Spring Cottage Playhouse

Safe Play Area:

• The safe play area refers to a zone extending 6' beyond the play product on all sides, including the space above the play product. • The ground surface must be level. Installing your play product on sloping ground can cause it to lean or "rack". This leaning puts additional stress on all connections and joints and in time will cause those connections to loosen and fail.

• The safe play area must be free of all structures, landscaping, trees and branches, rocks, wires, and other obstacles to safe play. Children can be seriously injured running or swinging into these obstacles. • Remove all tripping hazards from the safe play area. Tripping hazards include: roots, stumps, rocks, landscaping, sprinkler heads, railroad ties, plumbing and electrical connections.

• Play product needs to be installed on solid ground.

General Information:

Your set has been designed and engineered for children only and for residential use only.

A maximum of 150 lbs. per child is recommended for play activities designed for individual use.

A maximum of 120 lbs. per child is recommended for play activities designed for multiple child use.

A maximum of 6 children is recommended for this unit.

Please refer to the Assembly section of the Assembly Manual for Maximum Fall Height. Positioning Your Playcenter

1. The Playcenter is designed to be installed on a level surface by an Adult with an Adult helper. Place in a flat area of your yard to minimize ground preparation.

2. Choose a level location for the equipment. This can reduce the likelihood of the play set tipping over and loose-fill surfacing material washing away during heavy rains.

3. Place the equipment not less than 6 ft (1.8 m) from any structure or obstruction such as a fence, garage, house, overhanging branches, laundry lines, or electrical wires.

4. Provide enough room so that the children can use the equipment safely. For example, for structures with multiple play activities, a slide should not exit in front of a swing.

5.    It is a good idea to place your Playcenter in an area that is convenient for adults to watch children at play.

6. Create a site free of obstacles that could cause injuries – such as low overhanging tree branches, overhead wires, tree stumps and/or roots, large rocks, bricks and concrete. Additional suggestions in the Suggested Playground Surfacing Section.

7.    Do not build your playset on top of surfacing material.

8.    Locate bare metal platforms and slides out of direct sunlight to reduce the likelihood of serious burns. A slide that faces north will receive the least direct sunlight.

9. Separate active and quiet activities from each other. For example, locate sandboxes away from swings or use a guardrail or barrier to separate the sandbox from the movement of the swings.

Suggested Playground Surfacing

􏰀    Do not install home playground equipment over concrete, asphalt, packed earth, grass, carpet, or any other hard surface. A fall onto a hard surface can result in serious injury to the equipment user.

􏰀    Do not install loose fill surfacing over hard surfaces such as concrete or asphalt.

􏰀    Shredded bark mulch, wood chips, fine sand and fine gravel, are added as shock absorbing materials after assembly. If used properly these materials can absorb some of the impact of a child’s fall. 

􏰀    All surface material should extend a minimum of 6 feet in all directions around the play area.

􏰀    Do not apply playground surfacing until after the unit is completely constructed. Playset should not be built on top of surfacing.

􏰀    Use containment, such as digging out around the perimeter and/or lining the perimeter with landscape edging.

􏰀    Installations of rubber tiles or poured-in-place surfaces (other than loose-fill materials) generally requir a professional and are not “do-it-yourself” projects.

􏰀    Shall use Playground Surfacing Materials (other than loose-fill material) which comply with the safety standard ASTM F1292 Standard Specification of Impact Attenuation of Surfacing Materials within the Use Zone of Playground Equipment.

The following chart explains the fall height in feet from which a life threatening head injury would not be expected

Critical Heights in feet (m) of Tested Materials

*This data is from tests conducted by independent testing laboratories on a 6-inch depth of uncompressed shredded tire samples produced by four manufacturers. The tests reported critical heights, which varied from 10 feet to greater than 12 feet. It is recommended that persons seeking to install shredded tires as a protective surface request test data from the supplier showing the critical height of the material when it was tested in accordance with ASTM F1292.

Operating Instructions:

NOTE: Your children’s safety is our #1 concern. Observing the following statements and warnings reduces the likelihood of serious or fatal injury. Please review these safety rules regularly with your children.

1. This Playcenter is designed for specific number of occupants whose combined weight should not exceed a designated weight on the elevated floor or the swing area, the total Unit capacity is outlined in the Basic Setup Dimensions section of instruction manual. The maximum fall height and recommended play area is also available in the Basic Setup Dimensions section of the manual for the specific unit.

2. On-siteadultsupervisionisrequired.

3. Instruct children not to walk close to, in front of, behind, or between moving swings or other moving playground equipment. 

4. Instruct children to sit in and never stand on swings. 

5. Instruct children not to twist the chains and ropes and not to loop them over the top support bar, since this may reduce the strength of the chain or rope.

6. Instruct children not to jump from swing so rother playground equipment in motion.

7. Instruct children to not to push empty seats. The seat may hit them and cause serious injury.

8. Instruct and teach children to sit in the center of the swings with their full weight on the seats.

9. Instruct children not to use the equipment in a manner other than intended.

10.Instruct children to always go down slides feet first. Never slide head first.

11.Instruct children to look before they slide to make sure no one is at the bottom.

12.Instruct children to never run up a slide, as this increases their chances of falling.

13.The parents should dress children appropriately. (Examples would include the use of well- fitting shoes and the avoidance of ponchos, scarfs, and other loose-fitting clothing that is potentially hazardous while using equipment). 

14.Instruct children not to climb when the equipment is wet.

15.Instruct children to never jump from a fort deck. They should always use the ladder, ramp or slide. 

16.Instruct children to never crawl or walk across the top of monkey bars.

17.Instruct children to never crawl on top of a fort roof.

18.Verify that any suspended climbing ropes, chain, or cable are secured at both ends and that they cannot be looped back on it.

19.Instruct children not to attach items to the playground equipment that are not specifically designed for use with the equipment, such as, but not limited to, jump ropes, clothesline, pet leashes, cables and chain as they may cause a strangulation hazard.

20.Instruct children to never wrap their legs around swing chain.

21.Instruct children to never slide down the swing chain.

22.Instruct children to remove their bike or other sports helmet before playing on playground equipment.