[martinsadie]

stan mate looks like you live life on the dangerous side bet your custies are in fear of you damaging there prized posessions do you still av any custies left mate

more than most 

[A & J Owen Window Cleaning]

well its more luck then skill mate

[cornelius jemmerso]

iv NEVER seen a trad cleaner with ladders on his shoulder AND  a standoff  hooked on the end .   i know a lot of trad guys too, all just hav  ladders with spikes , i think the standoff   would  slow you down too much BOBBY , imo

[martinsadie]

iv NEVER seen a trad cleaner with ladders on his shoulder AND  a standoff  hooked on the end .   i know a lot of trad guys too, all just hav  ladders with spikes , i think the standoff   would  slow you down too much BOBBY , imo

thank god for that some one agrees with me 

[traps7]

on 1st floor bays where are u lads placing the ladder ? and do u pitch it up twice or 3 times to do  the bay totally ?. im pitching mine below the sill ,  but its a real stretch to reach the top openers .  i pitch my ladder twice to do the whole bay

Are we talking old Victorian bay windows where the sashwindow is about 5' tall and your standard ladder just pokes over the sill and your face is up against the glass window lickin?

I used to avoid those windows like the plague when trad! They're a nightmare.

[bobby p]

thats it exactly ,where my face is right up agenst the glass .   some of these bay windows  curve round, with  5 long vertical panes with little square openers at the top . id guess theyr 5 foot tall yes .  it took me a while to get any confidence with these,  you cant put the ladder above the top-frame cos theres no room.  the towns round here are full of these so i  cant avoid em .   

[Gleaming windows]

Never has IME Stan.

[Gleaming windows]

iv NEVER seen a trad cleaner with ladders on his shoulder AND  a standoff  hooked on the end .   i know a lot of trad guys too, all just hav  ladders with spikes , i think the standoff   would  slow you down too much BOBBY , imo

In all honesty mate I worked with a stand-off fixed permanently to my ladder for 11 years. Windows of this nature are a breeze with one. Of course if you want to work in cramped, less than safe conditions thats up to you, but theres too many advantages to a stand-off to not use one. All of which keeps your speed up and your self intact.

[chopsie]

Matt,i have just bought a 3.5 metre triple extender(titan) and stand off,i tried it out yesterday on my place and the extra reach and being able to hold top rung is brillient,but the ladders alone weigh a ton(i used it with top section off) and ladder stand off is extra weight and more awkward.i want to use it as much as possible,but as stan says(and others) it has to be a nightmare carrying it and bucket and ladder stop etc to next job,even if only next door.do you have any advice for this and did you leave stand off on or keep taking it off?also with regard to putting stand off on top of cill,i assume it will be resting on bottom window frame,could doing this potentially damage the frame or cill.thanks in advance for your valuable input

[Mr Bungalow]

Hello Bobby,

What type of ladder do you use, if its a standard ladder you will have to move it to clean bay windows.

The best ladder for that type of job is an a frame or (pointers as they are sometimes called).

hope this helps.

Kind regards.

Mr Bungalow.
www.mrbungalow.co.uk.

[Gleaming windows]

Matt,i have just bought a 3.5 metre triple extender(titan) and stand off,i tried it out yesterday on my place and the extra reach and being able to hold top rung is brillient

Thankyou!!! I rest my case.

I have a 3.5 metre triple too, but dont use it set up as a triple unless Im doing gutters, most triples will wear you out. You'll get used to a heavier ladder if you use it daily. Give it a couple of weeks and come back and tell us if you notice the difference anymore 

Ay ya woffta just get with it, stop moaning, youll soon have them muscles sorted. I left my stand-off on 24/7 when I was on ladders and Im a short-arse, mine is made of steel, yours is probably aluminium so lighter, pull ya finger out and youll be like Arnie before you know   


You can put 1/2" pipe insulation on the standoff to protect the cill if you want or wrap cloth on it and fix it in place with cable ties.

Wit til you try it on gutters too and compare the job to cleaning out gutters without a stand-off, even MORE difference there than the difference on windows.

If you think a stand-off is good now you'll be thanking me for saving you from any broken bones when the ladder slips and the stand-off stops it from going any further. Cos that WILL happen.

[martinsadie]

Matt ive been thinking about this,if you use a stand off on a round style bay window,you will only have contact in the middle of the stand off and then it would be possible for stand off to twist causing you to fall, also what stand off do you use as mine hooks over two rungs and i find this uncomfy and digging into my legs

[Gleaming windows]

A stand-off on a circular window-cill  will barely encroach over the edges Stan, even if it does it will STILL be more stable than without a stand-off.

My stand-off was handmade about 14 years ago, Ill take a pic of it tomorrow Stan, but its not one of those B+Q or Homebase ones, its a lot heavier, made of steel but lived permanently on my dpuble 3.5m Lyte on the roof-rack  ever since I broke my leg in 2 places after falling off a ladder without a stand-off.

[bobby p]

i will be intrested to see your photo of your standoff MATT ,  ive just looked online there seems to be some with legs on them and some with a bar across the front .   i can see your point that  by widening the width of the ladder makes it stable. but WHY  dont i ever see any window lads with one??

[Gleaming windows]

I havent got a clue as to why others dont use them, no idea whatsoever, seems odd to say the least. Perhaps most shiners just dont give their safety much consideration or they think it'll never happen to them.

[Gleaming windows]

Here you are fellas

[Gleaming windows]

And some more

[Gleaming windows]

It can be a bit awkward with the wheelie bin still attached, where theres lots of bushes and trees etc I remove the wheelie bin 

[traps7]

If I had had to carry that around all day when trad I would have gone wfp a lot sooner.

Just my personal opinion.

[Sapphire Window Cleaning]

I dont know why more guys dont have a set of double pointers, after all they are ladders specifically for window cleaners.
The design of them gives you more accessability and IMO are safer than standard ladders.


Matt