Roof anchor - No need to find a tie off point

50' Aardvark Retractable Lifeline: Saved me from a 2 story fall off a 10/12 roof. They're a little pricey, but well worth it. If you lose your footing you don't come to a grinding halt like you would if you were tied to a rope.
 
Lou Zehnder said:
Here's ideal...........Don't get on the roof. Shoot it from the ladder, if you need more reach get a longer lance.
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I agree. I am afraid of heights (what the heck was I doing starting a roof cleaning company). Sometimes it makes way too much sense just to walk the roof.

AC
 
Doug Rucker said:
If I can walk it SAFELY, I'm a walking it. Use way less mix when you can SAFELY walk it.
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I agree Doug. Though our Air Pumps can really shoot, especially when backed by the 18 to 21 CFM Air Compressors we use, we always prefer to walk a roof, where possible. Of all the roofs we do, shingle, tile, and metal, I hate Metal the most. W/O any warning whatsoever, your feet can go right out from under you, even on a 4/12 pitch metal roof. Especially when any soap is used in your mix.

Of course, we have tied off on some roofs, using various schemes and methods. However, we no longer do that. If the customer is too cheap to allow for a manlift, we just walk away. The lives of my family members and employees just are not worth risking.
 
Apple Roof Cleaning said:
Of course, we have tied off on some roofs, using various schemes and methods. However, we no longer do that. If the customer is too cheap to allow for a manlift, we just walk away. The lives of my family members and employees just are not worth risking.
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exactly
 
Scott You Find it
Scott D. said:
I was just reading the thread about Jonathan Ellis and saw that one of Henrys guys just fell off a roof and thought it would be a good time to post this.

The biggest excuse I hear about guys not using a harness or tieing off, is that

1. They dont want to drill holes in the roof for an anchor
2. Its hard to find something solid enough to tie off to that will hold them on the ground.

This was thought up by one of AC Lockyers from Mallards Techs about 12 years ago. Ive been using it for about 3 months now and it has already saved me from falling at least once.

You just attach your lanyard to the D ring on your harness, attached the other end to the loop on the top of the anchor, and drop the pole down into a roof vent pipe. These arent made to let you drop 20 feet and catch you as you dangle from the roof mind you. But if you keep the rope tight behind you, and you lose your footing it WILL catch you and keep you from falling.

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Ron,

We make these and sell them at our events. ONLY BECAUSE WE WANT EVERYONE TO BE SAFE! They cost me $48.00 each to have them made. I mark them up 100%. They sell for $99.00. I usually have a few with me. Though we have developed new equipment that allows us to softwash most any residential roof from the ground now.

AC
 
Always safety first, we only walk a roof if it is must
 
AC Lockyer said:
Ron,

We make these and sell them at our events. ONLY BECAUSE WE WANT EVERYONE TO BE SAFE! They cost me $48.00 each to have them made. I mark them up 100%. They sell for $99.00. I usually have a few with me. Though we have developed new equipment that allows us to softwash most any residential roof from the ground now.

AC
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Ron Musgraves said:
Great Price
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I agree! 99 dollars is a very small price to pay for a useful tool on some roofs, that may save your life.
 
AC's pipe anchor is fine for a single story moderate pitch roof, but I don't use it on super steep roofs or 2 or above story roofs. For those, we install permanent Roof Anchors. They don't require drilling into the roof. To install, pop the top shingle cap and ridge vent if there, nail it into the truss using the supplied nails, put the top cap back on with roofing nails and some roof sealant. All you see is a tiny D-Ring that sticks down below each side of the top cap. All the fasteners are below the top cap so no leaks can occur. That meets OSHA fall safety requirements. It also sets you very much apart from your competition. Houses rarely ever need less than two of them. A good guy can install 2 in about 1/2 an hour. They run $15 each in bulk and we charge $65 ea installed (I pay my guys $15 per to install them and encourage their use). That is an extra $70 average per roof profit which adds up nicely over a month and it sets you apart from the competition...not to mention that fact that you are then meeting all OSHA safety standards. I emphasize to my clients that they are permanent so that any future work that needs to be done...like maintenance cleanings after a few years...they will be there. I've had clients call my competition and ask them if they put safety anchors in...when they said no, we got the job.

Double-D.jpg
 
PeakOfPerfection said:
AC's pipe anchor is fine for a single story moderate pitch roof, but I don't use it on super steep roofs or 2 or above story roofs. For those, we install permanent Roof Anchors. They don't require drilling into the roof. To install, pop the top shingle cap and ridge vent if there, nail it into the truss using the supplied nails, put the top cap back on with roofing nails and some roof sealant. All you see is a tiny D-Ring that sticks down below each side of the top cap. All the fasteners are below the top cap so no leaks can occur. That meets OSHA fall safety requirements. It also sets you very much apart from your competition. Houses rarely ever need less than two of them. A good guy can install 2 in about 1/2 an hour. They run $15 each in bulk and we charge $65 ea installed (I pay my guys $15 per to install them and encourage their use). That is an extra $70 average per roof profit which adds up nicely over a month and it sets you apart from the competition...not to mention that fact that you are then meeting all OSHA safety standards. I emphasize to my clients that they are permanent so that any future work that needs to be done...like maintenance cleanings after a few years...they will be there. I've had clients call my competition and ask them if they put safety anchors in...when they said no, we got the job.

View attachment 28193
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I am "unique" in that I lived in Seattle for 14 years, and here in Tampa, the rest of the time. Florida just does not have the steep roofs you guys see out in the Pacific Northwest (Thank God).
Back when I was still cleaning roofs, I liked a Chicken Ladder for the occasional steep ones.
 
PeakOfPerfection said:
AC's pipe anchor is fine for a single story moderate pitch roof, but I don't use it on super steep roofs or 2 or above story roofs. For those, we install permanent Roof Anchors. They don't require drilling into the roof. To install, pop the top shingle cap and ridge vent if there, nail it into the truss using the supplied nails, put the top cap back on with roofing nails and some roof sealant. All you see is a tiny D-Ring that sticks down below each side of the top cap. All the fasteners are below the top cap so no leaks can occur. That meets OSHA fall safety requirements. It also sets you very much apart from your competition. Houses rarely ever need less than two of them. A good guy can install 2 in about 1/2 an hour. They run $15 each in bulk and we charge $65 ea installed (I pay my guys $15 per to install them and encourage their use). That is an extra $70 average per roof profit which adds up nicely over a month and it sets you apart from the competition...not to mention that fact that you are then meeting all OSHA safety standards. I emphasize to my clients that they are permanent so that any future work that needs to be done...like maintenance cleanings after a few years...they will be there. I've had clients call my competition and ask them if they put safety anchors in...when they said no, we got the job.

View attachment 28193
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I believe In staying safe and using proper equipment. I don't however believe in charging outright to the customer for something you should already have in your tool arsenal to do the job. At least if the job is $1000, just make it $1070 and that's that.

We use cougar paw shoes, but I don't tell my customer that and charge them $125 and then leave them there.


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