I’m trying to figure out the safest way to side the 2nd story of my house by myself and am wondering about a pump jack system. I don’t think I can afford aluminum poles but have heard that doubled up 2×4’s have failed before. What experiences have you guys had or do you have a better idea?
thanks,
Replies
Look into renting or borrowing the alum. pump jack system.
rent scaffolding and plywood planks most even deliver but go where the contractors get theirs not HD
great minds think alike?
If you want safety why don't you rent a set of scaffold that will cover the whole side of the house? I prefer scaffold over pump jacks but that's just me who has spent more time on scaffold.
Yes, they can fail
But sio can any other kind of work platform.
I have worked off wood posted pumps all my life and I have seen a lot.
Most guys do not have any idea how to set them up right, so most failures and close call scares are due to their own carelessness.
A lot of guys don't know how to use the operating parts right either, so they cause slips that scare them.
So if you read and follow the instructions, you can do fine. The other systems are no doubt better, but the wood posted system is not inherently bad. I have actually seen more accidents with pipe staging than any other. Same cause - lack of attention and knowledge how to do it.
But for one man working alone, inexperienced with ANY system, you can mislead yourself into making a mistake or missing an important step. Be aware
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Good answer, I too have used wooden poles for years. Have never had a failure, but I always throw out the poles every other month. I have always tried to use clear douglass fir and I crossbrace as I go up.
I use GRK screws to put them together, and change them once a year. with the screws, I can take them apart and re-use the lumber for sheds and that sort of thing.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
I have never used screws, I can see the advantage. I have dropped the used polls at my dads house and God only knows what he has used them for.
Buy the aluminum pump system, complete your project and sell the pump jack system on craigslist or e-bay. Probably cost you 5-600 bucks and you can use the system for as long as you need.
I don't know how big your house is or how long you might be at the siding, but if it's anything like my personal projects, rental fees for scaffold would be murder......
Naive but refreshing !
Use good wood and you'll be okay.
Just a thought for you guys who use pump jacks - A couple of times I've gotten lumber for guys who use them. They'll come in and get some SYP DSS so it's straight and strong. At times we've spliced lumber together to make long poles for the pump jacks. It's pretty easy with the truss plates....
I desire so to conduct the affairs of this administration that if at the end I have lost every other friend on earth, I shall at least have one friend left, and that friend shall be down inside of me. [Abraham Lincoln]
there's good wood that long?
I've owned pump jacks and used them for years with the wooden posts. I don't use them anymore simply because I don't like them and the major part of what I do doesn't warrant their use. I never had a problem. Use good straight lumber and if there are splices, make sure you screw them together (I used to mix nails and screws). Make sure there's adequate cross bracing and backboard rail pieces that are fastened to the inside of the posts.
I'm much more in favor of pipe scaffold. Rent it, they drop it off for you, give you instructions, and make sure you have all the safety bars if you're working off a top platform.
I DO NOT recommend working alone if you're going to be up any significant height...more than 8'. At least have someone who will be at the home in case you have an accident. I know we've all done it, but there are horror stories that come from and have happened to even the most seasoned roofers & carpenters because they had an accident and they were alone. Always make sure you have a working cell phone on you when you are doing anything that could be dangerous.
Lastly....absolutely what Piffin said. If you don't know how to use pump jacks or pipe scaffolding the correct way, then you have no business doing it. You can easily get hurt and things can quickly go awry when you're up there.
A little recent story involving yours truly. I been doing this a long time (about 3 decades), and had been working as a sub for a GC for the past 3 years, but because of a slow down I decided to go back out on my own. I took a job of the type I really don't want to do anymore, but since I had nothing in the pipeline and was outa the loop, I needed the work and it was good money.
It involved rot replacement on some cornices and eaves that were 22' off the ground, something I'm very familiar with. I went ahead, rented the scaffold, 3 sections high on adjustable legs, erected the entire thing myself and started in.
No sooner had I gotten up to the top level 16' high with all my tools, that I took a mis step because the planing slid as I went to step up, and I fell the entire 16'. I caught a parapit wall on the way down, bounced off the piping, landed on my back & #### and my right foot slammed into part of the jutting foundation.
I tore the hell outa my foot,(ligaments, tendons, a very very bad sprain), but nothing was broken. I was lucky. I could easily be dead or paralyzed right now. Thank God somebody happened to be at the house that day.
I will have lost almost a month of work because of this. I'm in PT now and in a strap on cast, and I just started walking without the use of crutches and only two days ago stopped taking the opiate pain killers.
More than anything, I'm a very grateful individual.
The lesson(s)? Oh there are many.
Did I make some mistakes? Uh.....I would say so.
I guess I want to tell you that no matter how seasoned a person you are with your work, all it takes is that one little overlooked safety factor that was abandoned long ago because you thought that you're better than that.
I know the thread is about pump jacks, but somehow I felt led to tell you all that I just did.
Good luck.
Jerry, sorry to hear about your accident. I don't quite understand where your "mistake" was, but I don't use scaffolding very often so every step I take is very calculated since there is no familiarity.
I hope you heal quickly and completely.
Thanks Don.
What happened is that I went to step over onto the parpaet wall that was only a foot away from the edge of the scaffold plank, and thus onto the roof deck, but the scaffold plank that came with the set slid back about a foot on the pipe because there was only two planks abreast and not the full three to keep it from sliding as I stepped off, thus missing the wall top with my other foot and taking my tumble.I didn't mention that I was mad as hornet on the way down and turned the air blue, and continued to do so after I had gained my breath back from having the wind knocked out of me.
The feelings of gratitude came much later when I realized what could have been.
I'm so happy my final words on this plane were not the familiar four letter ones we tradesmen all hold so near and dear.
They coulda' been....but they weren't.Somebody up there likes me.
Many of us have used 2x4 pump jack poles for years before aluminum poles were available. Obviously, you don't want to use 2x4s that are low quality, full of knots or other imperfections. Once you go longer than 16', you will have joints, which can be potential weak spots. Wood poles don't last forever. Some don't construct them well, some keep them around too long.
Wood or aluminum, there are users that don't set them up properly. The bottom should not be able to sink into the ground or kick out. X braces should be used on wood poles as you go up. Extra wall brackets can be used as well, especially on aluminum poles. Wall brackets should be fastened securely with the appropriate size screws.
Those of us in the trade need to comply with OSHA regs. The aluma pole systems can include all the safety features in an easy to use package. Planks need to be secured to the brackets. Kick boards on the front and back of the planks, gates on the ends, back rails and netting are all easier to set up on the aluminum poles and plank systems. Those of us that do it everyday, usually aren't set up on one side of the house for more than a day. Having a quick system makes a lot of difference when it has to be moved twice a day.
The whole works can set you back quite a few bucks.
As a homeowner, you don't have to meet OSHA standards. It would still be prudent for your own safety to use the guidelines. Ordinary 2x10s are not staging planks, a sturdy back rail can make your day, adding bracing stiffens up the system and reduces the stress from flexing. It's hard to beat a pump jack staging when working on horizontal siding. Nothing is in your way and you go up or down with the work. Pipe stagings are a pain to work around and they still require some of the same safety precautions. I'd hate to have to set up pipe and tear it down twice a day.
I think you would be fine with 2x4 poles provided you use some common sense and take the time to provide the above mentioned safety items. You don't need nets as long as you cordon off the area below and keep it clear of things you don't want to land on. Avoid two large people in the middle of a plank. Use two planks for a wide walking surface and attatch cleats underneath so they don't move independantly. Make an L shaped back rail and move it as you go, diagonally brace the poles once you are up 8'-10'. Pay attention to where you are, don't over reach. Use a ladder from the ground for setting up and reaching places the pumps don't. Don't use sheetrock screws, check the set up everyday.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
I'd go pump jacks.
unless U could afford to ent enough scaffold to cover the whole house ... and if U could afford that ... U could afford to pay someone else to reside the house and have some change in yer pocket.
limited scaffold encourages over reaching ... as moving scaffold ain't fun.
2x4 pols are just fine as long as U build them and use them right.
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa