Going up on the roof

[Rocinante]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi

Ladder accidents *do* happen. It's an amazingly common occurrence. They have been going on for a *long* time and (surprising to me) are rarely fatal. You don't hear much about them, but they still do happen.

Yep, I suffered a ladder accident many years ago, before Airstream. Fortunately, I suffered only bruises and abrasions, though the house suffered a broken deck chair, a broken window, and a broken board on the deck. That's why I no longer go up without the safest, sturdiest, most rock-solid ladder money can buy, and a watchful spotter.

Once you're safely on the roof of your Airstream, the adventure has only just begun. The roof is slick and rounded, and you have to be super careful to only step, kneel, and rest your toes (while kneeling) on those rivet lines. It's tiring, stressful, and can be really hot & sweaty up there. Sweating also just makes it more slick up there.

[james.mileur]

Originally Posted by Bob Blarney

Thank you for your concern (really!).

I did forget to mention that I also have a >safety person< with me at all times when I'm working any ladder or roof (don't you?), and the safety person is ballasting the ladder when I'm moving on it and near the top.

And when I transition to the roof, >I'm not, repeat not, stepping on the 10th step or platform.< My butt never goes above the rail ends - I lay on my stomach on the platform and shinny onto the platform where the roof, including the gutter rail and awning rail support my weight. The platform has a stop cleat that bears against the gutter rail that prevents it pushing the ladder backwards. Hmm, maybe this one of those situations where 'You have to be physically there to see it work'.

By the way, I posted this link about fall injuries and fatalities in another thread. The bargraph is sobering.

http://www.ehstoday.com/nothing-easy-falling-off-ladder

Thanks, "for the rest of the story". Perhaps others excited by your initial post may benefit from your experience and creativity, especially now that you posted the warning label we couldn't see. [emoji3]

[rmkrum]

And we all need to keep firmly in front of our minds that we are inevitably getting older, more brittle, and more clumsy as we age...

Compensation is to keep aware of our footing and surroundings, and to be slow and deliberate in our actions atop high places.

Used to have a house that had a high-peaked roof, with over 20 feet from the eaves to the ground in some places. As I used to call it, "two somersaults and a splat onto the chain-link fence". I went up on that thing with a full OSHA harness, non-slip boots, a tie-off line capable of taking my full weight in a fall, and a double anchor system on the peak of the roof, permanently installed. We have since sold the house--the anchor is still up there!

I do woodworking as well, and since I USE all the safety gear in the shop, I still have all my fingers, and very few scars...

Be safe out there!

[Bob Blarney]

I apologize for not making some aspects of this device and its use explicitly clear from the beginning. I made a bad assumption about others' experience or lack of thereof.

That said, after removing the bathroom fixed 18"x26" skylight, I think I'm going to convert it from a fixed dome to a removable translucent hatch with dogs to hold it closed. That way, I could open it and use a shorter ladder from within the trailer to inspect the seals on the bath vent, sewer vent, the inboard side of the A/C and fridge/heater vent. Now that i think of it, I might do the same for the forward fixed skylight too.

[james.mileur]

Now that's some engineering I'd love to see. Sounds like a great idea.

[Bob Blarney]

Originally Posted by james.mileur

Now that's some engineering I'd love to see. Sounds like a great idea.

Stay tuned. I've started a new thread about this, btw.

I'm imagineering it right now. The old dome is shot, but I'll need to make it work temporarily, because there's so much else to get done.

I don't think that this will be technically difficult. It's a matter of making some notes now, of the dimensions of the existing flange that is still serviceable. Then ,I can build the new hatch in the garage or basement and install it 'at my leisure(!)'. I'll use lift-off stainless steel hinges at one end, and a spring-loaded latch or two at the other end. I may make an aluminum frame using bigbox angle, and then weld the corners with a propane/MAPP torch and the special brazing rods made for that purpose. Alternatively, I can make the frame from wood of some sort. The key will be planning for the weather stripping to get the optimum compression

[Bob Blarney]

Having used my homebuilt 10ft ladder, i think it is superior to the storebought 8 ft fiberglass ladder for this purpose with one condition. Unlike the 8ft fiberglass ladder, it shows no tendency shake, or wobble or creep, possibly because it is much heavier. On the cement or on the dirt, it does not show any tendency to skitter or slide but it will flex along its length to accommodate small discrepancies in terrain. And because the steps are at 10" spacing, it is more comfortable to go up & down, and it is easier to find a comfortable working level. If I were to make a change, it would be to make it slightly wider and maybe with 12ft rails - my bum scrapes the rails as I'm shinnying between them onto the roof.

An independent opinion was offered by my neighbor, a lithe 275lb fellow. He went up and down, and agreed with its stability and comfort. When I told him that I was going to destroy it after finishing my work, he asked me to pass it on to him so that he could inspect the roof of his motorhome. But I've warned him:

The condition is, is that the ladder has a limited useful life. It was made from construction lumber (strong Douglas fir) that is only kiln-dried to ~10-12% moisture content. So if it dries out more over weeks and months of the seasons, then the joints may loosen, no matter the steel reinforcement plates and the redundancy of the screws and nails.

[Countryboy59]

Does anyone use a scaffold to work on the roof? I watched Patrick's video and also watched the workers at Jackson Center walking on the roof and I wouldn't do it unless I could extend the ladder high enough that I could step right off onto the roof.

[Rocinante]

The ladder I mentioned earlier is plenty tall enough that you can step right off onto the roof.

[paiceman]

I'd further suggest one consider that if when up on the roof of an Airstream when one steps, kneels, walks anywhere near anything that is caulked one has disturbed the original caulking and any of those places need to be checked prior to leaving the roof. The roof flexes, a lot, even if one only steps on the frame areas, once it flexes the caulk has been disturbed. Plus, in my experience on our various Airstreams we have so much "stuff" on the roof one cannot walk the entire length without stepping off the frame areas, one must literally step on the very sides as there is no simply no room with skylights, solar, AC units, antennas, and sat dish.

Bud

[lynnsr]

Originally Posted by james.mileur

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

What I got. Breaks down, stows well, lightweight, versital. Safe.

X 2

that is what I use as well...... for a lot more than the roof of the AS

Lynn Sr

[lynnsr]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi

Ok, as long as we are deep into ladder trivia:

Ladders have a weight rating. For *some* of us a 150 LB ladder may not be adequate . Even if it is adequate, a 300 or 450 LB ladder is going to feel a lot more sturdy. Your local big box store may only stock the 150 LB version. There *are* heavier ladders out there.

Ladder accidents *do* happen. It's an amazingly common occurrence. They have been going on for a *long* time and (surprising to me) are rarely fatal. You don't hear much about them, but they still do happen.

One of the best accessories for any ladder is a spotter on the ground. They can sit in an lawn chair and yell at you while you are on the roof. They come in handy when you are going up and down the ladder. They *might* be useful when you drop this or that ... Yes, that strange person who just showed up at the bottom of your ladder might be me. It's a "thing" I was trained to do early on.

Trailer chocking does not only apply at the campground. Going up on the roof and "bouncing" the trailer? Are the blocks in place? Hmmmm ....

Yes, this could go on and on ....

Bob

Bob, If you need a 300 to 450 pound ladder maybe you need to hire out the work on the "Airstream Roof"
Just Saying.........

LynnSr

[Bob Blarney]

This has been my first experience with being on the roof of any RV to inspect and renew the seal and caulk.

My first impressions are that the thicker the caulk, the more likely it is pull away from a fitting or to crack. I think that's because the caulk's cohesion to itself is greater than its adhesion to another material or a surface. I see no advantage whatsoever to slathering caulk on thick and globby. The next thing is that I noticed is that a previous worker's wiping action produced ridges and small dams that trapped a small thin layer/pool of water. I think that upon freezing and thawing that this creating these 'dams' eventually promotes infiltration under the caulk and expands holes and crevices.

I'm not convinced that removing the caulk and paint almost down to paint or bare metal can be achieved without exhaustive preparations. I think there will always be at least a very thin layer of the old caulk, and so scraping and scrubbing actually is only effective in reducing excess layers and also for opening up a new dirt & oil free surface so that a new fresh layer of caulk or sealant can adhere properly.

[Joyman]

Great thread

About to reseal some joints and old caulk scraping and replacing with new. Learned a lot thanks

[ROBERT CROSS]

We crawled all over the roof rivets, sealing vents and renewing the panels...note the word crawl.

Bob
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