What type rope?

[Ronnie Reeves 14]

Im looking for safety equipment for working on roofs and was wondering where can I buy it at a good price? What type rope would hold up best against cleaning chemicals?

Thanks, Ronnie Reeves

[Firedkm 14]

I use repelling rope known as static rope. It does not streach all that much and its pretty durable to the chems. I got mine off of ebay for a good price. Look under rapelling.

[Ronnie Reeves 14]

Firedkm will check it out on ebay. I talked to a man that rock climbs and he said to get a gi-gi, to clip on my safety belt.

Thanks, Ronnie Reeves

[RyanH 14]

Ronnie,

The device he was talking about is called a Grigri and is an indispensable tool if you are going to be doing roofs. It acts as a third hand to keep tension on the rope and is easy to use. I bought mine last year and it was definitely worth the $80 for it. I still am very hesitant about monkeying around on steep roofs and lose about 10 pounds in sweat everytime I do it, but deep down I know that should I slip and begin to slide uncontrollably, this device will catch me before I go very far. And, it can be used to rappel down the side of a house should you spill over the edge. Just make sure that you tie off onto something stable and that you use control of where the rope will cross the house (the rope does nothing for you if there is no tension between you and the tie-off point).

I rinse my rope after each use and inspect it before each use. The biggest point you should mind is the wear the rope will get when it crosses the ridge of the roof. Since the roof is essentially a course grade of sandpaper, it can make have a negative effect on your rope. I like to put a towel or some cardboard between the rope and the roof to keep my rope from getting damaged. I also bought a 4-point harness to wear on my torso (as opposed to the one you wear around your waist), but it is pretty much useless if the rope breaks. Also, you might want to check out some water shoes if you are going to be working on roofs. They generally have a softer grade of rubber on the soles and will do a better job of gripping to the roof, not that galavanting around on a roof is a good thing for the shingles themselves.

Check out

http://www.rei.com for their rappeling stuff. I put together a decent kit for right at $300 (best quality rope they have available, one of the most inexpensive harnesses, and the grigri). All of the harnesses are comparable on safety, they primarily differ on comfort and application. The Singing Rock was fine for me.

Ryan H.

[Douglas Hicks 128]

In the Search & Rescue, we use old firehose to protect the ropes from abrasion. Slip the rope through the hose. Old turnout coats also work. Runners can also be used to take up the shock of falls.

Douglas Hicks

General Fire Equipment Co of Eastern Oregon, Inc

[Chappy 138]

I was just looking into this last night and found this http://www.higherpowersupplies.com/page/HPS/PROD/SA-R/GFP-00720

It looks like everything you need except the rope. another page has strap on rubber sandals.

[Ronnie Reeves 14]

I tried different shoes and boots on the aluminum roof that I just finished and the best grip came from some old hunting boots that had the bottom worn flat. I still tried to stay on the screw pegs while walking. I wont get on another roof without the proper fall protection, no since in all the risk. I will try some water shoes also.

Thanks for the information, Ronnie Reeves

[Ronnie Reeves 14]

Hey Jon, how does the snappy anchors work?

[Chappy 138]

couldnt tell you, I was hoping someone else would know. I may call them and ask. will let you know if I find out. I need to get something. I slipped the other day on a roof and fortunatly only got a cut. Ive always been the most sure footed guy I know, but some of these roofs scare me, especially when whet with chemical.

[Chappy 138]

I talked to a salesmen at Higher power, the snappy anchors are disposable in that you nail or bolt them to the crown of the roof and anchor there then just leave the anchors. Doesnt sound very practical. and couldnt use on tile obviously, but the said it is the only OSHA approved way.

[RyanH 14]

No way on this planet, I don't care how professional I appear to be or knowledgeable I sound, would ANY of my customers allow me to put holes in their roof. The only way I can see this working is to remove the anchor, fill the holes with silicone, drive the nails back through the holes and cover the head with silicone. And even then you would need to try and have the nails under a shingle flap if possible. Otherwise, it's a long length of rope and a sturdy tree (or truck bumper).

[Ronnie Reeves 14]

What length rope did you buy? Im still researching but I may go with the static rope and the grigri.

[Firedkm 14]

Ronnie,

I have 200' of static rope and a Petzel stop descender. I also have a full body harness where I can hook up on the front or even in the back. I like the Petzel stop, you can still move around pretty good with it and it will grab faster in a fall compared to your typical rope grab. Most fall protection systems come with a rope grab.

I alos dont use roof anchors.I dont like the idea of nailing something into a roof. I tie off to a tree or something that is really solid and wont break when my fat a$$ falls.

[RyanH 14]

Any tips/experience from someone who has worked on really high houses with steep roofs on getting the rope over the roof to begin with? Fortunately, I have found ways to get the rope over the roof on the houses I've done thus far, but I have seen some neighboring houses with roofs too steep to climb and too high to toss the rope over (no decks either to help out).

[squirtgun 122]

Ryan,

I would think a small diameter string and a baseball would be a great way to get ropes over the higher roofs.

Just duct tape the string to the baseball and throw hard,then just tie the string to your rope and pull it over the top of the roof.

[One Tough Pressure 580]

A baseball in some hands may not be a good idea. Make sure there are no windows on the other side that can be hit, and for the good throwers, make sure you do not hit anyone or thing on the other side.

[RyanH 14]

This premise killed my initial thought of a crossbow and light-weight cord (not *too* serious on that).

A baseball (or similar method) could work, but you would have to make sure the cord (or thread) is long enough to allow the ball to hit the ground in the back so as not to allow it to swing back (pendulum) and hit the side of the house.

Good idea, though. A tennis ball (or a heavy ball of duct tape) might be a better alternative.

[Firedkm 14]

I have a rubber ball with a hook embedded in it that I use. I got it from my full-time job at the phone company. Just heavy enough to throw a good distance.

[Ronnie Reeves 14]

Rubber ball with a hook embedded sounds like a great idea.

[PLD 14]

Look into any cable installers catalog. They sell a crossbow with a hard rubber bolt that is used for shooting pull string over drop ceilings, etc. That would work fine. Also, you can throw a spool of 3mm rope and use it to pull the main line.

Regarding rope. I recommend considering DYNAMIC rope over static. Dynamic rope (climbing rope)has a built in stretch (typically 10%) to absorb the energy of your fall. Static rope (rapelling rope) has less than 2% stretch and should be used with no slack and no fall distance. If you fall 5 ft and then get caught by a static line, you could still suffer a serious injury when the rope snaps taught. Think of having your fall broken by a driveway vs. bushes. On the other hand, falling off the edge of a 12 ft roof with 200 ft of dynamic line between you and the anchor would be bad too as it would stretch as much as 20ft before becong taught.

A cheap and easy way to protect your rope is to sleeve it with 1" tubular nylon. It is almost a perfect fit, will pass through a figure eight (but not an auto-belay/jumar), and can be packed with the rope. It also comes in any length you choose. We use it over sharp edges on the edges of cliffs.

Philip

[PPWCOV 14]

Give me a call, my dad owns a rope factory, i work a couple of days a week and we carry saftey rope

Dee Wallace

Premier Pressure Washing

Wallace Cordage

1-800-743-7475