Need Help with New Pit

[jam354]

Hello everyone,

My school has just purchased a pit after about 20 years or so. I have been trying to get one for the past 5 years, so I know I need to make this one last. Does anyone have any advice on keeping the pit from sitting directly on the ground. Our current pit was waterlogged when I got here and never seemed to get any better. When I was in high school, we put our pit on pallates, but I don't know if that would be the best option. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[achtungpv]

You can build a simple frame for under the back pieces of the pit out of 2x4 just make sure it does not extend outside of the pit...i'd make it about 1'6" smaller in each dimension to assure it won't ever be exposed. Frame it like a wall..maybe 18" on center between the studs with a 1' wide strip of ply board across it every 4' to actually support the pit . You'll probably want to anchor it to the underlying concrete with a few masonry screws. It'll stay in place and keep the pit elevated for draining. Don't put it under the front pads.

For the top cover and the sides of the pit, you may consider giving them a coat of Armor All to ward of sun damage. Don't do it on the top mesh though.

Mileage may vary with those suggestions but I've seen both work well in the past.

[rainbowgirl28]

We just use pallets

[Darth Vaulter]

I use plastic nesting pallets. They last for years and have no nails or sharp edges to tear the pit. They stack for convenient off season storage and the stacks can be moved around on movers' dollies. I got some through Craigslist and some at a pallet recycler for $5 each. Here are links to two pictures showing an arrangement the fits exactly under our high school pit. Note that there is one row of half pallets and that the two flanking the box have angle cut outs. I used a circular saw for the cutting.

http://s1284.beta.photobucket.com/user/ ... sort=3&o=1

http://s1284.beta.photobucket.com/user/ ... sort=3&o=0

[coachjvinson]

I use plastic nesting pallets. They last for years and have no nails or sharp edges to tear the pit. They stack for convenient off season storage and the stacks can be moved around on movers' dollies. I got some through Craigslist and some at a pallet recycler for $5 each. Here are links to two pictures showing an arrangement the fits exactly under our high school pit. Note that there is one row of half pallets and that the two flanking the box have angle cut outs. I used a circular saw for the cutting.

http://s1284.beta.photobucket.com/user/ ... sort=3&o=1

http://s1284.beta.photobucket.com/user/ ... sort=3&o=0

Good Stuff - thank you for sharing the info!!! Looks like a definite improvement over wooden pallets...

[PVJunkie]

Most pits are designed to be water resistant so long as they are on a surface that drains the water away. This also assumes the vinyl on the bottom of the pit hasn't been damaged.

Is your pit in direct contact with the ground (not on a pad)? Is it in a low spot where water pools? In both of those circumstances you would probably see some "wicking" due to the exposure to constant moisture.

If, at the end of the season you notice some water has wicked or drained into the pit you should flip the units over and unzip the casings (don't remove them just open them) to allow for some air flow. This will typically dry out foam in a few days, faster if you have access to a big fan to increase the airflow.

If you notice a lot of water you should investigate where it is coming from. Typically it will be coming from the top down due to a bad weather cover. Crawl under the cover on a sunny day and if it looks like the show at the planetarium (do people still go to planetariums) you need to fix or replace your weather cover. It doesn't matter how high you get the pit off the ground, if the water is coming from the top.

Protect your weather cover. This is the most common source of water. Make sure it is out of harms way when spikes are around and avoid piling things on it that will poke holes in it.

A word of caution about pallets - There has been litigation (dang the lawyers) concerning putting a pit on pallets.