| Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) | |
| Questions | Answers |
1) What is the life expectancy of synthetic turf under normal conditions? |
1) While the life expectancy for residential applications is not yet been reached HomeTurf has the longest warrantee in the industry of 8 years. 2) The manufacturer warranty is for 8 years and includes but is not limited to fading, failing, shrinking or reflect excessive wear. Please see Attachment ‘A’, a copy of the manufacturer’s warranty. Under section ‘G’ of the manufacturer’s warranty it states: the warranty is not to cover any defect, failure, damage or undue wear in or to the synthetic turf caused by or connected with abuse, neglect, deliberate acts, act of God, casualty, static or dynamic loads exceeding HomeTurf's recommendations, footwear having metal cleats, spikes, or similar projections other than conventional baseball, football, soccer, or rugby shoes having cleats of not more than ½” in length, and other conventional running track shoes having spikes of not more than ¼” in length, or use of improper cleaning methods. 3) The Turf has UV protection and is warranted not to fade and as stated “The term ‘not fade’ in the context of this warranty shall mean that the synthetic turf material shall remain a uniform shade of green, or other color installed, with no significant loss of color”. For residential uses no visible wear should be detected, please refer to Attachment ‘A’ for full warrantee information in regards to excessive wear. 4) HomeTurf has a very intensive and exclusive installation procedure that has 11 steps for residential and commercial use. All of our installers have to have written certification from HomeTurf to install our product to maintain the high standard we keep for the Synthetic Turf. Ø 1st HomeTurf or a contractor removes all materials to reach clean topsoil. Ø 2nd The area of the lawn is graded to the client’s specifications: turtle backed, flat or contoured. Ø 3rd Crushed Breeze (or its equivalent) is compacted over the installation area to assist in drainage. Ø 4th Pressure treated 2”X4”’s or any type of border with the appropriate height are placed around any interior or exterior Turf edge. Ø 5th The pressure treated 2”X4”’s are secured to the ground using 18” pieces of rebar pounded into the ground. Ø 6th The Turf is processed prior to installation by using a shindaiwa power brush to sweep the blades and fribulate the grass like fibers for a more real look and feel. Some of HomeTurf's competitors don’t use this stage because they use a cheaper less expensive grass yarn. Denier measures yarn; Denier is a unit of measurement characterizing the linear density of a fiber. In layman’s terms, how much material goes into making a strand of fiber or one blade. Higher denier means more density. More density means better quality and longevity. HomeTurf's Turf has the highest denier weight in the industry. Another key point to measure the quality of the Turf is Pile weight; the pile weight shows you how much fiber weight you get per square yard. The higher the number the more fibers you get and the more fiber you get the better the quality of the system. More fiber weight means that the system will look, perform and feel like plush natural grass. Also, the denser fibers will tend to fold over the rubber granules when played on to keep the rubber granules in place and prevent them from migrating all over the Turf. Ø 7th At this point the Synthetic Turf is laid over the installation site. All Synthetic Turfs have a grain to them and if you do not pay attention to this fact you can have a lawn that reacts to the sunlight in different patterns. HomeTurf installs all of our lawns with one grain direction to avoid this factor. Ø 8th The Turf is cut to the dimensions of the installation. Ø 9th All the seams are secured using a preferred system that actually bonds the two backings into one piece. Once again HomeTurf uses a process more expensive but ultimately more beneficial to the consumer. HomeTurf uses a 3 step seaming procedure we think should be required. An 18” piece of base material is laid along the area to be seamed. Over that a grid material, (much like fiberglass), is placed, this grid material has ¼” grids laid out in it. Next a special epoxy is toweled over the 2 layers and the Synthetic Turf if seamed together. This process actually bonds the backing chemically into one piece. Most of our competitors use a 6” heat activated seaming tape that has a tendency to fail in cold weather applications.. Ø 10th All the interior and exterior edges of the Synthetic Turf are nailed every 4”s or so to the pressure treated 2”X4”s. Once again HomeTurf is the only company that uses this step for all installations, our competitors normally use landscaping spikes to fasten the Turf to the ground. With these spikes it is easily possible to yank the Synthetic Turf off the ground, with our system it takes extreme effort and tools to remove the surface making it a chore for vandals to damage the installation. Ø 11th HomeTurf uses a patented rubber and sand infill system. This system has multiple benefits that include: better energy absorption and higher Gmax ratings, less abrasion to the yarn which will ultimately extend the life of the lawn, better drainage without clogging, and no settling or separating of the infill. HomeTurf uses only the rubber and sand infill system because once again we believe it to be the best standard for the industry. 5) Repair is simple and takes little time. With a simple phone call one of HomeTurf ’s certified installers will come and patch any area needed. The repaired area will match the existing Turf in color and grain. Because of the UV protection and quality of our Turf repairs, expansions or additions will look like they were installed at the same time as the original installation. 6) No. The product has shown no adverse reactions to extreme climates. 7) No. The Synthetic Turf used by HomeTurf with its infill and patented Isotropic backing has the advantage of actually being cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter than natural grass. 8) If the ambient temperature were 90 degrees, the temperature of the Synthetic surface would be approximately 90 degrees depending on wind and humidity. As for temperature interaction with Synthetic Turf our product has the benefit of actually being cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter than natural grass. 9) No. HomeTurf ’s Turf is considered flame resistant. If an ignition source is applied to the Synthetic Turf the Turf will melt at a temperature of 325 degrees. But as with anything if an ignition source is hot enough it will ignite and burn, even bricks and steel will ignite at the correct temperature; of course these temperatures vary depending on factors such as wind and humidity. As to how long it will burn depends on the ignition source, as long as the ignition source is present the Turf will continue to burn but when the source is removed the Synthetic Turf will smolder and go out. The rubber granulate used for infill is made from recycled tires and react like rubber. The rubber is non-toxic and non-flammable and will melt at approximately 435 degrees. No appreciable damage will be noticed if a lit cigarette is dropped and stepped on to put it out. If the cigarette is left to burn out it will melt the grass yarn directly touching it but will not ignite. Any damaged area’s can be repaired easily and at very little cost. 10) No. Unlike some of our competitors HomeTurf ’s yarn is manufactured with no heavy metals. It is also EPA approved in California, the state with the toughest laws in the USA. The patented Isotropic backing is also made with 20% Soy Oil, this will comply with the federal requirement that was signed late in 2002 by President Bush stating a minimum 8% Soy Oil content must be used for any federal installation. Because the Turf is non-toxic and inert there is no effect to the ozone layer. 11) There is no static build up on HomeTurf’s Synthetic Turf. 12) Normal maintenance for the Synthetic Turf is like a natural grass lawn. A leaf blower or rake is used to clean leaves or other natural debris. If more extensive cleaning is necessary warm water and detergent can be used to clean the Synthetic Turf. 13) There is no need to pressure wash HomeTurf ’s Turf; if the Turf gets excessive dirt on it you can wash it off with water. Since our Turf is warranted to drain a minimum of 17 inches of water an hour the dirt will flow through our patented Isotropic backing without clogging or affecting the drainage. 14) Animal feces and urine are cleaned like a natural grass lawn. Feces can be picked up or if ‘messy’ washed through the Turf with a hose. Urine is not absorbed into the Synthetic Turf but washes through. Nether feces or urine will stain HomeTurf ’s Turf; in fact you can pour bleach on our product without staining the grass yarn. Any area that pets leave urine or feces has a potential problem with bacteria, however just spray the area with bleach. 15) Yes, but since the Synthetic Turf is non-organic this problem is greatly reduced over natural grass. Once again by using ‘Bleach’ this problem can be eliminated. 16) Bird droppings are simply cleaned using a hose and do not stain Turf. 17) Road salt or magnesium chloride has no effect on the Synthetic Turf. No deterioration or damage to the Turf. 18) No, pets cannot easily damage our product, the patented Isotropic backing hold the yarn to the backing better than any of our competitors. The Synthetic Turf used in HomeTurf ’s residential installations is the same Turf used for football and soccer fields. In these applications 300+ pound athletes push off the Turf day after day, year after year, and we have fields in play for many years. Our product has improved extensively over that time period. Since the Synthetic Turf is non-organic it does not have the same appeal to pets. There is no live smell of bugs or other edible things. If a pet does damage the Turf it can easily be repaired. 19) There are no adverse reactions to the underlying ground. Actually our installation process creates a filter affect when water passes through it. If you do remove the Turf and breeze you can plant anything without any special preparation. 20) Directly against our product. Because HomeTurf ’s backing can drain a minimum of 17 inches of water an hour there are no restrictions as to plant life surrounded by the Turf. And if the resident wants to remove a tree or plant bed we can patch the area left behind for an insignificant cost. 21) Because HomeTurf ’s Turf is non-toxic and inert there are no restrictions or special requirements for disposal of removed or waste Turf. Remember the Turf is EPA approved in CA. 22) As previously mentioned with the special installation process and our backing our Synthetic Turf will drain a minimum of 17 inches of water an hour as stated in the warranty; “HomeTurf’s turf warrants to the Owner that the permeable synthetic system shall drain vertically a minimum or 17 inches precipitation per hour without visible surface ponding.” HomeTurf ’s Turf actually drains better than natural grass. This is a very important factor for people to look into. Some or our competitors products have little or no drainage and most or all the water that falls on it will pool and runoff into streets or neighbors yards. This is very bad for several reasons; runoff water can cause erosion to surrounding yards and overload municipal utility resources. 23) Everything, excluding some adhesives, becomes slick when wet. HomeTurf ’s Synthetic Turf reacts to water better than natural grass because of the increased drainage. Once again our Synthetic Turf looks, feels, and acts like natural grass but is better. There is no mowing, fertilizing, pesticide use, seeding, weeding, and most important NO WATERING. As for slope installations, no problem, because there is no mowing the Synthetic Turf is safer than natural grass. 24) HomeTurf installs in residential applications is the same Turf used for Child Care facilities. These facilities are reporting lower injury rates than previous surfacing and increased use. Because our product is nothing like the stereotypical ‘Astroturf’ which is; abrasive, has foot lock, low Gmax ratings, looses energy absorbs ion over life of product, has short-weak fibers, and does not look or feel like natural grass, there is considerable lower incidents of injury to include rug burns and foot lock. 25) The Turf can be special ordered in any color wanted but to maintain our mission HomeTurf will not install anything but green Turf for residential applications. 26) This is a very complex question because of all the different types of paint available. No paint will penetrate the yarn fiber itself but it will attach to the outside of the fiber. Water-soluble paint can be cleaned with warm water and soap. Other paints should be wiped up when spilled, if this is not possible the paint will wear off in due time (raking or brushing the Turf will speed this up) or the affected area of Turf can be replaced. On sport field applications a special paint is used to mark the field lines, this product is not readily accessible to the general public and is rather expensive. This sport paint is reapplied about 2 times a year depending on usage and is specially designed for our Synthetic Turf. 27) HomeTurf East is fully licensed. All customers should check for current license status. One thing that HomeTurf requires is that all installers are certified by HomeTurf to install our Synthetic Turf including our full installation process described in the answer for question number 4. 28) This will vary depending on the prep work required to install the Synthetic Turf. Variables can be new graded construction, replacing existing sod, removing zero-scaping, capping off existing irrigation systems, or other vegetation in lawn area. Normal residential installations run approximately $10.00 sq.ft. or $12.00sq.ft. for Day Care facilities, free on site estimates are given at the clients request. 29) A rake, leaf blower, and possibly a garden hose. 30) Our product looks and feels like real natural grass. In fact, it's softer than the real stuff. Most daycare centers and athletic surfaces today are going to this type of surface for safety reasons. There's no-more watering, fertilizing or aerating. Our artificial turf includes an 8-year warranty for all components, including the patented turf, the special recycled rubber infill. This 100% maintenance free product virtually eliminates serious problems with impact injuries, insect bites, and allergic reaction from pesticides and insecticides, and infections from day to day child care center activities. Even messy ducks and pigeons, snakes and ants, and most other undesirable pests and insects don't care for our “pretend” grass. Parents happily report that their children love playing on the turf even more that real grass. Best of all, they come home clean from school. No more bruises, scrapes, or splinters! This synthetic grass looks and feels like natural grass, only a lot better! Our product has been time tested for nearly twenty years under abhorrent conditions. We have found many ways to improve it over the years. It is now truly a state of the art product. We also have improved the quality of our installations. Our synthetic grass surfaces are proven to be tougher, have improved resilience, softer grass surface, and better playability, even in cold weather conditions. The addition of rubber to our turf results in tougher more flexible blade fiber with minimized pile flattening and fiber splitting...the most common failure of heavy use playing surfaces. It has the ability to absorb energy and spring back to its original configuration as a result of this breakthrough molecular technology. We work hard to maintain a competitive edge, especially with our prices. While the majority of turf products may look identical to the naked eye, there are major differences between competing systems on how they are built and how much quality goes into each system. HomeTurf chooses to manufacture and install premium artificial turf so we want you to understand all the terminology and what importance each feature has when examining competing systems. |
