Ladders for cleaning caravan roof
- Thread starter Steve1962
- Start date
They must be very safe with wide support legs. You are likely to lean a lot without realising it.
Use those pipe cladding semi hard plastic. Insulators to protect the car an awning rail from the ladder .
Wear solid shoes with good grips. Try and get up to hips in line with roof so you can lean across with a poled squeegee or whatever.
Just be very careful. It is a long drop down to ground level😢😢
Use those pipe cladding semi hard plastic. Insulators to protect the car an awning rail from the ladder .
Wear solid shoes with good grips. Try and get up to hips in line with roof so you can lean across with a poled squeegee or whatever.
Just be very careful. It is a long drop down to ground level😢😢
I use a Draper 3mtr telescopic washing brush which will connect to a garden hose. To use it on the caravan roof, I slide back the roof light, then use a five-tread step ladder within the caravan. Standing on step three, I'm half in and half out of the roof line. Nearly all of the roof can be reached from the opening.
This is worth considering, quite versatile.
www.screwfix.com
John
Werner 3-Section 5-Way Aluminium Combination Ladder With Platform 2.48m - Screwfix
Order online at Screwfix.com. Multifunctional model offering 5 different positions, combining stepladder, extension ladder, stairwell ladder, level platform and stairwell platform in one product. Features large, sturdy, non-slip platform. Suitable for professional use. FREE next day delivery...
John
Look around for a tripod ladder as used by the NT. They are rock solid steady and thus easy to work from.
However do beware, you cannot stand on all the steps. we have a three step which has a elevated rail at the to which you can lean against, and we have a six rung ladder but you can only use to first four!
They are a bit bulky, but they are well made and all aluminium so you can carry them with one hand. Not cheap but what is the cost of safety?
However do beware, you cannot stand on all the steps. we have a three step which has a elevated rail at the to which you can lean against, and we have a six rung ladder but you can only use to first four!
They are a bit bulky, but they are well made and all aluminium so you can carry them with one hand. Not cheap but what is the cost of safety?
I bought a similar ladder and work platform from Aldi but have hardly used it because even as a ladder its base being so wide can restrict usage in certain places. In fact only today I looked at it on the garage wall and thought “ there’s another piece for charity”.This is worth considering, quite versatile.
Werner 3-Section 5-Way Aluminium Combination Ladder With Platform 2.48m - Screwfix
Order online at Screwfix.com. Multifunctional model offering 5 different positions, combining stepladder, extension ladder, stairwell ladder, level platform and stairwell platform in one product. Features large, sturdy, non-slip platform. Suitable for professional use. FREE next day delivery...
John
I generally used an extending small ladder with foam pads against the awning rail. A telescopic brush with water connection. Just like posts above. But tended to move the ladder regularly rather than stretch out. Never had to get on top of the caravan. Again large roof lights done like others from inside the caravan.
One with rungs ideally…
Sorry, couldn’t resist. I borrowed a fold up loft ladder off my dad to do mine today. Anything sturdy and safe.
Also, remember the rungs will get wet and slippery . Wear good shoes!
We use a extending ladder with foam pads so it did not mark the awning rail and we use a extending brush you can reach from each side and we use the heki as well for easier access
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John. I have one from Aldi a couple of years ago. A good piece of kit but just not high enough to reach the roof. A well padded ladder with a diy broad base works for me . Imo you need to be be at hip height to the roof to reach far enough to reach the entire roof.This is worth considering, quite versatile.
Werner 3-Section 5-Way Aluminium Combination Ladder With Platform 2.48m - Screwfix
Order online at Screwfix.com. Multifunctional model offering 5 different positions, combining stepladder, extension ladder, stairwell ladder, level platform and stairwell platform in one product. Features large, sturdy, non-slip platform. Suitable for professional use. FREE next day delivery...
John
Whoever on the Forum recommended them should be made to serve penance 😂
Now I will be told “ caveat emptor” by the legal eagles. 👩💼
I have triangular ladder (don't know the type name) it is like the ones window cleaners use only bigger. the top has a rubber shoe but this is about 3 foot above the awning rail so I fitted foam strips to the ladder rails, the feet are 3 feet apart and it is wonderfully lightweight and versatile even on my sloping drive.
Can't remember where I got it from but I love it to bits
Oh and I also have one of the werner cr*py things as well, never used
Can't remember where I got it from but I love it to bits
Oh and I also have one of the werner cr*py things as well, never used
Now with the majority of caravan roofs being a flat horizontal surface way above eye level, quite what purpose does cleaning it actually serve? I did the " inverted boat" roof" of our earlier vans, but they were very visible.
I do tend to feel many things that can be left alone, are best left so. Modern caravan roofs with the personal hazards, and potential damage involved, and no obvious advantage other than one of self-satisfaction, seems a case in point.
I don't clean the flat section roof of my house.
I do tend to feel many things that can be left alone, are best left so. Modern caravan roofs with the personal hazards, and potential damage involved, and no obvious advantage other than one of self-satisfaction, seems a case in point.
I don't clean the flat section roof of my house.
I agree regarding the height, but staging is ideal if the right height. It would need to be about 1.5 metres. I erected one like that to fit solar panels. Much more comfortable than a ladder.
However the one I linked to looks too small.
John
I use a large extending double stepladder , type as pictured, very stable,provides good access onto roof or indeed just to use a cleaning brush. You don’t need to use the extending upper section at all if it’s this size, can be left off. Doesn’t need to touch caravan which is a bonus. You can climb either side to access two areas of roof at once essentially. Big ladder to store and carry, that’s the downside.
Steve
Steve
Slightly off topic, but does anyone clean off black mould around skylights? I didn’t try too hard because I thought I could end up opening a can of worms…
Grime etc that helps fend off UV reaching many of our bonding agents, mastics and plastics, on that count are indeed an asset.
I would be very careful on what I started to "clean up", definitely where not even I can normally see it.
I do. Don't get me wrong I don't surgically remove every last spec up there but for the first wash of the year I open the skylights and use neat detergent on a brush around the underside of the skylights then wash the roof normally. As JTQ suggests, "enthusiastic" cleaning of seals could possibly cause damage so care should be taken, but it just depends on how "clean" you want it to be, we're all different.
Having said that, I once saw a caravan on the motorway where the roof looked like it needed mowing, never mind cleaning..........
I have a multi purpose ladder that was made by Abru and I think the equivalent is now a Werner 3 section 5 way ladder - as recommended in previous posts - can be used as a trestle, a-frame or adjustable ladder - stable in each mode. I have never rested a ladder against the awning rail. Also as others have an extendable wash brush although I dip it in a rectangular bucket of car shampoo rather than connecting it to the hose. It has soft bristles but also handy to wrap a micro fibre cloth round the head for obstinate mucky bits! I also use the caravan step inside the van to reach through skylights with a soapy sponge to clean the perimeters. I like a clean roof otherwise it washes down the walls or onto the awning roof in the rain on site but I admit to being fussy with the van and car cleans!
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