Bonfire Night Dos and Don’ts for Artificial Grass Owners
If you are considering hosting your own Bonfire Night display, then it is, of course, extremely important to ensure that you take adequate measures to ensure the safety of you, your family, pets and property.
Many homeowners have made the switch from real grass to artificial in recent years and if you are one of those that has, there are additional safety measures that you’ll need to be aware of to prevent damage to your lawn during your home display.
In our latest article we’re discussing the dos and don’ts for artificial lawn owners to take heed of this Bonfire Night to ensure everyone attending is kept safe and any potential damage to your lawn is prevented.
Don’t Light Bonfires on Artificial Grass
A big part of Bonfire Night is, of course, the bonfire itself. However, if you have an artificial lawn, you should not, under any circumstances, position your bonfire on the fake grass.
If you are having a bonfire, you’ll need to ensure that it is at the very least 5 metres away from your fake turf, and preferably on a hardstanding, such as a patio or concrete.
If there is any chance of embers blowing onto your fake grass, then we’d recommend you avoid having a bonfire in your garden at all, as should an ember land on your plastic turf, it could damage it.
When choosing artificial grass for your garden it is important to choose one that has been independently tested for fire safety. You should opt for a turf that has a European fire safety rating of at least class E, and preferably class C.
Some products can contribute to the spread of fire; however, a class C rating means that there is ‘limited heat release and flame spread during the growth stage of a fire’.
Even so, this doesn’t mean that you can have bonfires on the artificial turf – although it won’t necessarily catch fire, the fibres will melt if they come into contact with fire.
Don’t Light Fireworks on Artificial Grass
In a similar vein, you should never light fireworks on an artificial lawn, either.
Fireworks, whether ground-based or aerial, emit sparks that will damage your fake turf if they come into contact with it.
Like the bonfire, you’ll need to ensure that fireworks are lit well away from your artificial lawn, where there is no chance of sparks landing on your fake turf.
As mentioned, sparks will not set fire to your lawn, but they can melt the fibres.
Don’t Use Sparklers Whilst Standing on Artificial Grass
Whilst sparklers can be lots of fun, they are potentially dangerous, too, due to the extremely high temperatures that they burn at.
They are so hot, in fact, that three sparklers burning together emit the same amount of heat that a blowtorch used to join metal does.
And the very nature of sparklers means that they give off plenty of ‘sparks’ and, again, if they make contact with your artificial lawn, there’s a very good chance they will damage your grass.
To avoid any contact with your fake lawn, keep sparklers well away from your grass.
Do Watch the Fireworks from Your Artificial Lawn
As long as your artificial lawn is a safe distance from lit fireworks, setting up chairs to create a viewing area on your artificial lawn is a great idea.
One of the big benefits of owning an artificial lawn is that it can be used whatever the weather.
There is, of course, no mud or mess with an artificial lawn, so you can use it all year round, unlike real grass.
This means that your artificial lawn is the perfect place to congregate to watch the fireworks – just remember to wrap up warm and ensure you are a safe distance away from lit fireworks.
10 Safety Tips for Keeping Safe This Bonfire Night
Now that we’ve covered the dos and don’ts when it comes to your artificial lawn, it would be wrong if we didn’t include some general safety information to help you stay safe this Firework Night, so here are 10 tips to remember this Bonfire Night:
- Always light fireworks at arm’s length, with a taper. There is usually one supplied with your fireworks, but if not, be sure to purchase one from your retailer.
- Never return to a firework once it has been lit.
- Only buy fireworks that have been manufactured to the BS 7114 standard and keep them in a closed box at all times, well away from your bonfire or lit fireworks.
- Always direct fireworks away from spectators and ensure they are lit from a safe distance.
- Ensure your firework display finishes before 11 p.m. – or midnight, if it takes place on the 5th November; it is normally illegal to set fireworks off between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m.
- Always wear gloves when handling sparklers.
- Never give sparklers to children under the age of five.
- If you are having a bonfire, the fire should be supervised at all times by at least one adult
- Never position your bonfire near anything that may catch alight, such as wooden fences or garden sheds.
- Once your firework party has finished, pour water over your bonfire and ensure that it is properly extinguished.
Bonfire Night Dos and Don’ts for Artificial Grass Owners – we can help you learn more by contacting us
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