I'm with the "Don't" crew.

Pay, or do without.

Don't do it. Hire someone if you can't get there with not-too-tall ladder. For me, that would mean not more than 10 or 12 feet. 8 would be better.

We have a customer who decided to get on his lower-pitch roof the same morning that we were scheduled to replace the roof on his home. About 15 minutes before our crew showed up, he fell off the roof, on a single-story area of the home. He’s still in the hospital with four broken vertebrae. Hire it out please!

Getting onto the roof isn't difficult. Moving around on it safely and then getting off of it safely are not so easy!

As a former rock climber and mountaineer, I have used a rope and harness many times on a roof. It isn't simply a matter of buying a harness and locking caribiner.

You must anchor your rope to at least TWO independent and bomb-proof points. Your rope must always be short enough to arrest a fall before you go over the edge (the length must be easily yet securely adjustable while you move around. If one anchor fails, the next one must also provide a short enough rope to stop you before you go ever the edge.

The stress on an anchor multiplies if you are falling compared to just your weight. Climbers who fall frequently watch their rope "zipper" down through all their anchor points.

A neighbor fell out of a high tree when his safety rope broke off several branches. He was severely injured, nearly killed. The branches held his weight to stand on them, but the force of falling easily broke them.

Basically, I recommend against relying on a rope unless you have training and experience.

If you have to ask this question I suggest you don't do it. I know someone who tried to help someone they knew with a roof/gutters. He did it by himself. He was found unconscious on the ground. This was 7 or so years ago and he still has problems from that.

quote:

I need a harness and carabiner. Of which I know nothing about. Which harness and carabiner would you buy on Amazon for once a year use?

Just don't. As someone who has climbed and used that equipment, your knowledge is thousands of times more important than the equipment. FWIW you would want more than just the equipment you listed.

Sounds like a job for the Secret Service.

Got stuck on my roof ONCE. Ladder tipped over, leaving me stranded on the roof (I was the only one home). I don't go up on the roof any more.

^Well, don't leave us hanging. How did you get off?

IMO, while I generally agree with the "call the man" sentiment, it kind of depends on your age and agility. At least it would for me.

If it's just a matter of crawling up there briefly to drive a nail in and come down (for example) that's a little different than spending time up there crawling around stringing lights. In either case, with that angle, I wouldn't do it without a rope and harness anchored on the other side of the house. Those can be purchased locally or on Amazon for ~$100. That's a whole lot cheaper than medical bills or the cost of a funeral.

My roof is far less angled than that, and I won't go up there nowadays without a rope and/or harness. Used to be I'd do it without even thinking about it. For me, it isn't so much getting or being up there, it's the getting back down onto the ladder that is the issue. It spooks the crap out of me turning around backwards and wagging my foot around trying to find a ladder rung while standing on the edge of the roof. Nope. Won't do it without a rope any more, and mine is only about nine feet off the ground. Heck, there was a time when I'd feel comfortable just jumping down from that height. It'd likely kill me doing that now and I ain't that old...yet.

*grammatical correction.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Gustofer,

quote:

Originally posted by kkina:
^Well, don't leave us hanging. How did you get off?

Sorry, forgot that part. Amish kid walking the horses back to the barn passed and I hollered at him to come pick up the ladder.

OP here adding in this info;

Being on the roof does not bother me, as far as a fear of heights is concerned. I climb the oak in the front yard and am 15-20 feet up in it without any safety gear. I am on other sections of the roof with less pitch regularly, to clean gutters, trim branches, etc.

My physical ability is no issue. While I am 52, I am flexible (yoga), strong (weights) and have endurance (cycling). My balance is also very good (yoga, Bosu Ball and paddle boarding). I am physically active every day of the week.

Anchor points in the backyard are not an issue. There is a basketball court / pole that is very well cemented. And a pergola that easily weighs many hundreds of pounds more than I do, and is anchored to the ground.

Accessing the roof is no issue. I can do it from a ladder or go out the window, I have either option.

So the question is about a harness that will arrest a fall. Do I need experience to use one? If they are tricky and there is learning curve, then I abdandon the idea.

Would an instructor belt be enough for this? Not so much for arresting a fall, more for preventing a fall in the first place.

If it's like a safety harness used in man lifts, you need an escape plan, you do not want to be hanging very long in one. I've had training with those (being picked up), they cut off circulation fast, not very pleasant. They also need to be fitted properly, The harness might mess you up more than the fall if your not prepared.

Unless you're competing with the Griswold's, there's no decoration that's worth all that.

If there were a baby or bag-o-cash stranded up there; sure. But not for some twinkly lights. Twice, since it has to come down.

If you simply must, check into folks in the area who contract out for this type of work and do lights from a motorized lift. I bet if you live in anything like a medium to large neighborhood there's several out this time of year. If you live out on isolated acreage.....

Our main guy has already started motoring around the neighborhood hanging lights.

My roof is about that steep & I hang icicle lights. Going up, I walk leaning forward & use my hands. Going down, I inch along on my ass. Both cases I keep my hands free & I'm ready to flop & use my fat ass or belly for extra friction. If I slide off 1 end, it's 2 stories (walk out basement).

Not the safe answer, but I've done it 2x per year for 10+ years. Realize that you get what you pay for with this advice.

I would not go out on that roof to do something optional like hang lights or decorations. If something needed fixed, I'd get a harness and tie myself off, and probably nail in some toe boards just to be safe.

I've never fallen off a roof, but I have a healthy respect for them. Thankfully mine is not as steep as the OP's. Like Johnny 3eagles I did get stuck up there one time when my ladder blew down and nobody was home. Getting down involved some precarious jumping to my shed, then to the roof of my enclosed trailer and climbing down via the spare tire and fender. Felt pretty good about myself for pulling it off without dying, but a ladder and somebody to hold it is a much better approach.

quote:

Originally posted by arfmel:
My dad fell off his roof and broke his leg. While he was in the ER waiting room he passed out. They thought he’d had a heart attack and he ended up in ICU.

He did save a couple hundred by not hiring somebody, though.

Your answer, along with the others. That xray above of the femur with those big pins and screws is what you'd be facing if you fell, which would be a good day compared to 2) falling to your death, or worse 3) falling on your head with permanent brain trauma. Since you're not trained and equipped for the job, you're counting the rest of your life on just plain old luck, to save how much money ? Hmmmm. I vote no.

quote:

Originally posted by Johnny 3eagles:

quote:

Originally posted by kkina:
^Well, don't leave us hanging. How did you get off?

Sorry, forgot that part. Amish kid walking the horses back to the barn passed and I hollered at him to come pick up the ladder.

Good thing it wasn't an electric ladder.

I am going to be half pissed if you ruin my Christmas because you are layed up
Because you ignored that Newton guy and his gravity law.

Call the Man

This is why I just do the perimeter from a ladder & am glad I now have a 1 story home.

28ft extension ladder at my old house [high ceiling 2 story] was no fun