L
et's begin by acknowledging
that synthetic fields are NOT
maintenance free and have more
characteristics of a natural turf
field then is believed. No matter
what anyone says, synthetic turf does
require routine maintenance. Second,
infill material will gradually disappear
from the field as it is carried off by players,
wind, rain, snow removal, routine mainte-
nance, equipment tires, etc., and since it is
a crucial element of a synthetic field, miss-
ing infill will need to be replaced.
REPLENISHING
INFIELD MATERIAL
Most synthetic turf sports fields lack
adequate infill material (whether the
infill is all crumb rubber or a rubber/sand
mix). On average, an athlete or end user
will carry off two to three pounds of infill
material during a playing season. Without
infill support, the turf fibers bend over too
far under traffic and then break off pre-
maturely. Also, ultraviolet rays from the
sun are extremely damaging to synthetic
fibers. By maintaining a proper amount
of crumb rubber, you can help prevent the
fibers from folding over, which minimizes
the amount of each fiber that is exposed
to the sun and reduces fiber breakdown
from ultraviolet rays.
To calculate your field's infill-
replacement needs, you first need to first
determine how much infill your field cur-
rently has. Measure the amount of crumb
rubber in a variety of locations within the
field boundaries (there are several tools
you can use to this and most are easy to
find; a 3-legged measuring device is rec-
ommended and your turf manufacturer
can assist in where to purchase, or you can
use a Starrett gauge, depth gauge or some-
thing as simple as a pen or pencil with a
tape measure to determine how much
infill is in the turf).
If your turf is 2-1/4 inches tall and
26 SportsTurf | July 2015 www.sportsturfonline.com
LATEST RECS FOR
MAINTAINING SYNTHETIC TURF
FACILITY & OPERATIONS
■ BY JIM CORNELIUS, CSFM
IMAGE
©ISTOCKPHOTO/MICHAEL
KRINKE