Step ladder height

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Mark M

Mark M

Mark M

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Bit of a daft question but I need to buy some step ladders and I’m not sure what height I should go for? I used to borrow my neighbours, who has sadly passed away and his wife got rid of them, but they were 3 section ones which got me right to the eves at the side and were also high enough to get me on the roof without having to do anything risky.

I’m going to have to buy them online as i need them delivered but there are so many different heights I’m unsure what to go for. Ideally I’d like them as light as possible and they’ll only be used infrequently for the odd gutter clear and of course the Christmas fairy lights :rolleyes:

Edit - now I’ve thought about it I don’t think they are called step ladders, they are the smaller ones I think?
 
By the sound of it you are talking about a proper ladder. If you look at a step ladder side on they resemble a "A frame" and are usually around 5-9 feet tall although you can get specialist ones that are higher. They are not tall enough to reach the gutters on a normal size house though. There are also combination ladders which are usually two section and sometimes have a platform as well. These can be used as a step ladder or the two sections can come together like a extension ladder. These are great as you can use them on stairs for internal decorating and even better if it's the ones with a platform. However, going by what you said about it being a 3 section one I think you are looking at extension ladders. Screwfix has a decent range here but they may not be the cheapest. Only you can say what length you need. You should measure from the ground to your gutters and then add a bit on as you don't really want a ladder at maximum extension.
 
A 4 section combination ladder is a real jack of all trades and may be what you were borrowing to be big enough to get to gutters as step ladders generally aren't that tall?

They typically come in either 3 or 4 step sizes (3 or 4 steps per section) i've got a 4 step one myself and it can be a bit big and unwieldy for some jobs inside the house it's brilliant for other stuff. You can make them in to several shapes which makes them very versatile. For size a guide my 4 step version is around 110cm per section so can just about be put up as a big A frame indoors but it's almost touching the ceiling at just over 2m tall, and will be a 4m ladder fully extended out, the 3 section ones tend to be around 80-90cm per section which is more manageable indoors.
 
I got some youngman trade 200, they are slightly more than the home user ones but are more rugged and thicker so theres no flex or movement when you are at the top!
 
Will be interested in the comments here, our new house doesn't have a garage so don't really have anywhere to house a set of extension ladders, so had been looking at a set of telescopic ones.

They're a bit pricey in comparison, but reviews seem quite good, and the tallest i've seen is a 5 meter one which should be plenty to get upto guttering.
 
pastymuncher said:
By the sound of it you are talking about a proper ladder. If you look at a step ladder side on they resemble a "A frame" and are usually around 5-9 feet tall although you can get specialist ones that are higher. They are not tall enough to reach the gutters on a normal size house though. There are also combination ladders which are usually two section and sometimes have a platform as well. These can be used as a step ladder or the two sections can come together like a extension ladder. These are great as you can use them on stairs for internal decorating and even better if it's the ones with a platform. However, going by what you said about it being a 3 section one I think you are looking at extension ladders. Screwfix has a decent range here but they may not be the cheapest. Only you can say what length you need. You should measure from the ground to your gutters and then add a bit on as you don't really want a ladder at maximum extension.
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Extension ladders! That’s what I’m looking for.

With regards to measuring the house, how do I do that without the ladders?? Guess I could count the bricks and work it out that way!
 
Mark M said:
Extension ladders! That’s what I’m looking for.

With regards to measuring the house, how do I do that without the ladders?? Guess I could count the bricks and work it out that way!
Click to expand...

Looking at the link i've just posted says a 2 storey house is about 5.7 meters, so they recommend an extension ladder of about 8 meters for a safe climbing angle.

Edit: 8 meters might be a bit excessive. It all depends on how tall your house is.

I've read a rule of thumb that for every 4 meters in height the ladder should be 1 meter outwards.

For a 6 meters two storey height would mean the ladder being 1.5 meters away from the wall. Using a bit of maths, the height to the gutter would then be ~6.2 meters, so i'd probably look at 7 meters.

For a 5 meters two storey height would mean the ladder being 1.25 meters away from the wall, height to the gutter would be ~5.2 meters, so i'd probably look at 6 meters.
 
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Mines a 14 rung which is around 7.5m 2(2 piece - 4.25m each). It's a good length as you aren't then putting at full extension when working on things gutter height which further reduces flex and movement.

PS always have someone at the bottom!
 
Semple said:
Hmm yeah looks like it might be just a bit too short for a 2 storey: https://www.ladderstore.com/blog/gutter-clearing-ladder-advice

Is it possible to get extension ladders that fold down enough to fit into a shed.
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Its all down to the number of sections, its why you get ladders with more sections, eg a 6M ladder thats 3 section, will be a bit over 2.xM when fully compacted (they obviously overlap a bit), a 6M thats a 2 section will be 3.xM
You can get some with more than 3 sections but they start to get expensive and hence a bit more specialised so much harder to find and significantly more expensive.

There are some multi ones that function as platforms as well, 4 sections but i think in general they are pretty short in combined length
 
Mark M said:
Extension ladders! That’s what I’m looking for.

With regards to measuring the house, how do I do that without the ladders?? Guess I could count the bricks and work it out that way!
Click to expand...


Go upstairs and hang out a window with a big tape measure. Hold the end on the gutter and let the rest drop and get someone to read the length. You could use a bit of string/rope and then measure that as well.
 
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