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Fall harness for completed roofs

858 Views | 9 Replies | Last: 3 days ago by agracer
ForeverAg
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AG
It's about that time of year when I have to walk/crawl around on our roof to put up Christmas lights. Looking for any input on a roof anchor of sorts that can work with a completed roof, or if I need to maybe install one and pull back shingles, what are some ideas on what to get.

Whatcha got?
FatZilla
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AG
^has fallen off a roof before onto concrete, its no fun even if nothing breaks.

Imo, it aint worth the risk vs hiring someone. If its sloped enough to even think you need a harness, dont risk it. If you provide the lights, its usually pretty cheap to hire it out.

I will still climb on my rental homes roof but its only like a 15%ish slope so there isn't much risk of slipping and sliding.
Rexter
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Get a ladder hook on Amazon, and wear cougar paws boots. You won't slip in them.
Jason Ag
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AG
I bought this harness and rope, used them to put up lights this year on a 2 story house. Worked great. The kit comes with a roof anchor, but I didn't use it. I was working on the front of the house so I bought the extra rope to just run over the top and tied off to a deck 4x4. Make sure and only use one shock absorber though. The harness was great, has a pressure latch that makes taking up or giving slack easy. I noticed previously my attic has a metal bracket that can take an eye bolt, probably from original construction. I might see if I can use that in the future.

https://a.co/d/dtl8RXI

https://a.co/d/0JQLixm
Jason_Roofer
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Obviously, my advice is to not walk on the roof. It creates mechanical damage from foot traffic and the warmer it is, the worse you can damage it. It's not like it's going to cause a leak immediately but it certainly might give the adjuster a reason to bail out if you ever need to make a claim.

Get cougar paws for walking on the roof or some Vans skate board shoes with gum soles.

But I agree with the above, if it's more than a 6/12 just stick to lights on the eaves.

If you insist, then the setups in the links above look similar to what we use. I'd definitely use the included anchor. Install on your ridge under a shingle and use multiple holes with screws.

For testing purposes, I have suspended my 180b self from a single deck screw of 1.25" into a stud. For a roof harness, I would use no less than 6 2.5"-3" screws because I'm a chicken and really don't like heights and falls and I crawl on roofs all the time.

Full disclosure, on my home, I don't put lights places I cannot reach with a single story ladder.
Infinity Roofing - https://linqapp.com/jason_duke --- JasonDuke@InfinityRoofer.com --- https://infinityrooferjason.blogspot.com/
Milwaukees Best Light
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AG
Just buy a bunch of inflatables for the yard. PPE is not a replacement for engineering controls.
Chase
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AG
Milwaukees Best Light said:

Just buy a bunch of inflatables for the yard. PPE is not a replacement for engineering controls.
The funny part of this response is that my first thought was that you were telling him to use the inflatables for a potential landing spot.
ForeverAg
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AG
Got our first quote back to hang the lights I have…$600. That's nuts right?
FatZilla
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AG
ForeverAg said:

Got our first quote back to hang the lights I have…$600. That's nuts right?


Definitely, i have seen quotes like that for including the lights as a rental with put up and removal after a 2 month period. Light hangers are a dime a dozen, shop around.
agracer
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AG
Despite what someone claimed above about a deck screw holding their weight, the static weight of you suspended from a rope is not the same as the acceleration, and momentum force of arresting your fall. Yeah, you'll get a sudden jerk and pause as you fall, then when the anchor on the roof fails, you'll keep falling to the ground.

It's a lot more force than you'd think and some screws thru the roof to the joists/decking on your roof are not designed to withstand that kind of sudden force. EDIT to add: Learned this in my OSHA 10hr Class ~20-years ago.

If you're that uncertain getting on your roof, hire someone. I guess you need to decide what your life and/or health is worth to you and your family.

I pay someone $120 two times a year to clean my gutters b/c I hate ladders and have zero desire to lug a 30-foot ladder around my house scared out of my mind about falling to the ground.

My wife's senior year in Aero at A&M, one of her professors fell off a ladder while working on his house and was paralyzed from the waste down. He did come back and continue to teach at A&M and I believe past away a few years ago.

A friends 80+ yr old father was forever a DIY guy fell off his gazebo, a mere 8-feet off the ground, last year and severed his spinal cord at the neck. After 2-days in the ICU, he communicated thru blinking to let him go. He was in otherwise good health.
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