SportsTurf provides current, practical and technical content on issues relevant to sports turf managers, including facilities managers. Most readers are athletic field managers from the professional level through parks and recreation, universities.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/49194
Facility&Operations How colder weather affects synthetic turf installs and repairs Editor's note:We asked some experts these questions: Is there a temperature thresh- old below which it is considered "too cold" to install or repair synthetic turf? How can cold weather affect installation time lines? What exactly is affected—building the base, for example, or using the adhesive? Is sewing seams recommended in cold weather vs. using adhesives? Is sewing that much of a slower process? S teve Smetana, a former professional baseball player and current high school baseball coach in northern Ohio, is a partner with former STMA president David Frey in a venture called Pro Turf Clean. He has been installing artificial turf surfaces since 2004 and now is maintaining synthetic fields as well as installing them. "For installation purposes I have always gone by try- ing to install turf in above-50 degree temperatures," he says. "I guess it might be possible to install when its colder but you run the risk when the temperatures go back up into the 80's and 90's that the material will expand and create issues for you. "The cold weather definitely will affect timelines with installations. Up here in the northern states the most hectic months are end of May until the end of August. The sched- ules of the colleges and high schools greatly dictate the installation time- line," Smetana says. "There are pros and cons to each sewing and using adhesives when bonding seams. Sewing is less expen- sive but a lot more labor intensive than gluing," he says. "For example, sewing will require 10-12 laborers and multiple days; sewing is a good way to seam turf but to glue the belly of a field can take as few as four laborers and one day to complete. I have seen needles get brittle and break in cold tem- peratures. . .There is nothing that slows a job down like a broken sewing machine. — 20 SportsTurf | December 2011 "Another reason why some peo- ple do not sew is because a turf with a real thick backing would be diffi- cult to sew. Secondly, when you sew a seam it has a prominent lump on that edge that can be buried in the aggregate underlayment. If you use a drainage mat for your drainage then you can't sew," Smetana says. Patrick Maguire is principal for the sports division of Stantec Con- sulting, which specializes in civil engineering services for outdoor athletic facilities. "We typically rec- ommend that no work take place unless the temperature is 40 and rising," he says. "Clearly that is a luxury in some climates and at cer- tain times of the year. When it is colder we ask that the installers make provisions to deal with the temperatures. For example it is never a good idea to roll out a frozen carpet. The secondary back- ing can crack, which can be a big problem. "Cold weather—like any in- clement weather—can affect instal- lation timelines because it can cause delays in getting started in the morning due to frost or ice and in waiting for materials to reach work- able temperatures," says Maguire. "Additionally human beings gener- ally are not as efficient in cold weather, particularly for things like www.sportsturfonline.com Wisdom from The Guru of Glue THE SYNTHETIC TURF BUSINESS has expanded to a point where there is not enough time to limit installations to just warm-mild weather. More time is needed which translates into installations and repairs in the cool and/or cold weather of early spring, late fall and throughout the winter. However, there is some cold weather factors that should be kept in mind regard- less of the methods and/or products used. Almost everything slows down when it gets cold. Rain water evaporates slower in Winter than in the Summer; automobile batteries get weaker, their oil gets thicker and they perform bet- ter after they "warm up"; chemical reactions, such as adhesive curing, either slows down or stops, depending on the adhesive; turf get stiffer and harder to handle; sewing get tougher, etc. While the laws of physics regarding cold vs. hot can't be changed there are some products and methods that can not be used when cold; others that are extremely slow and difficult; and others which although slower are useful for cold weather instal- lations and/or repairs. REGARDING ADHESIVES: There are some that freeze, crys- tallize or otherwise solidify in their container when cold. Hot melts adhesives are designed to go from solid to liquid when heated but they often prematurely re-solidify when applied to a cold sub-surface; paste adhesive become almost impossible to spread when cold; others do not cure when the temperature falls below otherwise workable temperatures. However, there also is a group of one-part urethane adhesives in which the man- ufacturer says can be used at any low temperature in which the installer can work. REGARDING SEWING: Sewing machines become sluggish, plus the turf and sewing thread gets stiffer, which makes sewing much more difficult. REGARDING INSTALLATION AND REPAIR: They proceed slower when cold than when hot because, installers can not work as efficiently; cold is also often accompanied by wind; the turf gets stiffer and harder to handle plus the options for sewing and/or adhesives selection are greatly reduced. Cold weather installations and repairs are slower than when warm, but in cold weather it's much better and more profitable to work than the alternative of not starting or stopping an in- stallation while waiting until it gets warm. However, investigate first and then be selective on the products and methods to use in cold weather. ■ Norris Legue, aka The Guru of Glue®, is president of Synthetic Surfaces Inc. Below: Adhesive being sprayed to bond number in- serts during a cold weather turf installation. Right: Adhe- sive coated seaming tape for bonding a loose-laid seam. Patrick Maguire