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Author Topic: How on Earth does one get work done on the ceiling? Paul Looker Film Handler Posts: 83 From: Pittsburgh, PA/United States Registered: Sep 2009 posted 02-01-2010 11:28 AM                     Hi, love this website, always plenty of folks out there with extremely helpful suggestions. Here is a question that I really need answered. How do I get up to a 25 ft ceiling to do various little things like replace work lights, or faulty smoke detectors or get my machinist up there to see why our heating and air conditioning fan is rattling like that every 35 or 40 minutes like it has been for the last day or so. The owner has already chimed in on this one with: no clue. Can't say that I was expecting anything different. No one could even tell me how to change the showtime message when I started here but anyway, any suggestions would be appreciated.  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 02-01-2010 11:51 AM                     Depending on the lay of the space...there are genies, scissor lifts, scaffolding, and even good old ladders. It depends on what you are trying to do, what you are trying to avoid (on the ground) and sometimes what is available. Steve  |  IP: Logged Paul Looker Film Handler Posts: 83 From: Pittsburgh, PA/United States Registered: Sep 2009 posted 02-01-2010 12:04 PM                     There are a couple of things that need done. A smoke detector needs changed. Some work lights need replaced. And a heating/air conditioning fan is rattling every 30 or 40 minutes for an unknown reason. The first two the space is flat. We are trying to avoid having to rip out seats to bring in a scissor lift. The fan is above a sloped area. Would a scissor lift even work on a 15 degree incline?  |  IP: Logged Jack Theakston Master Film Handler Posts: 411 From: New York, USA Registered: Sep 2007 posted 02-01-2010 12:56 PM                     A good, old fashioned ladder sounds like what you need.  |  IP: Logged Martin McCaffery Film God Posts: 2481 From: Montgomery, AL Registered: Jun 99 posted 02-01-2010 01:18 PM                        Just incase you haven't eliminated this possibility: Are those areas accessible from above the ceiling? Do you have catwalks?  |  IP: Logged Jake Spell Master Film Handler Posts: 294 From: Johns Island SC Registered: May 2009 posted 02-01-2010 01:19 PM                     depending on the size of the doors, you could get an articulating lift that will get to anywhere in the auditorium, dont forget someone put all that stuff in there  |  IP: Logged Justin Hamaker Film God Posts: 2253 From: Lakeport, CA USA Registered: Jan 2004 posted 02-01-2010 03:31 PM                        You could do a scaffold. You should be able to erect this around the seats, but you might have to create a wedge or something to account for the slope. This may be overkill for changing lights, but to do any work that high, it's probably what you need to do if you don't want to remove seats to get a scissor lift in. We have a Little Giant ladder which allows us to reach the ceiling. It can be a little unnerving at the top, but it works. Little Giant Ladders We have the Model 26.  |  IP: Logged Jeremy Weigel Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1062 From: Edmond, OK, USA Registered: Mar 2007 posted 02-01-2010 06:17 PM                     quote: Paul Looker And a heating/air conditioning fan is rattling every 30 or 40 minutes for an unknown reason. If you're using roof top units they should be accessible from the roof. Do you have stadium or sloped flooring? If stadium you'll want a ladder with adjustable leg lengths to accommodate the steps. For a sloped floor we use a specialty 20ft A-frame later with a center extension to change fluorescent lights (tubes) and ceiling tiles and what not. If you need to change can lights (flood) get a light changing suction cup to attach to an extension pole. You can get these from just about any hardware store. I get ours from Home Depot in the paint department.  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 02-01-2010 07:32 PM                        Another vote here for a scaffold. As soon as we have 1 or 2 ceiling lights out (out of 10), I have this carpenter friend who I hire to bring in his scaffold, and the two of us change all of the bulbs at once. We block under the front wheels to take care of the floor slope. It costs about $125 by the time we're done, but it sure beats having to take seats out!  |  IP: Logged John Wilson Film God Posts: 5438 From: Sydney, Australia. Registered: Dec 1999 posted 02-01-2010 09:02 PM                     My favourite cinema I've worked at for changing light bulbs... There wasn't a single light bulb in it...all neon.  |  IP: Logged Phil Blake Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 558 From: esperance western australia Registered: Nov 2003 posted 02-03-2010 06:42 AM                        John is that a cinema or pole dancing club  |  IP: Logged Kurt Zupin Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 989 From: Maricopa, Arizona Registered: Oct 2004 posted 02-03-2010 09:57 AM                     I third the scaffolding. If you have to do any kind of work that high up you want to have a space to work on. You won't have any problems in a stadium style theatre. All ours are and have no problems, just make sure if you rent and do it yourself you get the kind with adjustable legs.  |  IP: Logged Sean Kapp Film Handler Posts: 30 From: Columbiana OH USA Registered: Jun 2008 posted 02-03-2010 12:30 PM                     We go the scaffolding route. I'd agree with Kurt, get the adjustable legs. Our rig is on locking wheels that are height adjustable. Of course when it comes to work lights, they are all catwalk accessible but some of our other lights are not which is where the scaffolding comes into play.  |  IP: Logged Michael Voiland Expert Film Handler Posts: 219 From: Naperville, IL US Registered: Aug 2009 posted 02-03-2010 02:06 PM                     Do you mean to say their are catwalks above the ceiling that you can change the bulbs out from.  |  IP: Logged Alan Plester Expert Film Handler Posts: 209 From: great yarmouth england Registered: Apr 2001 posted 02-03-2010 03:33 PM                     All our lights were removed from the roof void.  |  IP: Logged

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