Newbie needs help
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I want to buy some rappelling equipment and have done some research but there's a lot out there and it's pretty confusing to someone that is coming into this not knowing anything about it. |
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If you are anchored to a fixed point on your roof , how will you reach all sides of your house ? |
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+1 on a big wall harness, that'll be the most comfortable, aside from maybe an industrial full-body harness. |
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Locker wrote:A "Big Wall" harness would have more width on the waste belt and it would also be more padded. Something like a YATES would probably be best. yatesgear.com/climbing/big/… EDITED: "Or is the use of rappelling equipment a bad idea for painting?" Very possibly! By the way, what are you going to use for an anchor?what gives Locker? I HAD been enjoying all of your replies to questions like this. |
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Hey, how 'bout a pic of the house -- might give us some ideas :) |
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I'm curious... if the roof is too tall for ladders, how will you access it to set up anchor from the chimney then rappel down? I agree that it sounds like a difficult way to do it, and maybe unsafe as well, depending on the condition of the masonry. |
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I work as a cell tower climber, and I can tell you I have spent many long days hanging in my harness in (relative) comfort. It's definitely overkill for what you want to do, but the harnesses we use use have an integrated rigid seat called a bosun's chair that keep the sides of the harness from pinching your legs, and a spreader bar in the front of the harness that keeps the load from the rappel device (a grillon, almost identical to a grigri) from squeezing your legs. I'd recomend a grigri as your rappel device, and pairing a cheap rock harness with a homemade bosun's chair (a plank with a couple of cords to support it) as your best value option. If you start spending much more than that, you're probably better off hiring a professional instead. |
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As someone stated already, the house is not too tall for a ladder. You just don't have the right ladder. How do you think they installed the gutter? |
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Pay someone to install siding and use the extra time to go climbing. |
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Maybe he feels more comfortable with the idea of rappelling down from the roof than standing on top of a 40 or 50 foot ladderI wouldn't blame him. I've spent plenty of time manhandling some huge ladders. They're no fun to set up and move around, especially by yourself, and no fun to be on top of, especially if you're on a slope or out in the breeze. Rappelling could seem like the safer option, depending on what the house looks like, but since none of us have seen it it's hard to have an informed opinion. |
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I can't imagine having easy access to paint, brushes, wet rags for cleaning up small spill spots, etc.,,,all hanging from a rappel harness. A ladder is a must. How many times do you figure to go up and down that rope, to refix, readjust, to reposition it? Sounds like alot of work for not much benefit to get the job done. |
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There are a lot of options out there for rapping and ascending, I'm an arborist and most of us use a simple friction hitch with a micro pulley as a slack tender. our ropes usually go over a limb or through a pulley with one end tied into our harness and the "free" end with the hitch on it. |
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DON'T trust that chimney with your life!!!!!. |
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Mike Lane wrote:DON'T trust that chimney with your life!!!!!. Ladder, scaffolding or a man lift, period. 30+ years of construction talking here.+1 Renting a pump jack scaffold like the siding blokes use would allow you to work a greater area while maintaining a safer environment. Easier done with a helper but can be done by self with a lot of back n fourth walking the plank (aarrghh). video.search.yahoo.com/vide… Use blocks and planks to level the ground if necessary and be cautious of power lines. |
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Can't you just lash or duct tape two super long ladders together??? |
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Sorry for the delayed response. Here is a picture of the house (and me putting up Christmas lights a few years back). I can reach some areas with a ladder however due to the porch protruding out so far, it prevents a ladder from reaching the top peaks. There is a top peak similar to the one on the front of the house, on all 4 sides. There is also a porch roof on 3 of the 4 sides that block a ladder. |
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Jake Jones wrote:Ladders. That's how you paint things on houses. Unless you live in a four story mansion, there are ladders that will reach and can be secured for such a purpose. That's what you should be researching.Totally agree with jake about this matter. |
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Old and Busted wrote:DON'T trust that chimney with your life!!!!!. Ladder, scaffolding or a man lift, period. 30+ years of construction talking here.What this guy said. Consider using a rope anchored to your chimney as a safety measure were your ladder to fall, but I seriously would not hang from that chimney 40 feet off the ground all day, especially without climbing anchor construction experience. |
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This is a really old thread. |
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Ryan Nevius wrote:This is a really old thread.No kidding - the paint has long since dried... |