Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness. Not to mention bonfires and fireworks inevitably followed by the first Winter gales. So do you take down the trampoline and pack it away until Spring? Do you leave it out in the garden but make sure the weather cover is always fitted after use? Do you leave it as it is and encourage the family to use it through the winter?
What ever you plan, now is the time to give it a thorough inspection. It’s probably had a load of use through the summer. Check the bed stitching and spring anchors. Are the springs all 100%? Do the frame pads still give adequate protection? How is the enclosure holding up? Netting, bungees and pole foams can all take a bit of a beating. Autumn is a quiet time in the trampoline trade so parts may well cost less now than in the spring when everyone is chasing them. I know that www.supertrampdirect.co.uk have a voucher based offer for October only offering 10% off the cost of replacement parts. Just enter the code STD0909 at the on line check out and 10% will be automatically deducted from the cost of any trampoline parts you are buying.
If you are leaving your trampoline up all winter you should be prepared for two things. Firstly, Bonfire night and it’s attendant fireworks. Hot sparks from bonfires and rockets will burn small holes in your trampoline bed, so ensure that it is well covered. Secondly, a trampoline fitted with a netting enclosure really catches the wind. Every winter hundreds of garden trampoline s are blown away and damaged. Or worse still cause damage to property and possibly people. Make sure it doesn’t happen to yours by installing a trampoline tie down kit. £20.00 is not much to pay for peace of mind.
Our trampoline came with our house. We do not know how old it is but we have had the house for five years. The tramp has been used for the most part only by young children. Only occasionally by an adult. The spring tension system seems still to be sufficient. Lately, however, we have noticed that the bed surface seems to be powdery. And when someone uses the tramp, their feet or stockings are blackened. Is there something that we can spray or wipe on the bed material that will stablelize and extend the life of the bed.
Vaughn, Apologies for delay in replying. The polypropylene in the monofilaments from which your bed material is woven has carbon added as an ultraviolet inhibitor. Carbon is the most effective uv inhibitor. However it is Black. This is the reason why outdoor trampoline beds are usually black. In your case it sounds as if the bed must be quite old and the carbon is starting to separate from the polypropylene. I cannot think of a realistic solution other than replacing the bed with a new one. If it is a standard size a replacement should not cost too much. Shop around on line. Try http://www.supertrampdirect.co.uk
Aw, this was a really great post. In theory I’d like to write like this too – taking time and real effort to make a good article… but what can I say… I procrastinate alot and never seem to get anything done.