Fire ladder, round two

July 19, 2024 10:54 AM

I'm still wondering what to do about a fire ladder for my third floor casement window. Ones like this won't work (I think?) as they hook into the window, but the window is too narrow to allow this part to expand fully - it stays bent.

BobTheScientist said that you can trust the pipes of your radiator for a one time descent if they are gunmetal or copper - how can I tell what they are?

I am not handy and while I could finagle the help of someone who is, I'd prefer to avoid it if at all possible. I've put this off long enough, and my friends are busy and have ADHD too so it's like herding cats.

posted by wheatlets to Home & Garden (11 answers total)

but the window is too narrow to allow this part to expand fully - it stays bent

structurally, this does not seem like a problem to me. I don’t see anything about a minimum window width on the product page.
posted by supercres at 11:45 AM on July 19 [4 favorites]

Store a small hatchet with the ladder. If for some reason the window is really in the way, be ready to hack it off. But get a ladder, one long enough to deposit you someplace where you have more options.

This is truly a situation where a good-enough solution is better than a perfect solution.
posted by cocoagirl at 11:54 AM on July 19

Can you share some clear photos of your radiator including the pipes and valves on the ends? If it's a standing cast iron radiator, it's most likely connected with black pipe or galvanized pipe. You can see if a magnet will stick to the pipes. (Valves may very well be brass, but that's also pretty strong.) "Gunmetal" is not a material used in plumbing/ hydronic heat , I'm not quite sure what Bob was on about there- maybe he's calling galvanized pipe gunmetal?

If it's something like a european panel radiator connected with PEX pipe, it would not be suitable for any sort of "load bearing" application. I'm not sure I would trust copper pipe either.
posted by Larry David Syndrome at 11:58 AM on July 19

If you set the ladder so that the hooks are as far apart as they will go in your window, are the first rungs of the ladder able to be parallel to the exterior wall? There is a bit of flexibility in the ropes between the hooks and the first rung. If the hooks are too close together for the rungs fall into their natural position parallel to the wall, I would worry that the offset would put undue pressure on the way it attaches to the hook since they are meant to hang straight down. If the actual difference between the hooks and maximum designed difference doesn't impact how the ladder falls I would be less worried.
posted by metahawk at 12:03 PM on July 19 [1 favorite]

This ladder just has a pair of hooks that don't connect to each other

I don’t see anything about a minimum window width on the product page.

The owners manual says 16" is the minimum.
posted by Mitheral at 12:08 PM on July 19

Response by poster: cocoagirl - it's not that the window is in the way. I can get out the window, and it doesn't obstruct the ladder. The opening is too narrow to allow the ladder to expand fully.

Larry David Syndrome - here are some radiator photos. A magnet will stick to it.

metahawk - I'm not sure exactly what you mean? There is a slight awning coming out from below my window so it wouldn't lie flat.

Mitheral - that's one I'm considering, but I wouldn't know what to attach the carabiners to.
posted by wheatlets at 12:26 PM on July 19

That is a cast iron radiator with 10 sections visible. It will be well attached to the plumbing and it would be incredibly heavy. If it's a hot water system like mine (which looks just like yours) then it's also full of water and absolutely unmovable - a total rock. A functioning cast iron radiator of that size is an ideal anchor point and I would trust my escape to it.
posted by zenon at 1:18 PM on July 19 [2 favorites]

It's a pretty confusing listing but I think you use either the carabiner or the hooks and not both. You can see that setup in the second picture on the left.
posted by Mitheral at 1:34 PM on July 19

2nding zenon, that's a cast iron radiator. The pipe closest to the wall is black iron, the pipe between the valve and the radiator looks like a short stub of copper soldered to two threaded adapters. If you can directly loop something sturdy around the radiator between the sections that would be great, the next best option would be to secure to the pipes. I am not qualified to advise what ropes/fittings/carabiners would be good for this, so I won't.
posted by Larry David Syndrome at 4:03 PM on July 19

I don't think you want to put any kind of rope anywhere near the radiator (because it gets hot and that will degrade rope). But you could stick a length of chain through it and connect the ends of the chain to an escape ladder or make a loop of chain with a quick link to close it. If you can't attach the ladder directly to the chain, you could add two larger quick links to the chain for that purpose.
posted by ssg at 5:53 PM on July 19

wheatlets, could you add the window measurements to your question? And maybe link to a photo of the bedroom wall showing the full exit window, the entire radiator, and the floor?

The X-It emergency ladder may work for your situation: narrow, including the grapple hooks; multi-storey; can be used with overhangs/deep ledges. If the hooks can't anchor on the window opening, then installing the company's permanent mount bracket is necessary. (X-It also sells an emergency pet carrier in two sizes.) Whichever system you use, buy an emergency fire blanket, too.
posted by Iris Gambol at 7:26 PM on July 19 [1 favorite]