IS TREATED WOOD
HARMFUL TO THE ENVIRONMENT ?
NO. THE ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA) CONDUCTED AN
EXTENSIVE EIGHT YEAR STUDY WHERE IT
DETERMINED THAT THE BENEFITS OF PRESSURE
TREATED WOOD PRODUCTS OUTWEIGHED ANY
POTENTIAL RISKS.
ARE CRACKS IN THE
WOOD NORMAL?
YES. COMMONLY CALLED WOOD
CHECKS, THEY START OUT WITH HAIRLINE
CRACKS AND AS THE WOOD WEATHERS OUTSIDE
AND IT SHRINKS AND EXPANDS THE CRACKS
WILL VARY IN SIZE. IT USUALLY DOES NOT
AFFECT THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OF THE
PLAYSET AND A WATER SEALER WILL HELP
REDUCE THIS PHENOMENA.
THIS IS MOST COMMON IN PRESSURE TREATED
PINE.
WHY DO I SEE
MONKEY BAR AND SWINGS TOGETHER?
REDUCING THE COST PER
ACTIVITY IS USUALLY THE ANSWER.
LADDER CONSTRUCTION OVERHEAD WILL PROVIDE
MORE RIGIDITY THAN ANY SINGLE BEAM.
HOWEVER THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT CHILDREN
CAN SWING AND CLIMB THE MONKEY BAR LADDER
AT THE SAME TIME. (THEY CANT) MOST
PLAYSET MANUFACTURERS WILL DESIGN THE
EASY REMOVAL OF SWINGS FROM THE MONKEY
BAR LADDER FOR PROPER USE. THIS BEATS THE
OTHER COSTLY ALTERNATIVE, WHICH IS THE
PURCHASE OF SEPARATE SWING FRAME AND
SEPARATE MONKEY BAR LADDER.
THE ALL IN ONE DESIGN PROVIDES THE BEST
OF BOTH AT A FRACTION OF THE COST. THE
SINGLE BEAM IS THE LEAST EXPENSIVE WAY TO
SUSPEND SWINGS. THE CUSTOMER HAS THE
FINAL CHOICE DONT BELIEVE SCARE
TACTICS ONLY THE OBVIOUS.
IS THEIR ANY
MAINTENANCE REQUIRED?
AS IN ANY OUTDOOR PRODUCT
EXPOSED TO THE OUTSIDE ELEMENTS THERE IS
A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF PREVENTATIVE
MAINTENANCE.
PERIODIC TIGHTENING OF THE
FASTNERS IS EXPECTED AS THE WOOD SHRINKS
AND EXPANDS. THIS WILL ALSO HELP PREVENT
THE ANCHORS FROM LOOSENING UP
PREMATURELY. A WOOD SEALER WILL KEEP THE
WOOD WATER REPELLANT AND WILL REDUCE
WARPING, CHECKING, SPLITTING AND OTHER
WEATHERING PROBLEMS. UNPROTECTED LUMBER
WILL BEGIN TO CHANGE COLOR AS A RESULT OF
THE WOODS REACTION TO ULTRAVIOLET (UV)
RAYS OF THE SUN. DIFFERENT LOCATIONS OF
EXPOSURE TO THE ELEMENTS WILL DETERMINE
HOW OFTEN YOU APPLY THE SEALER, USUALLY
1-2 YEARS IN OUR CLIMATE, REMEMBER
NOTHING IS MAINTENANCE FREE. A LITTLE
PREVENTION GOES A LONG WAY.
WILL THE SLIDE
GET TOO HOT FROM THE SUN?
NO. UNLIKE METAL SLIDE
BEDWAYS, PLASTIC SLIDES DO NOT RADIATE
HEAT. IDEALLY ALL SLIDES SHOULD FACE
NORTH. ALL PLASTIC SLIDES ARE MADE WITH
U.V. PROTECTORS TO HELP PREVENT FADING.
DOES MY PLAYSET
COME WITH A WARRANTY?
YES. ALL MANUFACTURERS MUST
DISCLOSE THEIR WARRANTY COVERAGE AND
POLICY IN WRITING. THIS COULD BE FOUND ON
THEIR SALES LITERATURE AND/OR PACKING
MATERIAL. NOT ALL WARRANTIES ARE THE
SAME, BUT MOST WILL PROVIDE ADEQUATE
COVERAGE FOR REAL WORLD USE. THE LONGEST
WARRANTY DOES NOT MEAN THE BEST BECAUSE
OUR CHILDREN ARE EXPECTED TO OUTGROW
THESE PLAYSETS WELL BEFORE THEIR TEENS.
IS ONE
MANUFACTURERS PLAYDESIGN SAFER THAN
OTHERS?
SAFETY IS CONSISTENTLY BEING
EVALUATED AND REVISED. AGENCIES LIKE THE
CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION, ASTM,
CSA AND OTHERS ARE PROVIDING GUIDELINES
TO ENSURE PRODUCT SAFETY IN WHICH MOST
ARE ADHERING TO.
BUT THESE GUIDELINES ARE
ONLY VOLUNTARY AND ARE NOT MANDATORY, SO
YOULL FIND THAT SOME SMALLER
MANUFACTURERS FALL THROUGH THE CRACKS AND
GO UN-NOTICED.
THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR
TESTING MATERIALS (ASTM) PUBLISHED A SET
OF STANDARDS FOR PUBLIC USE PLAYGROUND
EQUIPMENT IN 1993 AND REVISED IT IN 1995.
THE CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY
COMMISSION (CPSC) PUBLISHED A SET OF
GUIDELINES IN 1981 AND REVISED IT IN 1991
AND AGAIN IN 1994. BOTH ARE CURRENTLY
WORKING ON NEW REVISIONS TO ADDRESS ITEMS
NOT ADDRESSED IN THE PREVIOUS VERSIONS.
THE CANADIAN STANDARDS
ASSOCIATION (CSA) PUBLISHED A SET OF
STANDARDS IN 1990.
WHAT
KIND OF SURFACE SHOULD I HAVE UNDER AND
AROUND MY PLAYSET ?
FALLS FROM PLAY EQUIPMENT
ARE THE MOST COMMON OF INJURIES. SPECIAL
ATTENTION SHOULD BE TAKEN TO PREVENT SUCH
FALLS OR TO LESSEN THEIR SEVERITY.
NEVER INSTALL PLAYGROUND
EQUIPMENT OVER A HARD SURFACE SUCH AS
CONCRETE, ASPHALT OR PACKED EARTH. SAND,
WOOD MULCH, PEA GRAVEL OR RUBBER MATERIAL
ARE IDEAL FOR UNDER THE PLAYGROUND. THERE
ARE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES TO EACH
ONE, BUT ALL WILL PROVIDE SAFE LANDINGS.
PARENTS SHOULD USE BASIC
COMMON SENSE TO INSURE THE SAFETY OF
CHILDREN PLAYING ON AND AROUND THE PLAY
SYSTEM. MOST COMMONLY A 6 FOOT CLEARANCE
IS RECOMMENDED AROUND THE PLAY EQUIPMENT
ADULT SUPERVISION (40% OF INJURIES ARE
RELATED TO INADEQUATE SUPERVISION)
DONT WALK IN FRONT OF
ANY MOVING SWING
DONT STAND ON ANY SWING
DONT JUMP OFF ANY MOVING SWING
DONT WALK UP ANY SLIDE
DONT TWIST THE SWING
DONT SLIDE THE WRONG WAY
DONT CLIMB ABOVE ANY OVERHEAD
LADDER
DONT JUMP OFF ANY PLATFORM
USE BOTH HANDS ON A SWING
DONT PUSH ONE ANOTHER
DO REPAIR OR REPLACE DAMAGED OR WORN OUT
PARTS OF THE PLAY SYSTEM
COMMON WEB LINKS
CPSC.GOV
AWPI.ORG
WOLMANIZEDWOOD.COM
CALREDWOOD.ORG
PALCO.COM
ASTM.ORG
IPEMA.ORG
CSA.CA
IF QUESTIONS ARISE
THAT HAVE NOT BEEN ANSWERED WE WILL BE
MORE THAN HAPPY TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION.
THANK YOU