Trampolines are a great source of bringing entertainment and joy into the life of families. The younger children are always the most enthused by trampolines but the adults in the house can only enjoy exercising or jumping on a trampoline time and again.
The trampolines are always usually adjusted in the backyard and are, therefore, exposed to the environment outside. This is generally not a problem during the hotter months. However, the winters bring themselves with an entirely different kind of environment. If it snows and the temperatures stay below zero consistently where you live, you would have to find a way to winterize your trampoline or prepare to buy a new one once the summers are back at your doorstep.
This is because if the trampolines are allowed to sit outside in the cold weather, the frame can get affected by the snow and the snow induced moisture while the netting can get damaged due to the sheer weight of the snow. Another issue with letting the trampolines stay in your backyard during the colder months is that they can become a hazard if they aren’t anchored properly to the ground. Cold weather usually brings along heavy winds as well and this combination cannot only cause damage to the trampolines by pushing them around your backyard but can also become a hazard for you, your neighbors, and nearby property as well.
However, you don’t need to worry too much about it if you are a new owner and want to learn how to prepare your trampoline for the winters. Here are a few tips and a small step-by-step guide on how you can winterize your trampoline and have it all new and shiny when the cold weather (3) goes away. Here is our full review of the Best Trampolines for Canada.
Step-By-Step Guide on Winterizing the Trampoline
Preparing your trampoline for the winter would require you to do some manual labour. The steps include dismantling your trampoline to a certain degree and then covering it as well in order to ensure that the parts that do stay outside are not exposed to the harsher environment. The steps are as follows:
1. Uninstall the Frame Mats
The first thing you should do is to remove the frame mats. They are the most vulnerable in harsher environment and therefore, storing them inside during the winters is a good idea. Once you have removed the mats, you should clean them thoroughly in order to ensure that all the outdoor residue is removed. Afterwards, you should let them dry up completely and then place them in a dry location where they can weather out the winters.
2. Remove the Netting
The second step is to remove the netting as well and to store it in a dry place too. The netting should be given the same treatment as the mats and should be cleaned gently. Once the netting has dried it, you should store it near the frame mats so that you can easily find all the equipment once you want to reuse the trampoline.
3. Anchor the Trampoline
If you live in an area where the winds are particularly devastating, you would be well-advised to anchor the trampoline. This isn’t just useful for the winters but is equally important in the summers when a storm is raging or passing through. A good practice would be to install the trampoline anchors while winterizing for the first time and then to let them stay afterwards even when the winters are gone.
4. Buy a Trampoline Cover and Use it to protect the Trampoline
You might think that a cover for the trampoline would be an excessive expense but if you want to keep your trampoline secure, it would be best to purchase one. This is because a cover would keep the trampoline secured from the harsh natural elements and ensure that the trampoline is in a condition to be reused in the next season. The covers can prove useful even if you don’t remove the frame mats or the jump pad.
5. Clean the Cover Time and Again
Finally, once you have installed the cover, it is important that you regularly remove the snow whenever it is safe to perform outdoor activities. Cleaning the snow that has gathered over the trampoline is a good practice even if you don’t install a cover as it ensures that the weight of the snow doesn’t overstress the trampoline’s springs. With the installation of a cover, it becomes even more important as not removing snow would lead to absorption of moisture on the surface and growth of mildew.
Tips for Winterizing the Trampoline
There are a few things that can help you in keeping the trampoline in shape and in good health during the harsh winter season. These tips include:
Do Your Preparations at the End of fall
The winterization preparations should be started at the end of fall in order to avoid doing the hard graft in the cold weather. Disassembling the pads and the nettings as described above is an outdoor activity that takes time and if you would plan on doing it when it’s snowing outside, you would not only expose the trampoline to the harsh weather but would also expose yourself unnecessarily.
Similarly, it is best if you find the cover and buy it beforehand (1) so that once it’s time to cover up the trampoline, you can do it quickly without having to wait for any period of time.
Inspect Your Trampoline at the End of winter
It is important that you also end up inspecting your trampoline (2) for any damages that might have been caused by the winter. Even with your efforts to winterize the trampoline, there may be cases where some equipment might catch a bit of rust or the springs might get overstretched. In order to ensure that you catch any defects before its time to start jumping and exercising again, inspecting the trampoline when winter is going away can prove useful. This would ensure that you have the time available to arrange for repairs.
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Best Trampoline Reviews is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.