A recent example highlighting the benefits of a consistent maintenance regime is the artificial sports pitches at Cranleigh School – an independent boarding school in Surrey.
Instead of replacing the 18-year old surface when it began to display signs of a slowdown in its draining capabilities, the school was able to resolve the issue by bringing in specialists Replay Maintenance to carry out their Replay Rejuvenation® deep-cleaning process.
A regular client of Replay Maintenance for ten years, Cranleigh School has long reaped the benefits of a regular maintenance programme with the result that the artificial sports surfaces have remained in a good condition and outlasted their original projected life expectancy.
Even with regular care and attention, however, the effects of age and usage do catch up with any facility. It is the job of Replay Maintenance to help their clients achieve the maximum usage from their facility, and postpone the inevitable: namely, resurfacing.
“We had a Replay Rejuvenation® back in 2003 and were beginning to notice that over the past year, the surface drainage was becoming impaired,” said Denis Bloomfield, Cranleigh School’s Grounds Manager. “Although it had not become so bad to adversely affect play, we felt it was an indication of the carpet infill becoming contaminated and the problem was only going to get worse unless we acted.
“Replay carried out their Replay Rejuvenation® process on another one of our sand filled artificial surfaces a few years previously. When they carried out their site survey, which included checks on depth of pile and the level of infill, no apparent problems had been highlighted on this particular pitch, so it was decided that we would monitor the surface drainage situation with regard to arranging for the pitch to be cleaned at a later date.”
The sports facilities at the school enjoy high activity throughout the year, with students aged between 7-18 years old as well as being available for community use most evenings and weekends. Surfaces with this level of play require an effective, regular maintenance programme to keep them in peak condition, and with the help of Replay Maintenance, the up-keep of the school’s artificial pitches is proving to be more than a match for the many hockey & football matches and training sessions taking place.
The Replay Rejuvenation® process uses compressed air to remove the contaminated top layer of sand and restore the carpet pile to a vertical state. New, clean sand is then added. The process can, in most cases, double the life of a synthetic surface for less than a quarter of the cost of a new carpet installation. It is also as effective on long-pile surfaces, which are usually filled with a mixture of sand and rubber granules.
The process can extract the infill to any chosen depth, including removing all the infill right down to the carpet backing. With the correct maintenance programme put in place you could also secure an extra 5 years’ use from your facility.
“The specialist machinery that Replay have was well maintained and the staff were very experienced and skilled at what they were doing. The weather was dry which meant that they were able to efficiently remove the existing sand infill and then integrate fresh sand into the carpet to leave a top quality finish.
“The recent works that have been carried out have improved the overall condition and improved the drainage of the surface and I’d have no hesitation in recommending Replay Maintenance,” said Denis.
For further information, please contact Replay Maintenance on 01636 640 506 or visit the company’s website www.replaymaintenance.co.uk
