Where you can't just shift your ladder over.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
You can get 25ft tripples which are about 20kg. 9ft closed. £185 from titan ladders. It was 25ft and 30ft ladders I used when we did gutters. I did them for years. But just stick to windows now.

Another thing I would concider would be an unger optiloc extension pole with gutter attachment. 

This will let you get to gutters above conservatories etc. Where you can't just shift your ladder over.
That sounds like a good option alright, I'll have a look at triples in Ireland. I was actually just in the process of ordering a quick loc gutter spike when I seen your post lol. Cheers pal

 
Just wanted to get some advice on ladders to reach 2 story gutter level as a just incase I cannot clear from the ground with the vac. I was looking at the likes of the little giant, werner, waku etc multi purpose ladders that extend up about 6m or so basically about 20ft. Would be just past 2nd story level gutters & a good height in the A frame position to stand on to work over conservatories/extensions. I was looking at the Little Giant/Little Giant Dark horse (Fibre glass version) but pricey. I came across this one which seems a little giant alternative and is  23kg, 6.17m and closed height of 6ft or so. I don't think it has levelers.

https://mtsdirect.ie/product/as6-multi-purpose-ladder/

Would these multi purpose ladders be safe for gutter usage or would the normal extension ladder be a better option? I just bought a ladder stop from Screwfix & was looking at their ladder stand off aswell.

https://www.screwfix.ie/p/recycled-rubber-ladder-mat/1268H?gclid=Cj0KCQjwl9GCBhDvARIsAFunhskHx4v7cdkChh4ZW26Y8YTkvb20ojDO185Beph2lXoZYflx-UH6itoaAnfgEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

https://www.screwfix.ie/p/ladder-stand-off/3571P?gclid=Cj0KCQjwl9GCBhDvARIsAFunhslZjQJ9QhkJOUGMIEj4YdL9VcQri5ziYyp0DsY6PH3dNN-4JRux978aAoJsEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

I take it you guys bring the ladders in at night and then pop them back in the roof rack in the morning? As regards roof bars, I take it guys that have rollers would be because their ladders are extremely heavy. I just had a quick browse onilne at Halfords roof bars. Would be for a VW Caddy maxi but haven't yet had a real good look.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, cheers.
Little giant combi ladder things are very good for inside conservatory’s but as a ladder a normal ladder is much better they are very heavy bulky things to lugg around a good quality ladder  with stand off would be best in your situation I think 

 
Cheers mate yeah it's a bit of a dilemma to be honest. I got the gutter vac to work from the ground but now I'm looking at ladders which I got away from years ago just incase I do need to get up and check out the gutters if something goes wrong. 

I was thinking instead of forking out the money for a new ladder, stand off and having to change the insurance, maybe if I do come up against a gutter that I cannot clear from the ground, just don't charge for it. By what what you guys are saying it's a small % of the time when you have to get the ladders out. Do you do your water test through WFP or would you physically get up on the ladder with a bucket of water?

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Little giant combi ladder things are very good for inside conservatory’s but as a ladder a normal ladder is much better they are very heavy bulky things to lugg around a good quality ladder  with stand off would be best in your situation I think 
I bought a set of Werner MT 26 Multipurpose ladders, on the recommendation of @swc1. Fantastic build quality and very sturdy, all I have to do is get stronger so I can put them in the van. 

 
I bought a set of Werner MT 26 Multipurpose ladders, on the recommendation of @swc1. Fantastic build quality and very sturdy, all I have to do is get stronger so I can put them in the van. 
Lol we have the 5 rung little giant revolution ones and they weigh a ton but it’s a real work out getting them in and out if the van they do have wheels in so you can drag them to the house though ??

 
Lol we have the 5 rung little giant revolution ones and they weigh a ton but it’s a real work out getting them in and out if the van they do have wheels in so you can drag them to the house though ??
They haven't got wheels and I think the spec sheet said they weigh 27kgs. Brilliant and very easy to set them up, as long as there's 2 of you, and they actually change into 12' step ladders

 
Do you mean cleaning the UPVC?

If its off a ladder, upvc cleaner in a spray bottle and a sill cloth as you work along with your ladder, bucket for the debris from the gutter, there is little hooks you can get from B&Q to hook your bucket on your ladder.

If the aim is to stay on the ground, cheap wfp and backpack, I personally wouldn't bother using pure for cleaning facias and soffits, but we have quite soft water up here. I find this can be a back breaker trying to scrub upside down with a WFP.

 
Do you mean cleaning the UPVC?

If its off a ladder, upvc cleaner in a spray bottle and a sill cloth as you work along with your ladder, bucket for the debris from the gutter, there is little hooks you can get from B&Q to hook your bucket on your ladder.

If the aim is to stay on the ground, cheap wfp and backpack, I personally wouldn't bother using pure for cleaning facias and soffits, but we have quite soft water up here. I find this can be a back breaker trying to scrub upside down with a WFP.
Think he wants it for gutter emptying 

 
@laddergarder No I already clean GFS exterior from the ground, cleaned hundreds of those from the ground. I have soft water here too so using pure of the GFS cleans isn't a big issue. Last week I did 8 GFS cleans over 2 days and my back and shoulders were in agony the next day.  I've actually just ordered a Vikan Hedgehog brush which looks brilliants for cleaning GFS. I was just contemplating the ladder option on the off chance something went wrong and I needed a ladder to get up close and personal kinda thing,

Thanks for all the responses lads, really appreciate it. I'm going to take my chances from the deck and hopefully don't come across too many nightmare gutters that cannot be solved from the ground level.

 
Last edited by a moderator:

Latest Posts

Back
Top