High-Ceiling Swedish Attic Ladder In A Busy Hardware Store

This ladder for 25" x 64" rough opening gave access for perhaps thirty years, to vast storage space over a hardware store. It is a Louisville industrial attic ladder, typical of USA construction, with flimsy 1/4" plywood door and operating hardware of far less durability than the worthy step sections; now to be scrapped. The rivets of 1x4 structure over the door panel are broken away. When standing at the opening end of the door, there is little rotational rigidity of the aluminum steps. There is an awful feeling that the ladder is not safe.

A bit unusual for a hardware store, the ceiling is up more than eleven feet (135").

A long metal pole, hook-tipped, has allowed operation from the floor. The slam-close door has no latch. Just pull it down. Use the same pole to hook and walk-out the step sections to the floor. The step section pull is also a high reach, nearer hinges, the better to resist toppling.

How could these flimsy arms without elbow locks, do much to restrain door rotation when the very tentative door rigidity is lost?

See the typical USA-ladder unstable offset of the spring pull from the upper pivot. The next failure mode, usually the killer of these unfortunate ladders, is in bending-back of the spring pull offset, perhaps when snagged by some object or personal clothing. Once bent there is no stability of the arm shape. Bending often begins with failure of the rivet attachment of the arms upper pivot due to large rotation of the ladder frame where installers don't know to drive long screws through two of the four holes in the square pivot plate, obviously for that purpose.

See failure here to install the upper pivot bonding to rough framing, so very common. The 1x4 ladder frame is not rigid.

In passing, look for an alternative available to anyone.  This might be among offerings of Rainbow Attic Stair, imported by SP Partners LLC, focusing on F-series, a very pretty industrial ladder rated to carry 570 pounds, with a 1/2" thickness plywood door, not fire-rated. These ladders are offered only with three step sections.

Powder-coated white, with very many clever features for user-friendliness and safety.

Here is a video description:

https://youtu.be/9pCDxq2tf80

Offered Model F22/60-11 at in excess of $2000, will not reach 11' 3". There is no adjustment flexibility in the rigid welded-steel assembly. Rainbow will build to suit a project, but that was not offered, in a phone call.

A Rainbow ladder that will serve at 11' 3" is Model Prestige:

Also not fire-rated. I find this uninteresting. I installed three of these between 2006 and 2007, and find them wobbly and not "industrial." Dented tubing unpredictably loses strength; I have seen one ugly failure of this ladder.

• 350 lb. weight capacity
• 7′-4″ to 11′-6″ (Varies by model – see specifications for details)
• Self adjusting stair rise
• All powder coated steel stair components.
• Strong 3/4″ melamine finish MDF frame
• Built-in 2″ steel trim – No ceiling molding needed
• 2″ Styrofoam insulated door – melamine finished on both sides
• Weather stripping to reduce drafts and air leaks
• Specialized steel hangers to simplify installation
• All steel, telescoping handrail (reversible)
• All steel grab handles at top of stair
• Protective floor bumpers
• Pole and hook for operating stair

A Swedish MidMade LEX that is fire-rated, would exceed "professional" status of any other usable ladder, at large cost savings; but the fire-rated model is not imported to USA..

MidMade ladders are imported to USA exclusively by Conservation Technology, in Baltimore MD. Attic ladders and access doors are a secondary opportunity to sales of superior European building gaskets and much more. The only ladder imported is the LEX 70, in frame sizes 56 cm x 118 cm and 56 cm x 136 cm, not fire-rated.. The measured maximum reach of the default larger MidMade ladder is 118.5". I, alone perhaps, am not constrained by factory limits.

And here is the installed ladder, with many inventions:

In this drawing, see employment of new machined part, Step Sections Joining Plate:

When this is bolted to a step section already drilled. this acts as a drill guide for a new step structure. Offered new step structures include a locally-built Top Step, an additional step section rigidly applied to another, and  simple 1x4 stick extension of stile to floor contact. You get the idea in the hardware store as-built drawing. Trimming to reach the floor is done accurately, progressively with a chop saw. Saw new sticks if there is an error.

Routinely offer Leveler Legs for fine adjustment of floor contact. The polyvinyl base is soft and is sticky to smooth wood, tile or concrete floors. Traction is helpful in resisting attic ladder kick-out, a common and very scary situation where in leaning forward upon the upper section, the lowest section snaps to an upright condition. 

Ladder deployment is with the same hook-tipped large pole used for the Louisville ladder.

The un-tented ladder drops to-hand , and is comfortably walked-out to land on the floor. This is more intuitive and safe than toppling a three-section ladder that demands a longer door. Smaller ladder openings are safer. A much greater reach to the floor is possible for a given ladder frame length. Look for new understanding of the expression attic ladder tented stowage.  In an internet search now, find such foolishness as this as the concept of "tenting.":

Dumb!   . As an air block (perhaps) when zipped and before soon being ruined as a fragile and dangerous obstacle, there is false notion of an insulating effect. With the ladder closed, the flimsy has no insulation value. A sense when lowering the ladder that covered space above is warm,  is mainly from a sudden flood of room air. For best value. no attic ladder need have more gasketing and insulation value than a USA R5, European U 1.0 best exterior door.

The tenting we all should learn  to like and demand, is central to a comprehensive proposal submitted to MidMade, for better design of all of their attic ladders. It may be said that MidMade in Sweden  invented attic ladder tenting, but they have yet to deliver its wonderful best possibilities.Where this commercial opportunity is to a ceiling with two layers of good drywall, 5/8" first, 1/2" below, there is seeming intent of much resistance to propagation of fire. The drywall is  completion of 2x12@24 box beam super-flooring, where top webbing is 1x8 excellent shiplap. But, fire safety concern is real. Where ever did we get a notion that any attic ladder may be not-fire-rated? So, I did what what was possible. Someday at my prompt, MidMade might build all attic ladders as fire-rated, and I have promised swap-out of the frame and door then at very little cost. 

Here are views of the completed installation:

Stowed

Deployed

Here is a YouTube video of the deployment and stowage of this MidMade ladder:

https://youtu.be/7nnhbayjgk0 

Call the story: Someone forgot to turn off the attic lights.

Report To MidMade in Sweden

Now, admit discovered and now-repaired defects of this MidMade ladder as-shipped by the manufacturer, midmade.se . This report, readily translated to Swedish, adds substance to a large new-product proposal  in this Google Doc  The sum of this will exceed a second-hand appeal to MidMade achievable by the USA importer, Conservation Technology. We understand that there is new leadership at MidMade, and I hope this leadership is inspired to a new surge of product excellence.

A competent installer may serve customer needs, not achievable with the factory-produced ladder. Begin with shop setup of decision-based placements, not just arbitrary. Test everything with computer graphics ensuring no interferences in deployment.

Better Arrangement of the Ladder Elements

Many installer adjustments are wanted and are very necessary. Beyond unobstructed deployment, the ladder must have proper setting of springs that balance swinging weight. The door with stowed steps must move with ease over full stroke both in lowering and in raising. The balancing springs on these MidMade ladders are of ideal dimensions and stiffness for their purpose, and this is with setup preload of stowed-ladder spring tension that is not achievable except with leverage. Absent that leverage, the steps crash down dangerously, and that is not provided-for in manufacturer instructions.

Compare red vectors of spring tension in the as-built and default setups to see that at 60° steps angle and with lowered upper pivots, there is a large moment from the springs as the door fully closes, to seal door gaskets even without operating the quarter-turn door latch. At more than eleven feet reach from the floor, a push-pull latch could serve, but not the factory-installed quarter-turn latch. Observe the spring tension that operates here. By test, learn the spring characterisatic:

T = 13 + 4.5 * Stretch, cm.

At 6/13/2024 departure from Sandy Ace Hardware, good balancing was with door-down coil length 58.5 and 58.0 cm. Average stretch is 30.3 cm. Tension is 149 pounds. It is poor design that such tension could bend-over an upper pull. And, at 6/18/2024, with final upper pulls, door-down Lc (at left) is 60.2 cm Stretch 32.3 cm, tension is 158 pounds. With 15 cm less stretch, door closed, spring tension is 90 pounds,modest, but too much to connect without parachute cord leverage..Lose more than 50 pounds tension in non-leveraged connection, and the door drops down hard if not restrained, lifting a load of more than fifty pounds.

Learn that MidMade factory-supplied springs are useful for all MidMade ladders, and perhaps all wood ladders with intelligently-placed simple limit arms. Just pull the needed preload tension to achieve balancing.

Here is a lot of information about balancing springs for wood attic ladders, allowing comparison of excellent MidMade springs with other springs I have experienced. The purpose of so much disclosure is to assure MidMade designers of their good place in this industry. See much Fakro error in employing springs far too beefy. Anyone may see that the tension that destroyed a factory-installed MidMade spring upper pull, is modest. The pull is of poor design.

At described spring tension values, the factory-installed spring upper pulls are of dangerous poor design.

This failure at modest 150 pounds spring tension, door down, was with audible sound at high pitch, rolling down in about one second, spring still attached. A tossed spring could be deadly.

Here is the safe setup of spring upper pulls.

A step-off well, encourages thought about placement of both feet before moving on or off of the attic floor. Here there were 10" extra length in the found floor opening, best filled at the walk-off end.

Seen with door down.

Another S-hook to the eye screw and another to the spring end or to a far link of the chain, allow loops of 1/8"  parachute cord for setting leverage, with the door closed.

Be happy then that this MidMade LEX 70, customized, has well-considered balancing springs, working in a way that will surprise many, to be self-closing,.with limit arms of rugged and simple design. Know that we might be happier if this ladder yet had a door latch operable from long distance, of push and pull operation with a hook, without the very serious difficulty of engaging and operating a very long quarter-turn key.

Using Installer Options of Steps Placement Upon the Door

This default placement of the upper step section is far too arbitrary. There will be reasons for different locations of all support elements, the crossbars attachment to the door,  and the steps relative to the ladder frame.

The steel factory upper section support brackets are attached to crossbars with too-small screws. Relocating steps upon them is needlessly very difficult. The steps are not readily blocked a desired distance from the door. New bolt holes through the wood upper section will almost never align with the tightly-toleranced  bracket holes. Field drilling will have challenging obstacles, but may prove to be necessary..

Begin without drilling-in the holes through the upper step section. 

Fit the steps assembly made rigid with Joining Plates. Only one bolt is needed at each of the four holes drilled through the Upper Step Section.

Crossbar and Upper Section Mounting Assembly Cross Section at Side Edge.

Now talk about recovery from very poor design of the bolting of step section hinges.

Better Bolting of Step Section Hinges

This is the default factory mounting of step section hinges with tee nuts. See large wood voids due to foolish countersink provision of tee nuts. Tee nuts will have much space for relocation under twist loading. Then expect an angle offset of up to 2° at each hinge.

Do better, thus:

Fill in the wood void with Digi-Key Item RPC6485-ND?

?12SWS1075? SHOULDER WASHER, NATURAL, NYLON, Qty 100

Ladder hinge bolting should never fail to employ locknuts.

Find better bolts:

1-1/4 Inch Long Stainless Steel Hurricane Sidewalk Bolts 18-8 (100)

These innovations still do not restore the hinge stiffness that would exist if bolt holes were for M6 bolts, and lbound with locknuts, as achieved with all newly-drilled hinge bolt holes. Add to the repair a stuffing of wet flexible grout as the Digi-Key washers are installed.

The grout is identical in function to Custom Fusion Pro tile grout. Flood the area to be coated. Easy water cleanup, for awhile. Not rock hard.

With factory-default hinges drilling, expect ugly curves of the steps alignment. Eliminate tee nuts  at the factory, and the problem is resolved.

With the hinge misalignments, the bottom section needs to reach a bit further. Stresses at rotated hinge bolts may be damaging to soft wood. Tee nuts surely lose their grip upon bolts. One lost bolt breaks the ladder.

All of this is embarrassing at the least.

Handles matter very much to me in proceeding as a weatherization contractor, perhaps what the ladder installation was all about. Batt insulation must be pushed up as a dense and clumsy bag, dragging heavily in the opening of a 22" ladder frame. Cradling upon a pair of handles at the constriction, is necessary and is crucial to my safety. I want these handles to be offered by MidMade, powder coated in Safety Yellow color.

I want all ladders to be fire-rated at least thirty minutes, as good as the ceiling drywall. Here note that my installation method uniquely avoids safety compromise at usual poorly sealed gaps about the ladder frame merely hidden by wood or plastic trim. I fit the frame tightly to the ladder and need no trim. This installation is extraordinary in fitting a 22"x54" ladder in place of a 25"x64" ladder. I brought the new ladder into the attic and assembled 2x4 fill-in to the sides.

This is an extraordinarily fire-resistant ceiling, with a first layer of 5/8" drywall, and a covering layer of 1/2" drywall. There is unacceptable compromise in not finding a suitable fire-rated attic ladder.

As stated in my comprehensive proposal to MidMade, I want USA distribution to be via many local hubs where steps assemblies are custom-packaged for each customer, based upon computer-graphics analysis of each situation. Over time, planning will become simple informed selection via catalog. All customer ladder step assemblies will be assembled from common parts that are independent of the ladder frame and door assembly size. Factory-shipping and inventory economy is passed along as affording fire resistance, and better value for same cost.

A Drop-Down Attic Access Hatch

Crawling eight feet into this small attic space to connect bath fan ducts will be a challenge. There was no access and I must invent and build my own hatch cover. Employ this opportunity, to invent a well-insulated airtight hatch cover that drops out of the ceiling. With ducting and tools pushed ahead, I must not share space with and perhaps break the cover.

Finding the best ceiling cut is error-prone. Excess demolition is resolved with an easy plaster patch. Easy if you have learned to employ Scructolite plaster, and other patching techniques. A fifty pound bag is perishable and a burdensome investment for occasional patching. I apportion a bag to a couple-dozen airtight plastic jars, then lasting indefinitely.

Here is the prepared opening for the invented hatch cover, with neat plaster applied up to steel-angle edges. The outer frame is a tight-fitting part of the hatch assembly and is pinned in place at best centering in the edged rough opening, by wood shims.

Here is plaster smoothed with my tough flexible grout, and the inserted hatch cover. The cover is securely held by two pull-push latches of European origin, purchased from Fakro USA. I have trimmed excess dimensions of the cover face, GP Densarmor drywall, to overall clearances of 3/8".The cover is not heavy, but be under it upon a ladder while attaching or detaching.

Here is the rough frame, a maximum of found space between ceiling joists and 1x3 that cross the joists and support the plaster lath.

And here is the assembled cross section with latching.

The latch pair was purchased from Fakro USA, where it is employed in several families of Fakro attic ladders. The eye bolt is found to be unsuited to its job, where movement at the nutted end is not linear and the latch slot it engages is too small to accommodate its movement arc with the bolt near-vertical. I conclude that the pull is intended to be small-diameter wire rope. There is no need for the pull to be rigid, of beefy 3/16" OD. By measurements and trial & error, know that the pull center must be 2.5" from the latch edge. Enlarging the slot for the bolt is a workable but poor solution.

At 6/9/2024, I have ordered this wire cable set that should serve better with the Fakro latch if employed in a current attic ladder project.

In fact for the attic ladder project, I think there will be a better latch,

Let every project be a shared learning experience, and a ready resource for recall of my own learning. 

My attic access job continues with achievement of the customer motives of fixing dysfunctional bath fans.

The bath fan with bad ducting must be replaced, to achieve proper ducting. Choose Panasonic FV11-VQ1, 

The found fan discharged through this:

Except that flow is entirely stalled in a squirrel-cage fan with an immediate 90° bend, flow resistance is not much different from the new installation, just losing all velocity head of developed flow in a 4" pipe, K = 1, resistance beyond a bend.

If K = 0.5 for a 90° entry bend and K = 0.15 for a 30° entry bend, then add K = 1 in either case, the flow resistance comparison is not telling.

8" aluminum flex ducting was bonded not-at-all airtight, into an existing Norwesco NWE RCV-4 static vent, 50 sq in net free area. There was no backdraft damper! The untrained fan installer thought it would be a good idea to cut out the screen. The fan backdraft damper remained functional stopping cold air and warmth-seeking bugs, but too many "American" fans have failed backdraft dampers.

Here is the completed new duct installation, an elbow set to 30°, a two-foot length of smooth pipe, and an elbow mating with a roof cap through an about-60° bend. Not much resistance, and no flow stall.

I always employ a Roof Penetration Adapter for a through-roof duct. I accomplished this tuck with removal of only two roofing nails.

On occasion, as here, the roof cap can't be tucked under a shingle row for appearances-sake. No matter. The cap is only a rain cover.

Know that discharge through proper new ducting with 30° bend, is strong. There was no noticeable flow from the now-scrapped Broan fan. Blame the foolish elbow placement, and foolishness of  all bath fans vs. thoughtful always-learning design of Panasonic fans. I can readily call a Panasonic technician in New Jersey, at 866-292-7292. I have done that here, reporting (again), that fan installation should always be as retrofit. No serviceable appliance may be captured, demanding demolition for replacement. Well, that is what I believe, but I don't find confirming building code. Still, to trap a bath fan above drywall is really mean and stupid. Panasonic should presume installers will insert the fan body though a drywall cut prescribed by a template in the fan packaging, body flange then below drywall. The Panasonic instructions badly mislead all who will suffer consequences at a future replacement. See that graphics are those of a compact ceiling, not attic, fan, for all fan models. The compact fan is less efficient and should be avoided.

One compact fan Panasonic FV11-VF1 was installed in a basement, in this job. A basement overhead will usually allow a full-height fan, but some non-structural 2x4s reduced the headroom. Builders should want Panasonic fans and they should not be constrained by allowed obstructions.

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