vertical flues/working at heights

[splinterdream]

18 years in the gas industry fixing boilers and now I'm starting my own business I'm really going to have to start fitting them. Bit worried about roof work though when fitting vertical flues and how to handle it on ones own. Is there any answers to working for yourself and fitting vertical flues? I dont fancy pulling a crawler up a ladder on my own and according to the scaffolders i met today its illeagal, however scaffold up to roof is very expensive. Looked at 7m self assy towers on e-bay. Does anyone use one and are they any good? I thought about finding a roofer to install flashing each time, unsure of cost though. any help would be appreciated

 

[Blackcatgas]

Iam lucky tobe alive, the risks ive taken on roofs when I was younger and thought I was invincible and unaware of my own mortality.......
If I have to do one I use a ladder and crawler, probably done 2 nasty ones in the last 3 yrs.

 

[diamondgas]

I've done a couple but not on my own. Do you have anyone you can call on for assistance. I come from the old school of ladder and crawler too! I work now and again with other guy's who are self employed themselves. It's good to have a network of colleagues you can relly on. Also useful when you want some time off, to know you have the number of someone you can call when one of your customers is in need of you and you're unavailable!

 

[stevetheplumber]

ladder and roof ladder is not illegal sky send there blokes out alone with just this setup
however they have to put 20mm rubber mounted eye bolts in the walls to tie ladder to legs on bottom of ladder to stop it sliding then the roof ladder is ratchet straped to the vertical ladderwhich also has a stand of bracket on it
have to wear harness and helmet and clip it to ladder as they go up
then they remove the eye bolts on the way down and silcon plugs into the holes
ive done a couple of verts on my own but its not easy tiles are ok as the slate replaces one tile but slates and small tiles are a nightmare
best to price in a roofer to do it

 

[tamz]

They are easy enough to do but it is not something you want to be doing with no roof experience.
Sub it out to a roofer. Cost is usually around £120 + vat.

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

we get a roofer in its not worth the risk or the hassle,he is geared up for it we are not

 

[larsson67]

They are easy enough to do but it is not something you want to be doing with no roof experience.
Sub it out to a roofer. Cost is usually around £120 + vat.

we get a roofer in its not worth the risk or the hassle,he is geared up for it we are not

yeah easier and safer to get a roofer in to do the job from the outside , while you connect the flue inside the loft, all you have to do is drill a pilot hole so the roofer knows where to remove the tiles, i use a roofer who supplies the weathering slate and fits for £100

 

[Mikey456]

Hate doing vertical flues, hate working at height, hate extendable ladders to flimsy scares the crap out of me.

 

[gaspastemania]

Oh the joy of verticle flues
Had many a dodgy moment on them ,middle of winter blowing a gale , ladders not tied in , doing them alone totally dangerous and stupid , now try to shy away from them with massive price or if i can try to convince customer to move boiler so can do horizontal flue

 

[bert large]

Probably get one difficult vertical flue every two years or so. I have several long ladders & a proper roofing ladder.
I make sure I fasten the ladder to the wall at the bottom base, halfway up to the wall & at the top to the facia boards with ratchet straps, then I pull the roof ladder up, position it & lash it to the other ladder with more straps.
Its worth spending an hour or two making sure everything is secure rather than taking a chance.
probably a good idea to sub it out if you know someone who is reliable, & therin lies the problem.

 

[unguided1]

I find vertical flues and working on roofs very easy as I send the loveslaves up there, they dont like it but I just tellem they wont learn anyhting on the ground

 

[AWheating]

when i was younger i would climb on any roof without fear, getting to old and out of shape for that now. Cat ladders are really only supposed to be used for access and small jobs that only take upto 10-15mins (ie change a single tile). Best to atleast tie off your ladder to the bricks with scaffold eye bolts 3/4 of the way up. then tie your cat ladder to your ladder.