Maintenance Guides
Har-Tru Maintenance Guide (above ground, sprinkler-irrigated courts – Southern US)
Daily Maintenance
• After play and before watering, brush the surface using a drag broom ( link to drag broom page on www.10-s.com ) and clean the tapes using a line broom ( link to line broom page on www.10-s.com ) to smooth out and level any accumulation of material
• Water the court thoroughly and uniformly to keep the court stable and to eliminate dust
• Roll the surface as needed, particularly on new courts ( link to roller page on www.10-s.com ). This ensures a firmer, faster court, less granular build-up and erosion, improved moisture retention and faster drying time
As Needed Maintenance
Patching
A sprinkler irrigated Har-Tru court will develop depressions or low areas over time in certain high play areas (baselines, service boxes). These depressions/low areas will be evident because water will stand in these areas longer after watering. Running a string line over the court will also highlight low areas. These low areas will need to be patched. To patch a low area, follow these steps:
Scarify the low area with a lute ( link to lute page on www.10-s.com ) or other scarifying equipment ( link to scarifying equipment page on www.10-s.com ) to rough up the surface - this helps the new Har-Tru material (link to Har-Tru page on www.10-s.com ) to bind and adhere to the existing court
Spread new Har-Tru material into the low area
Level Har-Tru material with a straight-edge (ladder or flat side of a lute)
Hand water and roll the low area
You may need to repeat the process if the low area is particularly deep
Removing "Dead" Material
Daily play and watering will cause some of the larger Har-Tru granules to work themselves to the surface. These larger granules provide some ideal sliding surface material to the court and are a positive in small amounts. However, large quantities of large granules - known as "dead" material - can cause bad bounces and inhibit playability. These large granules are grayer in color and can accumulate in certain areas, particularly near the net and baselines. To control "dead" material, simply use the flat edge of a lute to scrape the material into piles and remove from the court. Take care not to scrape into the regular court surface when removing the "dead" material.
Top Dressing
Sprinkler irrigated Har-Tru courts will lose material over time due to the effects of watering, wind, rain, and play. Sprinkler irrigated Har-Tru courts in most regions of the country will lose 2-3 tons per year (50-75, 80 lb. bags). Sprinkler irrigated courts in Florida lose 4-5 tons per year (100-125, 80 lb. bags) due to more rain and year round play. In order to properly maintain a Har-Tru court, they must be top dressed on an annual basis. To top dress, follow these steps:
Before top dressing, be sure the court is completely dry
Scarify the entire court surface using a tow scarifier, Court Devil, or lute
Patch low areas (see above)
Apply court surfacing material using a spreader ( link to spreader page on www.10-s.com )
Level the material using a straight edge, usually a ladder
Hand water and roll the court
Top Dressing Tips
• You can either top dress using a small amount of material (8 bags per court) on a monthly basis or top dress using a large amount of material (50-75 bags per court) once per year
• If you are going to add more than 25, 80 lb. bags at one time, you may also need to remove and replace the line tapes, as more than 25, 80 lb. bags may bury the lines
Long-Term Maintenance and Upkeep
Har-Tru courts require 1" of Har-Tru surface material for optimum playability, court stability and moisture retention. For this reason, all new sprinkler-irrigated Har-Tru courts are built with +/- 40 tons (1,000, 80 lb. bags) of Har-Tru surfacing material. Each new Har-Tru court is also built with a 1" in 30' slope to ensure adequate rainwater drainage. This means that a new single court will slope 2" if it is sloped from side-to-side or 4" if it is sloped end-to-end.
Sprinkler irrigation, rain, wind and play will cause Har-Tru material to regularly wash off the court and to migrate (or "shift") from the high side of the court to the low side of the court. Over time, your Har-Tru court will lose the ideal surface depth of 1" and the slope of the court will begin to "flatten out". These changes will cause the court to retain less moisture, shift under rolling and play, and drain poorly, resulting in less than optimum (possibly even dangerous) playing conditions. Consequently, sprinkler-irrigated Har-Tru courts should receive a "laser-tapered" resurfacing every 4-5 years.
In a "laser-tapered" resurfacing, laser guided grading equipment is used to remove excess material at the low end of the court and add new material at the high end of the court to restore the proper court slope. Fast-Dry Courts, Inc. was one of the first companies in the United States to utilize this revolutionary technique to restore Har-Tru courts to a like-new condition.
Maintenance Guide
(Subsurface Irrigated Har-Tru Courts - HydroCourt, HydroGrid - Southern US)
Daily Maintenance
• Groom the surface using a court rake ( link to court rake page on www.10-s.com ) to smooth out and level any accumulation of material and clean the tapes using a line broom ( link to line broom page on www.10-s.com ). It is important to agitate subsurface irrigated courts on a regular basis to inhibit the growth of algae and fungus
As Needed Maintenance
Agitating/Scarifying
Subsurface irrigated Har-Tru courts have a tendency to become very firm over time due to the high moisture content of the courts. The following activities should be undertaken on a regular basis to improve playability:
• Use a court rake or similar maintenance product to agitate the playing area daily
• Use a tow scarifier ( link to tow scarifier page on www.10-s.com ) around the perimeter of the court to break up "hardpan", particularly on the low side of the court
Patching
A subsurface irrigated Har-Tru court will develop depressions or low areas over time in certain high play areas (baselines, service boxes). These depressions/low areas will be evident because water will stand in these areas after a heavy rain. Running a string line over the court will also highlight low areas. These low areas will need to be patched. To patch a low area, follow these steps:
Scarify the low area with a lute ( link to lute page on www.10-s.com ) or other scarifying equipment ( link to scarifying equipment page on www.10-s.com ) to rough up the surface - this helps the new HydroBlend material to bind and adhere to the existing court
Spread new HydroBlend material ( link to HydroBlend page on www.10-s.com ) into the low area
Level HydroBlend material with a straight-edge (ladder or flat side of a lute)
Hand water and roll ( link to roller page on www.10-s.com ) the low area
You may need to repeat the process if the low area is particularly deep
Rolling
Subsurface irrigated Har-Tru courts rarely need to be rolled, primarily because the high moisture content keeps them firm and compact. However, subsurface irrigated courts should be rolled under the following circumstances
After a top-dressing
Lines should be rolled if they start to get high
Top Dressing
Subsurface irrigated Har-Tru courts lose much less material on an annual basis than sprinkler irrigated Har-Tru courts. However, subsurface irrigated Har-Tru courts will lose material over time due to the effects of wind, rain, and play. Subsurface irrigated Har-Tru courts in most regions of the country will lose +/- 1 ton per year (25, 80 lb. bags). Subsurface irrigated Har-Tru courts in Florida will lose +/- 2 tons per year (50, 80 lb. bags), due to more rain and year round play. In order to properly maintain a subsurface irrigated Har-Tru court, they must be top dressed on an annual basis. To top dress, follow these steps
Turn off the watering system and allow the court to dry out for 2-3 days
Scarify the entire court surface using a tow scarifier, Court Devil or lute
Patch low areas (see above)
Apply court surfacing material using a spreader
Level the material using a straight edge, usually a ladder
Hand water and roll the court
Top Dressing Tips
• You can either top dress using a small amount of material (8 bags per court) multiple times per year or top dress using a large amount of material (50 bags per court) once per year
• If you are going to add more than 25, 80 lb. bags at one time, you may also need to remove and replace the line tapes, as more than 25, 80 lb. bags may bury the lines
Coarse Blend Material
Subsurface irrigated Har-Tru courts generate a smaller quantity of large particles that provide the sliding material on the top of the court. In order to replicate the sliding surface and playability of sprinkler irrigated Har-Tru courts, Coarse Blend surfacing material was developed (link to Coarse Blend on www.10-s.com ). Coarse Blend is available in 80 lb. bags and includes only larger granules of Har-Tru surfacing material. It can be spread in small quantities on top of subsurface irrigated courts to provide some "sliding" top surface.
Long-Term Maintenance and Upkeep
Har-Tru courts require 1" of Har-Tru surface material for optimum playability, court stability and moisture retention. For this reason, all new subsurface-irrigated HydroCourts are built with +/- 40 tons (1,000, 80 lb. bags) of HydroBlend surfacing material. Each new HydroCourt is also built with a 1" in 30' slope to ensure adequate rainwater drainage. This means that a new single court will slope 4" (if it is sloped from end-to-end) or 2" (if it is sloped side-to-side).
Rain, wind and play over time will cause HydroBlend material to wash off the court and to migrate (or "shift") from the high side of the court to the low side of the court. Over time, your HydroCourt will lose the ideal surface depth of 1" and the slope of the court will begin to "flatten out". These changes will cause the court to shift under rolling, shift under play and drain poorly, resulting in less than optimum (possibly even dangerous) playing conditions. Consequently, subsurface-irrigated HydroCourts should receive a "laser-tapered" resurfacing every 7-8 years.
In a laser-tapered resurfacing, laser guided grading equipment is used to remove excess material at the low end of the court and add new material at the high end of the court to restore the proper court slope. Fast-Dry Courts, Inc. was one of the first companies in the United States to utilize this revolutionary technique to restore HydroCourts courts to a like-new condition.