Cleaning or repairing gutters is not an easy task for most DIY and if not careful, you may incur more gutter damages or even sustain injuries on yourself.
It is more disturbing to incur an extra cost or having leaking gutters because of a mistake that could have been avoided. How do you use a ladder without damaging gutters?
Well, for most of us it has been an uphill task that could make us leave the gutters unattended for long. However, this is achievable in a number of different ways as guided through in this article.
How to Use a Ladder without Damaging Gutters?
Related: What Size Ladders to Clean Gutters
TABLE OF CONTENT
- Appropriate positioning of your ladder
- Using the right ladder height
- Using ladder-gutter protectors
- Use a ladder stand-off
- Properly placing the ladder
- Properly exiting the ladder
1. Using the Right Ladder Height
The most important thing you need to understand is the dimensions of your house before you can for the kind of ladder to purchase. If you already have a ladder in your home, check if its height is enough to reach your gutters.
A good ladder for cleaning gutters should offer a good working position with stability and comfort. Short ladders can lead to accidents while trying to reach the gutters and you are likely to experience instability for extremely long ladders.
You may need to consider some factors like load capacity and other stability features before settling for that ladder to use on cleaning gutters. For convenience, get a ladder with an anti-slip mechanism with wide flared feet among other features for more stability and comfort.
If you are gutters on a single-story building, an appropriate ladder length should be 15-17 ft. while when working on a 2 story building select a ladder length of 19-22ft. for more information on these ladders for cleaning, gutters click on this link. https://ladderpicks.com/best-ladder-for-cleaning-gutters/.
2. Appropriate Positioning Of Your Ladder
With the right ladder size, how you position your ladder on the gutters is also very important. Poor positioning of the ladder could either damage the gutters or sometimes lead to an accident. There are key things you need to understand before positioning that ladder.
First, do not lean the ladder against the gutters. Some ladders are made of heavy materials and the pressure mounted by that could lead to gutter damage. Secondly, when you mount the ladder, you add extra pressure on the ladder, leading to damages to your gutters. Always ensure the ladder is mounted on the wall instead of the gutters.
Secondly, on the wall, always ensure you place the ladder at the right height enough to give the good working position to access your gutter. Failure to do this could make the ladder slip causing gutter damage or lead to accidents.
Thirdly, always land your ladder on an even and leveled ground this is in order to give you stability as you work on the gutters and avoid sliding and causing accidents. In the instance where the ground is uneven, you can use the ladder leveler to keep your ladder stable as you work. This can only be done after prior inspection of the condition of the ground.
3. Using Ladder Stand-Offs
In the case where the ladder will have to run over the roof, ladder stand-offs will be of much use in protecting your gutters. The ladder stand-off will play an important role in protecting your gutters from being scratched or being damaged by the ladder. A good stand-off should have the capacity to fit all ladders and easy to install.
When you are done cleaning the gutters, the ladder should also be easy to uninstall and durable too. This stand-off can also be used when cleaning windows and also getting on the roof safely.
4. Using a Ladder-Gutter Guards
If it is unavoidable to lean the ladder over the gutters, there is an alternative of getting a gutter protector. Using a protector will greatly protect the gutters from scratches caused by the ladder. Though it does not fully eliminate the risk of the damages, the ladder.
These ladder guards are designed to fit into the gutters and is very useful in protecting the ladder from shifting that could cause accident.
5Placing your tool tray
When cleaning the gutters, where you place your tools is very important. Where possible, avoid placing your working tools on the gutter as it could damage them. Avoid falling working equipment that could also damage the gutters or destroy the whole system.
Some ladders are designed with special features where you can fit your working equipment and makes your cleaning work easier.
6. Properly Exiting the Ladder
After all the work is done, it is always good to ensure you exit the ladder in a safe way to avoid any damage.
As you exit the ladder, avoid exerting too much weight on the ladder that could damage the ladder. In any case, do not step on the gutter.
To avoid the ladder from sliding as you descend, it is advisable to invite someone to hold it from the bottom and add more stability.
Conclusion
Hopefully, you have learned a lot about how to use a ladder without damaging gutters and that next time you plan on using that ladder to clean the gutter you can apply this helpful info on your checklist.
To be on the safer side, you may need to top a few more ladder accessories to make the cleaning process a little bit easier.
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