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Our Knowledge Base

  • Reviving Tired Turf
    Do you have a synthetic field that is looking tired? Short on staff to maintain the field on a consistent basis? Unsure how to fix a loose inlaid line? Does your field have enough infill? The Revive process uses a specially developed, single operator machine to remove contaminants from in-filled and water-based synthetic turf carpet as well as polymeric surfaces. Rotary brushes penetrate deeper into the in-fill than static brushes, breaking up the contamination crust and removing it with a powerful vacuum filter system for disposal off-site. The sand or rubber in-fill is then filtered, dropped back onto the surface and worked in using a static brush head in the first instance, followed by a drag mat. The process helps reduce compaction of the surface enhances its porosity and helps maintain the playing characteristics. Kevin Loutsenhizer at Replay Maintenance says it’s an increasing trend: “We are seeing more and more customers who want regular maintenance to support what their grounds people are doing. Service agreements are a great way of scheduling the specialist maintenance of synthetic sports surfaces but at a known cost over the short or long-term. State-of-the-art processes, such as Revive, keep synthetic sports fields playing better for longer.” Clients say one of the best features is they can contact Replay at any time if they have any queries about any of the artificial sports surfaces we have. RePlay advice and guidance are always really useful and they respond quickly to requests for repairs, which are very reasonably priced. All Replay service agreements, which can be set at intervals to suit the customer include, free of charge, pre and post-maintenance tests. This records the difference the maintenance is making to the playing surface and enables the operator to plan future maintenance far more effectively.
  • Winter Maintenance
    Winter Weather. Stop Maintaining? Once the winter weather sets in what maintenance should you being doing and not doing on artificial turf pitches? Garry Martin of maintenance specialist Replay Maintenance, outlines his top tips. All-weather synthetic turf pitches should in fact be called most-weather synthetic turf pitches! They are not, as many think, always playable. Sadly, we can’t stop the weather, but with a little planning most synthetic sports surfaces can be made available in nearly all weathers. So, let’s go through the different types of winter weather we’re likely to get and how to deal with it: Wind & Rain Naturally, in autumn, the leaves fall off trees. So, it probably goes without saying that you need to ensure they are regularly swept up and cleared. If not, they can encourage the development of moss and algae and as the natural detritus breaks down will become increasingly difficult to remove effectively. If moss is present you will need to apply an approved chemical and remove once “dead”. You can do this yourself or you may find it is included in your service agreement with your maintenance provider. To help alleviate drainage issues during more prolonged periods of wet weather a pro-active planned approach to maintenance is necessary. By implementing the following procedures the pile will be more fluid and fill more mobile, both imperative where drainage is concerned. Use a process that encompasses de-compaction, extraction of dust, removal of dirt and detritus and redistribution of the infill. Maintenance is not just about what is on the surface but should also cater for what is in the surface. For all of the aforementioned to take place and be fully effective it must preferably be dry. This does not mean that wet weather maintenance should not take place, but you must be sure that the correct wet weather procedures occur. Removal of dirt and detritus, and redistribution of the infill (with care) can take place during wetter periods. However, rotary brush techniques are not ideal for wet weather maintenance as they may only succeed in driving retained dust particles deeper into the cleaner bottom half of the surface. Using a rigid brush with airflow is preferable. You may have your own grounds staff and equipment that undertake the above. If using a maintenance company ensure that they take a considered and intelligent view of the weather and adjust the maintenance procedures accordingly. Replay, for example, only undertakes two site visits a day to ensure that each site is correctly assessed and treated –quality, not quantity should be the watch-word. And the processes and equipment that Replay uses are fully adaptable for either wet or dry weather. In the worse cases a pitch may be at a point where it actually needs rejuvenating. This process can restore compacted and contaminated synthetic football, rugby, hockey and tennis surfaces to ‘as new’ performance and appearance using compressed air to remove the contaminated top layer of sand and restore the pile to vertical. However, it is a treatment that has to be undertaken by a reputable maintenance company and is not fully effective if the surface is frozen. Frost & Snow With a lot of hard work, the correct machinery and good products it is possible to clear snowfall and ice. Snow can be cleared to the side of the pitch, albeit you need to make sure that the weight of the snow doesn’t cause any long-term issues on the carpet underneath it. Freezing conditions and ice are slightly more problematic. If you are intending to apply a treatment to prevent freeze or encourage thaw, firstly, check with the surface manufacturer or installer before doing so. Secondly, you need to check that the whole depth of the synthetic turf carpet has in fact defrosted. Appearances can be misleading and a surface may look ice and frostfree when in fact it is only the top of the pile that has defrosted. In most cases, a shock pad will sit directly below the carpet layer with a further two layers of bitmac (Tarmac) beneath that. All of these layers are black in colour and are excellent at absorbing ambient heat from their surroundings. In simple terms, this means that thaw from below (ambient heat held by the earth) can be very slow to reach the base of your carpet. As surfaces get older natural drainage may get slower, meaning moisture can sit at the base or midway in the carpet for prolonged periods. In winter, this moisture, without ambient heat, may freeze. This can lead to a surface that looks safe for play from the top down, but is in fact holding ice further into the pile. Worse still this can occur in isolated “pockets” making the hazard harder to spot. As previously stated It is worth noting that a good pro-active (year round) maintenance regime will help to keep the carpet pile open and the fill mobile. This helps fluid and moisture to pass through the surface, helping to negate ice and frost. Something like the Revive process from Replay, is ideal for pro-active maintenance prior and during bad weather. Operator beware! A final word of warning. If you allow the surface to be used and a player sustains injury as a result of the ice, snow or rain the responsibility will be yours! Make sure the pitch is completely safe before allowing play.
  • Turf Life Cycle Planner
    Do you ever wonder how much time you have left on your turf? Need to know the impact that maintenance has on the longevity of your surface? Want to set up a long-term financial plan? The RePlay Maintenance has set up a turf calculator to help you with long-term planning. Use the turf calculator to provide insight into the following: The effects that hours of use by sports will impact the longevity of your surface. How to set good rental prices to assist with replacement in the future. Account for build costs and capital costs The impact that maintenance will have on the longevity of the surface. Long-term financial planning. CLICK HERE FOR THE REPLAY MAINTENANCE TURF CALCULATOR Stop the guessing, don’t wait to plan, and let RePlay Maintenance’s turf calculator help with your long-term planning. A synthetic turf field is a large investment that can provide years of use when properly maintained can add years to their use, save on expensive repairs, and dramatically increase the hours of use of a field. Properly planning from the beginning can ease the anxiety of the process throughout the life of the asset. Interested in help with planning and maintenance, Replay service agreements, which can be set at intervals to suit the customer include, free of charge, pre and post-maintenance tests. This records the difference the maintenance is making to the playing surface and enables the operator to plan future maintenance far more effectively. Want help planning, contact us for help *Note: There are four pages in the turf calculator that are navigated by the arrows on the bottom.
  • Moss Killing
    Moss is now a perennial problem, ambient temperature is getting warmer and of course our climate is also getting wetter. Moss will thrive in shaded condition (think Kick boards) and if left untreated can be extremely costly to remove. Prevention is so much better than cure – a pro-active maintenance regime can prevent moss from taking hold on and in your surface. Insipid drainage will positively promote growth and so you must have a plan that keeps fill and fibre open and fluid – consult your specialist maintenance company and ask how they achieve this. Removing leaves, twigs and general detritus from your surface regularly is of paramount importance, if left the material will break down and remain within your surface, changing play dynamic and hindering porosity. Specialist Maintenance will help to alleviate foreign material breakdown and as a matter of course during their visit ask to see contaminants removed to ensure that the specialist regime is working appropriately. In-House practice must also cater for detritus collection; in autumn months this may be a daily occurrence. Many chemicals are available to eradicate or inhibit, always ensure that a fully certified professional carries out the works required. Again a specialist maintenance company should be able to facilitate this with annual or in some cases bi-annual application. Please be aware that Inhibition and eradication/removal are two separate practices. If you have any moss growth present in your surface (however small) best practice dictates that your moss kill should have taken place a week or two prior to any specialist brush, this allows the chemical agents to combat growth and kill spores, your specialist can then safely remove the dead moss utilising the correct equipment during their visit. Spraying chemical on the same day as the specialist visit can prove to increase growth due to the spore being live when brushed. Talk to a reputable specialist maintenance company and ask how they approach such practice. Inhibition sprays are put in place to prevent moss growth from ever taking hold. If you implement this type of programme and moss is not present on your surface then carrying out this application after brushing is acceptable. Weather plays a large part in the success or failure of your application, if carrying out In-house always consult the label, if a specialist company is implementing then ask what chemical and subsequent conditions they are utilising. It is worth noting that external perimeter outside of fence line will have an impact on your synthetic surface. Trees will shed leaves and create shade; grass will harbour spores and so forth. Is it possible to create a mowing strip, reducing the impact naturals may have on your surface. Players footwear should always be clean otherwise cross-contamination may occur, the same must be said of any maintenance machinery – Ensure that the tractor used to cut the field does not drive straight onto your synthetic surface to drag a brush, all equipment should be clean and ideally only used for the synthetic sports facility.
  • Service Agreements
    For peace of mind, at a fixed amount, Service Agreements are the ideal way to ensure that playing surfaces benefit from regular and planned maintenance. With Replay you also get more enhanced service levels than with any other surface maintenance company. Our Service Agreements can be set at intervals to suit you, and include pre and post-maintenance tests with the Fieldman testing device. This allows you to see what difference the maintenance regime is making to your playing surface and enables you to plan your maintenance regime far more effectively. To get started, contact us for a free site visit. Service Agreements can include: Revive or Revive Plus+ Maintenance Power Grooming Moss-Weed Killing Retexturing and Repainting Line Marking

Who We Work With

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We are an active member of the Massachusetts Higher Education Purchasing Consortium

Servicing the Northeast & Mid-Atlantic Regions

RePlay Maintenance USA
20 Newman Ave, Suite 9001, Rumford, RI 02916

877-641-1819

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