Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: How on Earth does one get work done on the ceiling?

This is topic How on Earth does one get work done on the ceiling? in forum Ground Level at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Paul Looker (Member # 5420) on 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.

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 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

Posted by Paul Looker (Member # 5420) on 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?

Posted by Jack Theakston (Member # 4484) on 02-01-2010, 12:56 PM:

A good, old fashioned ladder sounds like what you need.

Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 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?

Posted by Jake Spell (Member # 5294) on 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

Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 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.

Posted by Jeremy Weigel (Member # 4208) on 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.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 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!

Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 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. [thumbsup]

Posted by Phil Blake (Member # 2012) on 02-03-2010, 06:42 AM:

John is that a cinema or pole dancing club [Cool]

Posted by Kurt Zupin (Member # 2751) on 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.

Posted by Sean Kapp (Member # 4839) on 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.

Posted by Michael Voiland (Member # 5386) on 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.

Posted by Alan Plester (Member # 852) on 02-03-2010, 03:33 PM:

All our lights were removed from the roof void.

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 02-05-2010, 11:17 AM:

quote: Michael Voiland
Do you mean to say their are catwalks above the ceiling that you can change the bulbs out from.

Depending on the construction, Michael, catwalks above a "hung" ceiling are very common, especially if the theatre has a stage where lighting instruments are hung in coves. They must have a way to work on those instruments without needing to set up Genies or scafolding every time. Surely someone who has worked in the theatre would know if there are catwalks. If not, then
check the blue prints to see if there are access points where you can get up into the ceiling.

Posted by Sean McKinnon (Member # 612) on 02-05-2010, 01:08 PM:

When I was in High School out Auditorium had A Main catwalk in an L shape with 2 other cat walks off of it So I guess it looked more like an E shape but anyway... There was a hatch in the Projection Booth that went up into the ceiling where there were narrow planks of wood left there from construction in 1976 (this was around 97 98 or so) that created a path from the booth to the lighting catwalks. I never tried it but my buddy did and lived to tell about it. I could just see myself crashing through the ceiling onto the audience below!!! [Eek!]

Posted by Paul Mayer (Member # 355) on 02-05-2010, 02:10 PM:

I love the false sense of security some people get when walking on boards or planks above a suspended ceiling, not thinking about what they aren't seeing. [Smile]

Posted by Barry Floyd (Member # 385) on 02-05-2010, 02:44 PM:

quote:
I could just see myself crashing through the ceiling onto the audience below!!! [Eek!]

Did that once in high school back in 1985. We had a "commons area" that also doubled as the cafeteria seating and was used for dances, plays, etc. I was the guy who hung the lights and the mirror ball for all of the school dances. One afternoon I was up inside the ceiling stringing extension cords to operate the lights and I ended up falling thru the ceiling tiles and landed on a cafeteria table full of students and their lunches. Table flipped, lunches flew, I ended up on the floor covered in food. Not fun... and I only had to do it once.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 02-05-2010, 06:37 PM:

Too bad that was in '85 and not last week...we'd all be enjoying the video on YouTube right now! [Big Grin]

Posted by Bruce Hansen (Member # 281) on 02-05-2010, 08:05 PM:

quote:
Topic: How on Earth does one get work done on the ceiling?

Hire Michelangelo. (Sorry, I couldn't help it)

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 02-07-2010, 03:44 AM:

We used an upright scissor lift for doing ceiling work. You can rent those from your local rental place.

If it curtails ceiling work in the chair area, you're gonna have to take out some rows to get the lift in that area.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 02-07-2010, 04:52 AM:

quote: Justin Hamaker
but you might have to create a wedge or something to account for the slope

Ya just need one set of leveling wheels for your scaffolding to compensate for any floor slope.

MArk

Posted by Manny Montes (Member # 5639) on 02-11-2010, 07:42 PM:

To change lights and smoke detectors, we use a tall ladder and then fill the rest of the gap with one of those poles designed to change light bulbs and smoke detectors.

For everything else we use a scissor lift.