fall arrest system for DIY?

bergerdude

Hi,
I've got a wooded lot, so I have my gutters cleaned by someone else twice a year. However that isn't good enough and my gutters backup constantly and potentially damaging the foundation with over flowing gutters.

For $1500 labor I can get some gutterglove guards installed (2500 total for 177 feet of 2nd story guards).
My wife currently forbids me from getting up on the roof, but as a homeowner...isn't that a necessary evil sometimes??

Just to check the shingle condition/gutter condition....or errant frisbee on the roof...lol.

So I saw these fall arrest vests/ systems, for $200-$300...this would allow the freedom for me to go on the roof with safety...has anyone ever used them?

Just to have an eye-bolt anchor on the roof seems like a no-brainer...why it isn't required by code escapes me.

Opinions are appreciated..
Thanks!

Ed the Roofer

We use them all the time and YES, they are a wise precaution.

Which ones did you have your eye on?

Menards carries a reasonably priced one in a bucket that would fit your needs well, but remember to shorten the slack out of the slide grip and to have multiple anchoring points so that the arched pivot point and the horizonal distance you travl away from the anchor does not give you a false sense of security and you wind up with excess rope.

Ed

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shazapple

Disclaimer: I believe fall arrest is good, but it's a final option in a string of safety measures. Used incorrectly it can be as dangerous or more as having no safety.

The thing about using fall arrest during your occupation is (at least around here) that anchors and equipment should be inspected yearly. There's typically also a rescue plan for when someone does fall off, as you won't be in a position to help yourself and can quickly lose circulation in body parts. Also, the force being put on yoru body after that sudden stop certainly isn't a walk in the park, unless that park involves the equivalent of a half ton truck ramming you in the groin...

Basically, don't use it alone have a friend around...