figure of 8 knot surely?

[Sailingsaves]

I will be climbing my wall and then roof to repair said roof and making my own safety gear after having worked with a National trust warden with all his expensive Petzl stuff. I will be wearing two different style harnesses and have carabiners, but I am not forking out for fall arresters etc

This chap here is using an excellent triple action snap lock carabiner and a figure of 8 knot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uyQTsTw8ms

This lady is using and OVERHAND KNOT ! in her tree climbing system and don't get me started on the awful clove hitch (doesn't everyone know it req's load on both ends to work?) and I am not sure of her system yet, but may use a bit of her system combined with the chap's system at the end of this post.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pd6-_UTjyuY

Is there a reason why she is not using figure of 8?

I will be mashing a safety system (and ascender actually) using bits of both videos plus other sources and I will also have an anchored mate on the ground with a third safety system that I bought new on ebay like this but it cost me not as much:

http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/wild-country-vc-pro-2-synergy-set-p123302

I have the wild country thing and harnesses and carabiners and good rope and I should have a pulley to act as the micro pulley or I may buy one, but can anyone see a reason why I should not use a fig 8 knot instead of the lady's overhand knot?

If you don't hear from me you know I have failed, but I have never had an accident yet and piss poor planning is not what I do even if the purists with money on here think this whole plan sounds daft; it is not too high or dangerous with the backup systems I have in place (even though I seriously hate heights), but lack of money means it is DIY time as usual.

I don't like the Petzl device this chap uses because the sharp teeth will damage the rope in my opinion.

https://www.google.co.uk/shopping/p....5&ei=U-YEVMi9NIXF0QWts4CABQ&ved=0COMBEKYrMAg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COnJtt4Jf-Q

I would like this, but too expensive:
http://www.dicksclimbing.com/products/petzl-zig-zag?utm_source=googlepla&utm_medium=cpc

So figure of 8 surely?

And if you like tree surgery, this is work well done even though the Husqvana is a better saw:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8OkghIn9L8

 

[prv]

I wasn't going to watch a ten minute video to find where she was using an overhand knot. What time is it at?

Why wear multiple harnesses? Never heard of climbers doing that.

If you festoon yourself with too much gear then it can get in the way and cause trouble rather than avoid it. If you're hanging from a rope then a second backup system is good, but if you could climb on the roof untethered then I reckon a single rope is sufficient.

Pete

 

[Sailingsaves]

I wasn't going to watch a ten minute video to find where she was using an overhand knot. What time is it at?

Why wear multiple harnesses? Never heard of climbers doing that.

If you festoon yourself with too much gear then it can get in the way and cause trouble rather than avoid it. If you're hanging from a rope then a second backup system is good, but if you could climb on the roof untethered then I reckon a single rope is sufficient.

Pete

53 secs clove hitch, 3mins 30 secs first overhand and 5mins 20 sec next overhand.

Multiple harness is because I don't have a proper climber's harness; I have my sailing harness (front loading) and a scaffold riggers harness (rear loading) - neither ideal, but both would stop me squashing and give me ability to orientate myself if I fell.

Yes, I will not be taking a lot of gear up. Once in position I will be hauling tools up and down.

 

[Alpha22]

Whenever I have climbed, the safety rope has been connected to the harness by a figure of eight knot and a carabiner. As a kid my scout leader was quite paranoid and we were not permitted to clip the figure of 8 on the safety rope to our harnesses using a carabiner, it had to be tied around the waist belt and the leg loops. removing 2 possible points of failure.

 

[TimBennet]

and don't get me started on the awful clove hitch (doesn't everyone know it req's load on both ends to work?)

Clove hitch is a standard belay knot in climbing and even when only loaded on one side has never been known to fail. Just watch any BMC climbing instruction video.

I can't be bothered to watch a ten minute video either, but an overhand knot is the accepted way to join two abseil ropes when descending after climbing. Things like a fisherman's knot or follow through Fig 8 are safe, but they make a symmetrical knot which is more liable to jam when an abseil rope is being retrieved. A Fig 8 knot tied with both parts together is a complete no-no, as the knot can roll off the end of the rope. That's why it's known as the death knot. The overhand knot doesn't roll.

 

[Sailingsaves]

Clove hitch is a standard belay knot in climbing and even when only loaded on one side has never been known to fail. Just watch any BMC climbing instruction video.

I can't be bothered to watch a ten minute video either, but an overhand knot is the accepted way to join two abseil ropes when descending after climbing. Things like a fisherman's knot or follow through Fig 8 are safe, but they make a symmetrical knot which is more liable to jam when an abseil rope is being retrieved. A Fig 8 knot tied with both parts together is a complete no-no, as the knot can roll off the end of the rope. That's why it's known as the death knot. The overhand knot doesn't roll.

Maybe in climbing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clove_hitch#mediaviewer/File:Clove_hitch.jpg) - not my specialty.

But not in sailing. I don't even use clove hitch for fenders as some people do.
http://www.realknots.com/knots/hitches.htm#mastworp

I do use two overhand knots to tie two pieces of rope together that I really really do not want to part, but that is usually on land, otherwise I join rope with other knots (bends actually) such as the sheet bend, but I go around twice and the bitter end is not left loose either.
http://www.animatedknots.com/sheetbend/index.php?Categ=scouting

 

[William_H]

I have occasionally cleaned the gutters on my 2 story roof from the roof side. I use a long spin sheet tied off on one side of the house over the peak of the roof to the other side.
I use a harness worn in reverse or just a webbing belt with attachment at the rear. I use like a handy billy with cleat between the rope and the harness so that I can easily adjust the length of the tether. So the tether is kept essentially tight at all times so I can squat while cleaning gutters at my feet while leaning on the tether to a small degree. The whole thing is to stop me toppling over the side and also to give comfort and confidence. I imagine this is what you need. When on a steep roofs you need something to lean on to stop you slipping down the roof. Loads are not huge s you don't need a lot of strength but you do need to be confident of knots etc.
Don't do what one guy did and tie the rope to the car. All very well until wife decided to go shopping. Yikes. olewill

 

[prv]

Multiple harness is because I don't have a proper climber's harness; I have my sailing harness (front loading) and a scaffold riggers harness (rear loading)

A scaffolder's harness is basically designed for exactly this purpose, so it would be my choice. I'm surprised you've found one with only a rear attachment point though - the ones I've seen (including the ones we used on Stavros) use a carabiner as the "buckle" to close the harness at the front, and you can attach a tether to that.

Pete

 

[prv]

As a kid my scout leader was quite paranoid and we were not permitted to clip the figure of 8 on the safety rope to our harnesses using a carabiner, it had to be tied around the waist belt and the leg loops. removing 2 possible points of failure.

That's been standard in all the little bits of climbing I've done (I've never been a serious climber, but I've done beginners' top-roping with lots of different organisations ). Follow the belay loop on the harness around the waist belt and the link between the leg loops, then tie the fig-8.

A guy in the university climbing club I briefly joined was known as "Leg-Loop" because he had once accidentally tied the line only through one leg-loop, nothing else. I guess if he had fallen on it he wouldn't have died, but it would have been bloody uncomfortable!

Pete

 

[afterpegassus]

Full body harnesses such as worn by scaffolders should have both a dorsal and sternal attachment point. Points to consider are that a sternal attachment tends to get in the way and the dorsal attachment can leave you dangling helplessly if you get hung up by it. These tend to be used for fall arrest.
For work positioning you need a different sort of harness - one where you can achieve some sort of support and still be able to carry out required task, and for your purposes, a climbing harness would be adequate.