Climbing Frame Maintenance Manual
Maintaining Your Play Equipment:
My wooden product has been installed, what do I do next?
A: If your wooden product was installed in a grassed area, the installers
have concreted the frame into the ground. They have left a small exposed
hole, where the posts have been sunk into the ground. The reason this has
been done is to allow the concrete to set overnight. Before allowing the
children to play on the climbing frame, please ensure that the sods of grass
have been replaced over the holes to leave the ground flush around the
posts. Please do not allow your children to play on the wooden product
until the sods of grass have been put back and the concrete is fully dry.
Q: How should I maintain my wooden play equipment?
A: There are many customers whose swing set last for years as a result of simple
steps taken to ensure the wood’s longevity. The timber used on your climbing
frame has been pressure treated. This essentially means that it has been put into
a pressurised vessel and has been impregnated with wood preserve. With time
and under our weather conditions the green colour fades away. We suggest you
treat the wood once every 2 years (completely optional). Not only will this keep
it looking ‘lively’ but will also help it last as long as possible.
Q: What kind of stain should I use?
A: We used a water-based treatment when we made the products. You can use a
water-based or oil-based stain at your discretion. However, once you switch to
oil you will not be able to return to water-based from that point forward. Your
local home improvement, hardware or DIY store will have plenty of options and
suggestions for you.
Q: What else should I do?
A: We suggest you check bolt tightness and all hardware periodically to ensure
everything is in proper order.
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Safety Surfacing
When providing a safe environment for your children to play in, the surface on
which they play is particularly important.
We all know that from time to time children will accidentally fall from even the
safest piece of equipment when playing. The purpose of safer playground
surfacing is to cushion the impact of a child’s accidental fall and reduce the
severity of an injury.
In accordance with BS EN1176 standards we meet and supply the relevant safety
surfaces for both the use, size and budget.
Sometimes spending a bit more on surfacing can go a long way, both in longevity
and safety standards. All our safety surfacing will be made and designed to your
specific area.
Entrapments
Finger Entrapments:
These may occur in;
1. Gaps where the movement of the child may cause a finger to become stuck
2. Open- ended tubes
3. Moving gaps
To protect against finger entrapments avoid creating gaps of between 8mm and
25mm, especially where the gaps is more than 1000mm above the ground.
To protect against head and neck entrapments avoid creating gaps of between
89mm and 230mm.
Extra information and Terms:
Please note that play equipment will require routine maintenance, this includes
checking for correctly used equipment, tightening bolts where applicable and
cleaning/ raking safety surfaces. Insuring correct use of equipment and an
overall clean environment as well as a range of other key maintenance
requirements. Depending on the amount of use a play area will get this could be
recommended from daily – weekly checks to monthly checks.
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Please note our products are manufactured to withstand
reasonable weight, abuse and conditions, this will vary for play equipment and
must be adhered to. Different play equipment will also have an ideal age range
for use.
Metal Parts:
Metal Parts may wear at quick rates due to location or and use. Typically
anything with a wear rating of 40% or more should be changed. Please refer to
the manufacturer regarding this when/ if this is applicable). Locations close to
the sea may rust quicker due to the high salt content in the air.
Please note these are only some of the key points that should be considered
when installing your commercial climbing frame, we would strongly recommend
following safety material, if you are installing the climbing frame in accordance
to ROSPA BS EN 1176/7 safety standards please revert to their standards.
Please note that there is a risk to any play equipment and Outdoorplay
aims to insure that risks are limited as much as reasonably possible.
OutDoorPlay will not take any responsibility for poorly installed
Climbing Frames or playground equipment.
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If at any point you are unsure please contact Outdoorplay for
further assistance with regards to your installation.
