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Preparing to Work Safely With Ladders; Screening Gutters & Downspouts From "Complete Fix-It" episode CFI-113

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Setting up a stepladder

1. To work safely and comfortably up to 10 feet from the ground, set up a stepladder that is at least 2 feet longer than the height at which you need to stand.
   
2. Do not use a stepladder if a foot is worn, a step is loose, or a spreader brace doesn't open fully. Read the instruction label, usually located on a side rail.
   
3. Set the stepladder on firm, level ground, and open its legs completely, locking its spreader braces. If the ground is soft or uneven, place boards under the front and back feet of the stepladder. Never use an unanchored object such as a stone to prop it up.
   
4. Wearing footgear with a well-defined heel, face the ladder to climb up or down it, using both hands to grasp the steps rather than the side rails.
   
5. While working from the stepladder, lean into it and keep your hips between the side rails; do not stand higher than the third step from the top.
   
6. Never overreach or straddle the space between the stepladder and the house; instead, climb down from the stepladder and reposition it.
   

1. To work safely more than 10 feet from the ground or on the roof, set up an extension ladder. Inspect the ladder: Do not use it if a shoe is worn or missing, a rung is loose, or a rung lock or the rope-and-pulley system is faulty.
   
2. Place the unextended ladder on the ground, perpendicular to the wall where it will be positioned, with its fly section (the part that slides) on the bottom and its feet out from the wall 1/4 of the height to which it will be raised.
   
3. With a helper bracing the bottom of the ladder with his or her feet, use both hands to raise the top of it above your head. Walk under the ladder toward the bottom of it, moving your hands along the side rails, until it is upright.
   

1. Stand on the first rung of the ladder to test its stability. If the ladder does not stand steady on firm, level ground, place a board under the feet. If necessary, dig up the soil with a spade to level it.
   
2. To stabilize the bottom of the ladder, drive a wooden stake into the ground between it and the wall, and use a rope to tie each side rail to the stake, using a slipproof knot such as the bowline.
   

1. If you are working at the eave or plan to get off the ladder onto the roof, stabilize the top of the ladder. If the ladder rests against a gutter, first fit a 2-by-4 inside the gutter to keep it from crushing under the weight of the ladder. Then install an eye screw or drive a 3-inch nail into the fascia near each side rail, just above or below the gutter. Using 3/8-inch-diameter nylon rope, tie each side rail of the ladder to the eye screw or nail.
   

1. Never climb higher than the third rung from the top of the ladder. While working from the ladder, hold onto a rung with one hand, if possible. Lean against the ladder and keep your hips between the side rails. Spread your legs slightly, keeping your feet against the side rails.
   
2. Never overreach or straddle the space between the ladder and the siding; instead, climb down from the ladder and reposition it. Keep others away from the ladder while you are working from it.
   

1. Prepare to work safely with a ladder. In a moderately wooded area, prevent blockages by installing a leaf strainer in each downspout.
   
2. Buy leaf strainers at a building-supply center. Wear rubber gloves and insert one into the drop outlet. If the strainer is too large for the opening, squeeze the tines together. If it is too loose, bend the tines apart. Adjust the tines until the strainer fits snugly in the drop outlet.
   

In a heavily wooded area, prevent blockages by installing a wide-mesh plastic leaf guard in the gutter.

1. Buy a roll of leaf guard designed to fit your type and size of gutter. Use scissors to cut off a strip of leaf guard as long as the gutter. At a corner, or if more than one strip is necessary, overlap the ends by at least 1 inch.
   
2. To install each strip, fit one side between the roofing material and the building paper along the roof edge, pushing until the other side is aligned along the outside gutter edge.
   
3. If the roofing material cannot be lifted, roll the leaf guard and sit it in the gutter, notching it to fit over the hangers.
   
4. To install a snap-on leaf guard along a vinyl gutter, press it into place under the hanger edges.

Note: To order the new HGTV's Complete Fix-It book, see Resources, below.

RESOURCES :

HGTV's Complete Fix-It
Author: HGTV