Getting autumn and winter ready

The Marchant-Holliday school, Somerset

With the onset of the colder months during autumn and winter, there are few things we recommend you keep an eye on.

One thing you may notice as the atmosphere gets damper, is that some of the small shakes (cracks) and splits in the timber have closed up. These are created as the timber dries out in the summer months (especially in sunny south facing locations), but during autumn and winter, moisture in the air is absorbed into the wood causing it to expand. The process is perfectly normal and doesn’t affect the performance or strength of the timber. 

Top tip

The process of timber shrinking and expanding will affect the gripping of the coach screws.  As the wood shrinks during the warmer months, you will notice the bolts relax their grip of the wood ever so slightly. So you’ll need to make sure they are tightened if the joints seem loose. But don’t over tighten the screws as you could strip the thread from the wood and weaken the connection.

The biggest hazard in autumn is the dampness in the air and falling leaves, which can cause playdecks, bridges, gangplanks, etc, to become slippery.

In areas with trees around the play area, you’ll find that algae may grow on surfaces which will also cause them to be slippery, this is in addition to the fallen leaves on the ground.  We always recommend blowing or sweeping the leaves away. 

There’s a couple of options to tackle algae; scrub it with a stiff brush and a mild algaecide (always read the directions before you start), or pressure wash it. If using the latter, be careful not to be too aggressive as you may end up lifting the grain of the timber.

Needless to say if it gets really cold, ice is a real hazard and can be extremely dangerous, so we recommend closing the play area under these conditions.

However, there are plenty of days over the winter where outdoor play is perfectly possible, so as long as you take into consideration all the above, the kids are good to play!