REGULATIONS, TECHNICAL INFO & GUARANTEES
All
Play Equipment and Safer Surfaces are regulated by BSEN 1176. The European standards covering general and specific safety requirements and test methods for playground equipment, including swings, slides,
runways, carousels, rocking equipment and guidance on installation, inspection, maintenance and operation. Our play equipment is designed to meet BSEN 1176 standards and the surfaces to BSEN 1177.
All equipment manufactured for use in public parks, schools, commercial facilities, pubs, restaurants, community areas and shopping centres should be designed using these regulations. Equipment that complies will carry a plate showing the relevant BSEN standard. In the case of safer surfaces, these will be certificated to show the fall heights to which each thickness and type has been tested.
FHOF - Free Height of Fall is the greatest vertical distance from the clearly intended body support to the impact area below. This determines the type, distance and thickness of safer surfacing needed.
Timber
All of our equipment is manufactured using heavy-duty, pressure treated and planed redwood timber from managed forests. This is now treated with the new safer Osmose Protim P60 which DOES NOT contain arsenic as the older treatments used to.
It is pleasing
to the eye and impacts far less on its surroundings than brightly coloured steel equipment, especially in rural surroundings and can be just as strong and far cheaper to change damaged and vandalised parts.
It doesn't rust when close to the sea and the colours of natural timber wont fade and need repainting as they can do on steel equipment.
Because it is a natural product, every piece of timber is unique. Every piece will exhibit different growth patterns and characteristics which, we feel adds to its attraction.
ALL timber is subject to splitting. This is not a defect, but is due to shrinkage as the timber dries in the drier and hotter weather periods. In damp weather, you will see that these shrinkage splits (known as shakes) will often disappear. These splits are mainly superficial and do not affect the structural integrity of the product.
Our timber comes from managed sustainable forests and as such we purchase from companies that hold FSC certificates. We now use mostly laminated square section timbers for the main posts, this not only increases strength but also the layers are bound with impregnable glues making them much more resiliant to the elements and much less likely to crack, warp or deform as single piece timbers. In terms of resisting vandalism timber play equipment has moved on a long way with lamination, security fixings and carefully cut joints, there is now little to choose from in terms of pros & cons of steel and timber, each having their own positive and negative points equally. If required we are also able to offer galvanised steel ground fixing feet for our timber posts.
Components
All the
components used in the manufacture of our products are of the highest quality and are fully guaranteed. Galvanised steel or zinc plating is always used where possible.
Star headed fixings help prevent tampering once installed.
We reserve the right to alter components, colours, designs and configurations to allow for progression of manufacturing, installation and appearance.
Cargo Nets
We don't
tend to use the traditional "rope net" because they can wear quickly, be cut easily and the all important hole sizes can differ with stretching and movement of the rope, this can lead to head traps
forming. They can also be affected by UV rays causing them to break down.
As standard we fit very strong and colourful "steel corded rope cargo nets" on all of our equipment. All nets have hole sizes that meet BSEN 1176 of at least 230mm.
If you want a specific type of net please let us know when ordering.
Guarantees
From August
2009 our equipment is guaranteed for ten years as standard at our discretion (year one labour and parts, year two to ten inclusive - parts only). This applies to structural defects but excludes vandalism, storm
damage, malicious damage, subsidence and underground movement, floods, acts of god, terrorism, repairs or movement by others, vehicle / accidental / animal damage / timber splits or improper and unintended use.
The expected life span of the timber is of approximately 15-20 years, but this does depend on a lot of factors, most of those are mentioned above.
You'll be glad to hear that there is very little that you'll need to do to maintain our equipment. The timber is pressure treated, the plastics "look after themselves", the steel is normally galvanised and on most equipment there is no need for adjustment of parts. You can from time to time woodstain the equipment to make it appear newer or to provide a different colour scheme if you wish and maybe give the plastics a rejuvenating "child friendly" plastic restorer. The great thing about our equipment is that normally and on rare occasions, if a part needs replacing this can be done relatively easily and cheaply by our experienced fitters on site.
Our Safer Surfaces are guaranteed for three years as standard. We can also maintain and repair all types of play area and safer surface. We will advise on the best type of repair and if it's feasible. We are able to source most parts from major manufacturers or get component parts made up. The great thing is that we will say before we start whether if we repair the equipment, it would mean that other parts will need changing to bring it up to the new standards. This is something often overlooked by the local "'maintenance" or "fabrication" company.
We can repair wet pour rubber and tile surfaces, infill loose fill surfaces or remove them completely and replace with any other type of safer surface to the correct "surfacing extent" dimensions.
Each job is individually priced and assessed, so please ask and we will gladly visit and quote thereafter.
Roofs
The roofs on our roofed picnic tables, towers and stand alone areas are designed to act as sun shelters and not be waterproof. This is because it would take a great deal more work and cost to do this and ideally there should be a gutter and drainage to take the water away. We can make watertight shelters if required and can quote upon request.
On all play towers we use the HDPE Plastic Roofs. On shelters we can provide cedar shingles, felt or feathered edge - please specify when asking for a quotation.
