Gutter cleaning is a dangerous job and not all gutters can always be accessed safely by a ladder. In some cases, a double layer of roof, overhanging trees or other factors with the terrain below may require that the gutters be accessed from the roof.
Accessing gutters from the roof is also generally a bit easier to provide a thorough and quicker job.
If access from the roof is needed then you will want to have anchors installed.
Work safe BC requires anyone working above 10 feet on an edge of a roof to be tied off with fall arrest safety gear. That means a harness and safety line tied to either a permanent or temporary anchor point. Since gutter cleaning requires us to go right to the edge of the roof, being tied off is mandatory. Besides the insurance concerns, no one wants an accident or to walk out of their home to discover one of the technicians has fallen off their roof because of unsafe work practices.
Permanent vs temporary anchors:
Although temporary anchors seem like they would be more convenient have less impact on the roof, typically this is not the case. There’s a few different types of temporary anchors.
Sling style anchors can be wrapped around trusses or anything that can support a 3/4 ton truck.
Truck hitch anchors can attach to the trailer hitch of a truck. In order to be deemed safe the battery must be disconnected when the truck is tied off so that the truck is out of commission.
Temporary roof anchor- this requires the technician to remove a few of the shingles or go right through the shingle into the truss or the roof with either ails or screws. Once the work is complete, the hardware and anchor are pulled out and the holes replaced.
Most of the time anchors needed for gutter cleaning need to come from the roof. The ridge is the best access point.Because the work has to be done on a frequent basis and there will always be some type of service work on the roof, we recommend getting a permanent anchor installed . A permanent anchor will prevent us from constantly putting in and taking out nails and screws and constantly re-sealing the roof. The permanent anchor sits nice under the ridge cap shingle and is aesthetically pleasing . It’s actually tough to see from the ground.
Contributed by: Live Next Level Window Cleaning – Foremost Experts in window and gutter cleaning and home maintenance.
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