Keeping your gutters clear is an important part of household maintenance. It prevents damp seeping in through the walls if the gutters overflow, and it extends their lifespan by preventing damage.
You’ll need a ladder to clear the gutters out, but how can you make sure your ladder doesn’t damage the guttering? Read on to find out.
Use a ladder stay
For proper ladder safety, you should use an extension ladder, or another kind of leaning ladder, to access your gutters. You could use a step ladder, but you might then need to twist around at the top, which goes against our recommended ladder safety rules.
Extension ladders should ideally be secured, so that they can’t fall. When propped up against a roof or the edge of a house, this may be difficult. It’s not wise to trust a drainpipe with this – they are designed for the flow of water, not to support the weight of a ladder. You should avoid propping your ladder against the gutters themselves for the same reason.
What is wise is using a ladder stay. This is an accessory designed to prop the ladder up when it needs resting but the only available surfaces are weak, like those of gutters or windowsills.
Ladder stays (also be known as stand-offs) are easy to install or remove, and are suitable for all kinds of work. Some have a unique ‘V’ shape so they can fit on the corners of a building.
When using a ladder stay, the stay should be positioned so that your ladder still maintains the 1-in-4 rule. That way you’ll be as stable as possible while you work!
Once you’ve fitted the stay to the ladder, it should be able to support the ladder either by hooking on to the roof above the gutters, or leaning against the wall below them.
If you have any concerns about ladder stays, or any other questions about ladders, don’t hesitate to contact us.
Gutter Ladders
