Ladder is warped; how much is too much?

Question

I recently bought a 28' fiberglass extension ladder (big-name brand from the blue box store), but I found that it's a bit warped. When I lean it against the house, with both feet firmly planted and squared up, the top right of the ladder stands off the house by a couple inches. When I step on, the ladder doesn't feel overly stable and shifts a bit because of this warping. That said, I did actually use it fully extended for a couple hours, and I didn't fall off.

The ladder hasn't been damaged since I got it, at least. And I don't see any evidence of cracks or other failure. I'd like to return it, but I permanent-markered my name on the sides as soon as I bought it, and it seems to have soaked into the fibers so it doesn't come off with ethanol, acetone, or mineral spirits. (If anyone has a suggestion for how to get this off, I'm all ears.)

When it's on the ground, I can stand it on edge, and look down the side. Lining up the two sides at the end nearest me, I can see the warp as the two sides at the far end are skewed by an inch or two. And in fact, the fly and base sections warp in opposite directions, which makes me wonder if this is just a standard thing that I hadn't noticed before.

All ladders must warp some amount. How much is too much? How much warp do other people see in their extension ladders?

Edit:

Since acetone, ethanol, etc., didn't work, I sanded my name off. I had to go a bit deeper than I expected. It wasn't bad structurally, but it tore up the finish, so there were obvious problematic places. Again, since I wanted to be sure they'd take it back, I just slapped on some polyurethane, and you couldn't tell.

Anyway, I took it back and told them it was warped. They exchanged it without hassle. I checked the new one for warp before I left the store, and it looked perfect. Testing it out again, it feels so much better. Nice and stable. Glad I got rid of the warped one.

Answer 1

If the ladder sections (base and extension) are not square and parallel to each other there is a chance that it will not perform safely. Depending on how much deviation there is between the two sections you should be very cautious when using the ladder fully extended.

The top extension is secured and guided by an inter-locking rail built into the bottom ladder. If the guide is not straight and true there is a possibility for failure (accident). Again this is dependent on how great the warp is.

Fiberglass ladders can be cleaned similarly when cleaning any fiberglass material (hot tubs, boat hulls, etc.). Using a 220-300 grit Wet/Dry sandpaper and backing block wet the section to be cleaned and gently, at first, work the paper rinsing occasionally. If needed change to the next highest grit.

Answer 2

I had just put my ladder up against my barn to do some work when a storm came up. I stupidly left it in place and the winds took it down. Now it had a severe corkscrew twist in it. I laid a 4×4 down about 2' from the feet. Then I used my tractor bucket as a heavy weight to lay at the feet bringing the other end about 3' off the ground then I stuck a long bar in a rung and had the wife stand on it. It wasn't difficult she easily held it to the ground against the twist. Then up by the pry bar on the side rails I used a big piece of oak as a battering tool. With the long end of the oak I gently dropped it several times from a foot or so being sure not to force it in a small area. The board was about 15+pounds and worked beautifully. I struck it maybe 3-4 times and checked it to see the results. It was 90 % straight. One more wack and it was good to go.I should say by dropping/wacking I mean a slapping motion, one end of the board in contact and slapping it down onto the side rails on the high side which the wife was holding down. It saved me at least $500+. I can live with the repair. All the rungs are straight and tight. This was a technique that learned repairing bent sheet metal truck parts. It's amazing how easily this worked.