SYNTHETIC SURFACES
1,000 year old school with the most modern sports surfaces } hockey clubs hiring them out in the evening. It is a very common misconception that synthetic surfaces require very little attention but just like natural turf, synthetic surfaces require maintenance as soon as they are constructed if they are to perform to the standard expected of them. Regular and periodic upkeep is required because it ensures a safe playing environment, retains the performance characteristics as well as prolonging the longevity of the surface. With this in mind, Garry needed an improvement on his previous machine to keep his synthetic surfaces at the highest possible standard – and this led him to the SISIS Brush-Pro. The SISIS Brush-Pro is a ride-on brushing system comprising a pair of mid mounted oscillating units and three rear mounted brush units that that have been specifically designed for maintaining synthetic surfaces. Upon seeing a demonstration of the SISIS Brush-Pro, Garry was so impressed that he decided to purchase not just one, but two of them. “Jason Briggs, (area sales manager for Dennis and SISIS) brought it in, gave us a demonstration and straight away I knew that I wanted one. I brought Douglas Parkes, our synthetic surface specialist, out to have a look and he said ‘”Wow,
can we have one please?’” “The original plan was to just buy one and drive it from the boys’ school to the girls’ school, but because we were so impressed we bought two so that we’ve now got one at each site.” “We’ve always done our own synthetic surface maintenance in house and we’d normally use the standard, flatter brushes. Don’t get me wrong, they were good and worked well but the SISIS Brush-Pro is just so much better.” Brushing synthetic surfaces is essential to keep infill mobile, lift the pile and prevent algae accumulation, surface compaction and loss of porosity. The BrushPro has been designed for maximum manoeuvrability and operator comfort with features such as an electric start, hydrostatic drive for forward/reverse and its brush combinations oscillating for thorough periodic work and rear mounted brushes for routine frequent work which cause less compaction than conventional drag brushes. “The oscillating brush is the best feature because it lifts the pile of the carpet up. The problem with synthetic surfaces is that you get a lot of flattening but the SISIS Brush-Pro brings the fibres back up leaving it in great condition.” “I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this product,” said Garry.
76 | Turf Matters | NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2018
Sublime and
SYNTHETIC
The Minster School in Southwell may be one of the oldest schools in England, having been founded in 956, but its sports facilities are right up to date. To complement its natural rugby and football pitches it has a state-of-the-art all-weather pitch. After experiencing problems with it in early 2018 David Everett, Acting School Business Manager, called on Replay Maintenance. David oversees the maintenance of the playing surfaces and has a team of three site staff and a grounds person working hard to maintain the natural surfaces. “We had a problem with the all-weather surface as the sand had become very dirty and compacted due to the use over a number of years and this had a major impact on drainage. We therefore approached various companies with a view to undertaking a rejuvenation and Replay Maintenance provided the most comprehensive quotation,” explained David. “We were impressed by
the process and we’ve now entered into a quarterly maintenance contract with them for the next five years.“ The Replay Rejuvenation process can restore compacted and contaminated synthetic football, rugby, hockey and tennis surfaces to ‘as new’ performance and appearance. The first stage of the process is to extract the contaminated infill from the surface. Replays’ Beaver machines feature unique constant air-flow plenum technology and uses compressed air to remove the contaminated layer of infill and fully decompact the surface. It can extract the infill to any chosen depth, including to the carpet backing if necessary. The pile fibres are cleaned, untangled and restored to vertical. The operator will then assess the general condition of the carpet, repairing any weak or damaged seams. A purpose-built spreading machine then distributes the fresh infill to the correct depth. An integral centrallymounted oscillating brush }
“THE process can restore compacted and contaminated synthetic football, rugby, hockey and tennis surfaces to ‘as new’ performance and appearance.”