Until recently many people still considered synthetic pitches to be maintenance free, but sadly this is not the case. Having studied artificial surfaces for over 20 years, Technical Surfaces have seen many synthetic surfaces age prematurely due to incorrect or no maintenance and which have had to be replaced within their first five years.

In normal circumstances you should expect to enjoy at least ten years of useful life from your surface. Indeed, some pitches that the Leicester based maintenance specialists maintain are well over this age, with one nearing its 25th anniversary!

The secret is to adopt a comprehensive maintenance regime from day one. Leaving a synthetic facility without maintenance even in the first 12 months can affect its longevity. Monitoring the pitch in that first year while it beds in is vital: maintaining correct infill levels helps to prevent the carpet fibres from folding over; repairing minor seam failures allows you to address them before they become major problems; and above all, the overall integrity of your installation can be assured.

A comprehensive maintenance programme would consist of Drag Brushing the surface at least weekly, complemented by a series of Power Sweeps. Drag Brushing will help to keep the infill evenly distributed over the surface, which will naturally migrate from the middle (high wear areas) of the pitch to the edges.

However, it will not remove any dust or fines from the surface, which is the purpose of Power Sweeping. Without the removal of these small contaminants, the infill will begin to harden, with the dust almost acting like cement. Ultimately, this will clog the system, affecting the performance and drainage of the surface. This build up of contaminants is gradual but nevertheless is occurring on your surface right now. Failure to remove it in a systematic way will eventually cause your surface to fail.

With longer pile or soccer grass systems, it is also important to ‘Groom’ or ‘Rake’ the surface in much the same way as Drag Brushing. This helps to not only keep the infill evenly distributed but to raise the carpet pile.

If you have not yet formulated a maintenance programme for your synthetic surface or would like verification that your current procedures are correct, Technical Surfaces would be happy to carry out an assessment of your facility.

For further information, please call Technical Surfaces’ National Office on 08702 400 700 or visit www.technicalsurfaces.co.uk