up on the rooftop...

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Status
Not open for further replies.
j7art2

j7art2

Minister of Fire
Oct 9, 2014
545
Northern, MI
I've got a 12x12 pitch chalet style house with a 20-25 foot chimney leading to my wood furnace in the basement. The chimney runs along side the back of the house, about 3 feet from the peak.

I had to pay a friend go up there and clean it for me this summer. He's significantly smaller than I, and and has greater testicular fortitude than I (I'm afraid of heights! Fell out of a tree as a kid and got dinged up pretty bad).

Anyway, on his way down, he broke my 24' extension ladder in half.

Being that I'm afraid of heights, and that's pretty high up, I need to figure out a way to safely get onto the roof and be able to clean the chimney myself.

Getting a new extension ladder shouldn't be an issue since I'm an auction junkie and can pick one up virtually anywhere.

The two things I think would be very beneficial to me though is something to hold my ladder so it can't sway. Do they make a square bracket of sorts that will slip over a chimney and have a ladder hook on it?

I'm also considering a climbing harness, but don't know how or where I'd attach it.

Any suggestions?
 
Last edited:
temp.jpg
 
Last edited by a moderator:
The cleanout is in the basement, and the door is about 6"x6".

I honestly wish I could. It's the smallest cleanout I've ever seen. :(
 
An older than me guy i know showed me his idea for chimney cleaning.
He had a bracket on the top of his chimney with a pulley in the middle.Then he had some stainless steel aircraft cable that ran up the chimney and back down through the pulley.At the bottom of his chimney he had a longer than normal clean-out.In this clean-out his brush with a bunch of weight attached would stay inside the chimney on the end of the cabal.To clean the chimney he would remove the bottom of his clean-out,place a bucket under it,begin pulling his brush up the chimney,when it got to the stop on his cable he would let the weighted brush come back down.Then all he had to do is replace the bottom of his clean-out and take the bucket of sweepings outside and dump.
He had it down to a science,never got cold,never needed his ladder,never even had to let his fire go out to clean the chimney.
Thomas
 
Mine is clay. I had thought about getting this, but without actually getting in the roof and peering down, I can't tell if I've gotten everything and wouldn't be able to see damage. Also, ho does the chimney cap mount onto that top pulley?

I'm not ruling it out completely, but I have some reservations.
 
I have a stabilizer on my 28' extension ladder like this:

http://seattleladders.com/index.php...id=172&zenid=30ffc050504dd88fe7b0896e8d4dfe79

It helps a lot with stability weather you are crawling onto a roof or leaning against the walls. It takes all 25' of it (max extension) to reach my peaks.

As always, make sure you maintain proper ladder safety. Your shoulders should remain between the ladder rails to maintain balance. Ensure the base is secure and properly positioned so you have the correct angle on the ladder. Maintain 3 points of contact.
 
I will climb anything, really I'll try anything, look at my avatar. No real super easy way to do this other than installing a device like mentioned by firefighterjake. One option is get on the roof on the low side, take a smaller ladder, maybe a step ladder and lean it against the chimney on the high side. I actually think leaving a aircraft type wire in the chimney at all times is the way to go. Get a pulley mounted at the top and all is good.
 
  • Like
Reactions: SKIN052
salecker said:
An older than me guy i know showed me his idea for chimney cleaning.
He had a bracket on the top of his chimney with a pulley in the middle.Then he had some stainless steel aircraft cable that ran up the chimney and back down through the pulley.At the bottom of his chimney he had a longer than normal clean-out.In this clean-out his brush with a bunch of weight attached would stay inside the chimney on the end of the cabal.To clean the chimney he would remove the bottom of his clean-out,place a bucket under it,begin pulling his brush up the chimney,when it got to the stop on his cable he would let the weighted brush come back down.Then all he had to do is replace the bottom of his clean-out and take the bucket of sweepings outside and dump.
He had it down to a science,never got cold,never needed his ladder,never even had to let his fire go out to clean the chimney.
Thomas
Click to expand...
Holy cow, I'm doing it all wrong! This sounds great.
 
How this for a climb?

 
Would love to have that opportunity. A fellow tradesman worked on the CN tower and said at the top of the needle it would sway 2-3' back and forth, wicked.
 
A quality, commercial grade ladder does wonders. Cheap ladders are for thrill seekers.
 
jebatty said:
A quality, commercial grade ladder does wonders. Cheap ladders are for thrill seekers.
Click to expand...

One reason why I bought one of our fire departments old extension ladders when it failed the stress test . . . didn't pass the test . . . but I figure there's very little chance I will put anywhere near the 500-3,000 lb. stress on this ladder in my usage since I don't plan on being on the ladder with two or three other guys all in bunker gear with SCBA packs on.

The ladder is wicked heavy to move by myself . . . but as mentioned . . . I have no fear of it folding up on me.

http://www.wfrfire.com/ladders/pdf/ladder_test.pdf
 
j7art2 said:
Mine is clay. I had thought about getting this, but without actually getting in the roof and peering down, I can't tell if I've gotten everything and wouldn't be able to see damage. Also, ho does the chimney cap mount onto that top pulley?

I'm not ruling it out completely, but I have some reservations.
Click to expand...
He had a masonry chimney with some kind of liner in it.It was square on the outside and he had a cap above the pulley system.More like a little roof over his chimney.
If i had a tall chimney i would do the same as he did.Even if it meant building a spacer or a completely different chimney cap.
Thomas
 
marks phone clean up 024.jpg This is what i use , it will get me up 40 ft safely, usually the dog has to go along for the ride.I have 42 ft of pipe which runs down through the house , about 5 ft exposed on the roof.
 
If you think the only way is top down, which is what I like to do. I would get a good extention ladder. Get or make a top stabilizer that engages tight with two sides of the chimney. Secure the bottom with blocking on the ground or deck that prevents the bottom from moving any direction. A good ladder at the correct angle, secured top and bottom is hard to have an issue with. When you get up there a second ladder from the high side of the chimney the roof. I use a little ladder giant, which allows the legs to be at different lengths. Again tie the top of the ladder off.

It can and must be done correctly to be safe. And you must be comfortably with the heights.
 
j7art2 said:
.......

I had to pay a friend go up there and clean it for me this summer. He's significantly smaller than I, and and has greater testicular fortitude than I (I'm afraid of heights! Fell out of a tree as a kid and got dinged up pretty bad).

Anyway, on his way down, he broke my 24' extension ladder in half.....



Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
So, exactly how did he break your ladder in half? And did he fall with injury?

--------------


Can you get easier access to the roof from the eave side. Maybe you can get a shorter ladder up to the eave edge (over the rain gutter) and then get some sort of ladder with wheels and hooks. Push it up to the peak , flip it and the hooks will hold it as you "walk" up it. Like a chicken ladder.
http://www.worldstores.co.uk/c/Roof_Ladders.htm
Titan%2014-Rung%204.27m%20Aluminium%20Single%20Roof%20Ladder_A_L.jpg

Quick_Build_Roof_Hooks_1.jpg





ridgehook with wheels.jpg
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

J
What do I need to pass through drywall into a flue liner in a masonry chimney?
Replies
12
Views
2K
The Hearth Room - Wood Stoves and Fireplaces
Drew777
D
H
Enviro Empress FS Pellet Stove - Vacuum code resolution in step by step detail
Replies
1
Views
485
The Pellet Mill - Pellet and Multifuel Stoves
johneh
johneh
F
Thinking about it...
Replies
44
Views
3K
The Hearth Room - Wood Stoves and Fireplaces
begreen
begreen
A
looking for installation advice on Jotul F 3
Replies
13
Views
1K
Jotul
begreen
begreen
M
Nova 2 Review
Replies
6
Views
2K
MF Fire
bundy150
B
Top Bottom
Back