Roof mounts/Fall Protection

[rcdallas]

So in the grapevine I hear that someone bitched to OSHA about installers not utilizing roof fall protection, thus now making a big stink with Dish installers being required to install a anchor point in your roof, then removing and patching when finished.

What are ya'll going to do when the installer shows up on a service call and is now required to install the anchor, creating 3 more holes in your roof even though the pitch of your roof nowhere near poses a safety hazard?

I know what I think, it's ridiculous, but I guess it goes without saying putting the dish on the ground is about the choice of less headaches anymore.

 

[Hall]

What are ya'll going to do when the installer shows up on a service call and is now required to install the anchor, creating 3 more holes in your roof even though the pitch of your roof nowhere near poses a safety hazard?

Do you promise not to sue the homeowner if you trip and fall 20+ feet ??

I wonder if anyone could get an install tech to sign a waiver before he got on the roof....

 

[Jared Twomey]

Do you promise not to sue the homeowner if you trip and fall 20+ feet ??

I wonder if anyone could get an install tech to sign a waiver before he got on the roof....

yes, i do promise
why the hell would i sue a homeowner for me not being able to walk, if i fall its my own damn fault
now, if the roof collapses underneath me or something, that is different.

 

[iwc5893]

I'm just curious as to why you'd want to mount the dish above the living space and not the eaves, which would be accessible from a ladder.

 

[Jared Twomey]

I'm just curious as to why you'd want to mount the dish above the living space and not the eaves, which would be accessible from a ladder.

I mount it on the overhanges and eaves if at all possible... but, its not always possible

 

[Hall]

why the hell would i sue a homeowner for me not being able to walk, if i fall its my own damn fault

There are plenty of people who sue every for actions they committed themselves but if they did it on someone else's property, well, apparently different rules now apply.... People trespass in other people's yard, drown in their swimming pool, and their family sues the homeowner ... and WINS ! People slip on ice in front of a home and sue for injuries ... and WIN !

 

[Tyralak]

So in the grapevine I hear that someone bitched to OSHA about installers not utilizing roof fall protection, thus now making a big stink with Dish installers being required to install a anchor point in your roof, then removing and patching when finished.

What are ya'll going to do when the installer shows up on a service call and is now required to install the anchor, creating 3 more holes in your roof even though the pitch of your roof nowhere near poses a safety hazard?

I know what I think, it's ridiculous, but I guess it goes without saying putting the dish on the ground is about the choice of less headaches anymore.

This is unfortunatly very true. If we are caught by OSHA on the roof without fall protection, both the company and the tech can be fined.

 

[dishcomm]

So in the grapevine I hear that someone bitched to OSHA about installers not utilizing roof fall protection, thus now making a big stink with Dish installers being required to install a anchor point in your roof, then removing and patching when finished.

What are ya'll going to do when the installer shows up on a service call and is now required to install the anchor, creating 3 more holes in your roof even though the pitch of your roof nowhere near poses a safety hazard?

I know what I think, it's ridiculous, but I guess it goes without saying putting the dish on the ground is about the choice of less headaches anymore.

Most roof mounts can be done safely. Those are onesd mounted at the edge of the roof where the tech does not have to climb off the ladder and onto the roof...Things get real dicey if we have to go onto the roof of a two or three story house. Especially with newer homes built with very steep (10/12 and greater) roof pitches..I will not go onto a roof with a greater than 8/12 pithc ..That's 24 degrees..a 10/12 is 34 degrees..try walking that!....No way...I have fallen off a roof twice. Both times a lucky soft landing..once into thick shrubs the other into a pile of sand..No more daredevil crap for me..

 

[nazz]

I wish they would have mounted mine on the overhang so that I could get to it myself while staying on the ladder. That would benefit not only the installer but customers like me too. The line of sight would have been fine.

 

[Tyralak]

I wish they would have mounted mine on the overhang so that I could get to it myself while staying on the ladder. That would benefit not only the installer but customers like me too. The line of sight would have been fine.

Which is why I rarely mount a dish up high, or perform Superman antics to mount the dish. It makes it incredibly difficult for people to service or upgrade. Plus, having the dish up really high exposes the dish to more stress from the wind. Especially the new Plus dishes.

 

[Stargazer]

If a roof is too steep then I just wont climb it. I always put it on the overhang to prevent a roof leak in case the sealant in the future does not do its job correctly but I've never had any issues. Also having it on an overhang means it is easier to access. I try to avoid putting them on a roof it at all possible. I will put it on a pole first before a roof.

 

[dishcomm]

Which is why I rarely mount a dish up high, or perform Superman antics to mount the dish. It makes it incredibly difficult for people to service or upgrade. Plus, having the dish up really high exposes the dish to more stress from the wind. Especially the new Plus dishes.

Ditto....I get these customers who think because I install satallite systems I am not subject to the laws of physics and I am able to defy the earth's gravitational forces. There is a partricualr type of home construction here and I guess all over the mid south that calls for steep roof pitches.. 12/12 and 14/12 piches are not uncommon. Especially in upscale homes...For those not familiar, that's 12 inches of rise for each 12 inches of run ..Or 45 degrees..a 14/12 pitch is 49.8 degrees..In any event that cause two problems..One the pitch will block the signal if the dish needs to be mounted on the rear with the LOS over the front of the structure..Second. No human being except a very few can walk that roof let alone work ..Safety equipment is a must..Am I going to invest in that stuff. Zero..I will leave the acrobatics to someone else.
I had what turned out to be a rather amusing conversation with a customer..during the pre install chat. He suggested that the dish be mounted as high up as possible..I asked why he thought that..He said it owuld get better reception. I ask him this: Do you think that a signal coming from 22,000 miles in space would get to the peak of your roof and stop"..He sort of looked at me and said, "you have a point".

 

[Roadwarrior]

Most roof mounts can be done safely. Those are onesd mounted at the edge of the roof where the tech does not have to climb off the ladder and onto the roof...Things get real dicey if we have to go onto the roof of a two or three story house. Especially with newer homes built with very steep (10/12 and greater) roof pitches..I will not go onto a roof with a greater than 8/12 pithc ..That's 24 degrees..a 10/12 is 34 degrees..try walking that!....No way...I have fallen off a roof twice. Both times a lucky soft landing..once into thick shrubs the other into a pile of sand..No more daredevil crap for me..

I actually did have to mount a 1000.2 on the peak of a roof once, due to los issues. It was an extremely steep pitch. I just took my 30 foot ladder, extended it all the way, and laid it down flush with the roof. I drove a stake behind the bottom rung and pulled the feet down to make sure it wasn't going anywhere. It wasn't a very comfortable experience, but it was fairly safe. Although I did warn him that he might have trouble getting anybody to service it in the future, since most of the guys i work with carry 16-foot ladders. He said he'd call me. I was ecstatic.

Hall-
"There are plenty of people who sue every for actions they committed themselves but if they did it on someone else's property, well, apparently different rules now apply.... People trespass in other people's yard, drown in their swimming pool, and their family sues the homeowner ... and WINS ! People slip on ice in front of a home and sue for injuries ... and WIN !"

This is very true. But not an issue with me, as I do not take chances on installs. The ladder thing mentioned above was iffy, but I've been working ladders most of my life and felt comfortable with it. Otherwise, I would just hit the road. I guess I'd sign a waiver if I had to.

Man, I hope I didn't just jinx myself and fall off a ladder tomorrow.

 

[Timmernator]

Great...

That's just great... I have a 1000.2 / 722 upgrade scheduled for tomorrow, and the original installer (8 years ago) put the dish on the peak of my 2-story roof, just in front of the chimney.

Wonder what'll happen?

 

[dishcomm]

I actually did have to mount a 1000.2 on the peak of a roof once, due to los issues. It was an extremely steep pitch. I just took my 30 foot ladder, extended it all the way, and laid it down flush with the roof. I drove a stake behind the bottom rung and pulled the feet down to make sure it wasn't going anywhere. It wasn't a very comfortable experience, but it was fairly safe. Although I did warn him that he might have trouble getting anybody to service it in the future, since most of the guys i work with carry 16-foot ladders. He said he'd call me. I was ecstatic.

Hall-
"There are plenty of people who sue every for actions they committed themselves but if they did it on someone else's property, well, apparently different rules now apply.... People trespass in other people's yard, drown in their swimming pool, and their family sues the homeowner ... and WINS ! People slip on ice in front of a home and sue for injuries ... and WIN !"

This is very true. But not an issue with me, as I do not take chances on installs. The ladder thing mentioned above was iffy, but I've been working ladders most of my life and felt comfortable with it. Otherwise, I would just hit the road. I guess I'd sign a waiver if I had to.

Man, I hope I didn't just jinx myself and fall off a ladder tomorrow.

Well yer a better man than I ..No way I am doing that...A total stranger's tv enjoyment is just not worth it..I don't care what anyone says..The customer can scream their head off. I will not risk my well being for them..
It the roof is too steep, they can get someone else to do the job..

 

[dishcomm]

That's just great... I have a 1000.2 / 722 upgrade scheduled for tomorrow, and the original installer (8 years ago) put the dish on the peak of my 2-story roof, just in front of the chimney.

Wonder what'll happen?

Good luck to you..

 

[webbydude]

That's just great... I have a 1000.2 / 722 upgrade scheduled for tomorrow, and the original installer (8 years ago) put the dish on the peak of my 2-story roof, just in front of the chimney.

Wonder what'll happen?

A lot of times I'll call Dish, explain the safety situation, and IF I can get a good LOS from a lower...more serviceable location...you bet I'll do that upgrade.

 

[Roadwarrior]

Well yer a better man than I ..No way I am doing that...A total stranger's tv enjoyment is just not worth it..I don't care what anyone says..The customer can scream their head off. I will not risk my well being for them..
It the roof is too steep, they can get someone else to do the job..

Not really. I only had 3 jobs that day, and one was a service call. The first install rescheduled. I needed the money. The most difficult part of the install was mounting the dish, the place was prewired with RG-6 and everything terminated by the meter. It's not something I would make a habit of doing, but I couldn't afford not to do it.
I did explain to him that he'd be hard pressed to find anybody else who would do that. Even me, on most any other day. He still didn't tip.:

 

[Roadwarrior]

And it is a fact that a dish like the 1000.2(hell, ANY dish, for that matter) really does not need to be mounted above a living space. It's actually kind of against the rules, but I'll bet Dish isn't going to cancel the guys service over it.

 

[Jared Twomey]

I have one customer, that I didn't install, that has 12/12 pitch on the upper part of his house. I can get on a lower roof, and I have about an 8' run till the roof gets real steep.
Because of the ton of trees on his property, the original installer put in dish on the very top of the peak.
We got sent the service call because he was losing signal.
I went out and didn't think I was ever going to make it up to the top. I finally told the guy I was having trouble getting up the roof. He tossed a rope over and tied it off on the front porch. I climbed right up, and ended up having to put in a second dish for the 110.
I have been back once cause his lnb on the 119 dish died. When I got there that time, the guy already had a rope tied off on a metal ring he bolted to the peak of the roof.
He leaves it there all the time now, just in case