wood chips

[mtrude]

Hello I am employed by an municipality and we would like to purchase a metal detector to search our playground for foreign objects that could cause injuries. the surfacing material is "wood fiber", basically a high grade wood chip material. It is approximately 10 inches deep and loose, but may be denser in certain equipment areas. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[beerdoodle]

Are you from Illinois by any chance?

[mtrude]

New york

[z118]

Originally Posted by mtrude

New york

New york state? New York city? I would think there would be plenty of guys with detectors in your area that would be happy to take a swing in the playground in question...

[ohiochris]

Well, if you want to do it yourself without having others come in with detectors and do it for you , and your whole reason for doing it is to remove metal articles which may case harm then I suggest just a cheap old bounty hunter, available many places including many wal mart stores. Its not difficult to find items in playgrounds especially if covered in wood chips. If you personally would like to explore the hobby I suggest a garrett ace 250, fisher f2, tesoro compadre....since these are low priced, and will do more than find shallow metal pieces in wood chips , they will also allow you to search other areas and enjoy the experience a lot more.

[mtrude]

Thank you for the replies. Its a maintenance concern and one we would rather do in-house as it will be done on a frequent schedule and/or as needed, it also may become a liability issue and outside vendors would have to be heavily insured. A simple to use machine would be best as different people will be using it. How long would a 100ft by 50ft area take to check?

[achaios]

Whatever detector you decide to go with, keep it in "all metal" mode, since you aren't looking for valuables, just foreign objects.

You may want to check with one of the site's sponsors, since some metal detectors require a slower "swing speed" than others. If you're scanning your 100x50 area too quickly for the detector, you may not find the foreign objects.

-- Tom

[z118]

Originally Posted by mtrude

Thank you for the replies. Its a maintenance concern and one we would rather do in-house as it will be done on a frequent schedule and/or as needed, it also may become a liability issue and outside vendors would have to be heavily insured. A simple to use machine would be best as different people will be using it. How long would a 100ft by 50ft area take to check?

Weird, because it's hard to believe that no one is hunting your playground already. I know every playground within 10 miles of my house is hunted regularly by more than one person. Speaking for myself, and I would guess most of the other people on this forum, I know I remove any items that I find that could be considered dangerous... not to mention all of the non dangerous metal junk (foil, pull tabs, etc). Not to mention broken glass, which of course does get detected but I pick up when I see it.

[blacktoe]

Do the children have to be "heavily insured" to play there? How would it be a "liability issue" for someone to detect it? If it is a public playground I bet it is already detected on a regular basis.

blacktoe

[Steven P]

Originally Posted by blacktoe

Do the children have to be "heavily insured" to play there? How would it be a "liability issue" for someone to detect it? If it is a public playground I bet it is already detected on a regular basis.

blacktoe

I think he probably meant that if the city officially "asked" for people to do it they would open themselves up to liability.

Maybe just a friendly sign in parks that said metal detectors welcome would solve the problem.

[mtrude]

We are a school district, we are held ultimately responsible for the safe operation of our facility, that means we are responsible for any work or services provided by any outside source. If a contractor or vendor does not perform correctly, or provides less than desirable services, and a injury or claim occurs, we are holding the bag and have to assume the liability, regardless of our actions aginst the service provider. Simply put, when someone sues, they go for the deepest pockets. To rest that responsibility on volunteers (who could be held liable) or a hit and miss procedure would be negligent on our part. Our playgound is hunted by some people, but that would not show a responsible action in our defense. Thanks everyone for the advice.

[z118]

Originally Posted by mtrude

We are a school district, we are held ultimately responsible for the safe operation of our facility, that means we are responsible for any work or services provided by any outside source. If a contractor or vendor does not perform correctly, or provides less than desirable services, and a injury or claim occurs, we are holding the bag and have to assume the liability, regardless of our actions aginst the service provider. Simply put, when someone sues, they go for the deepest pockets. To rest that responsibility on volunteers (who could be held liable) or a hit and miss procedure would be negligent on our part. Our playgound is hunted by some people, but that would not show a responsible action in our defense. Thanks everyone for the advice.

Cheers to your district for going the extra mile! I don't think any around here do.

I hope your questions have been answered... I agree witht he post below that you'd be best off with a good entry level detector. I'd recommend the Bounty Hunter Tracker IV - use "all metal" mode. An area the size you have described could take quite a few hours depending on how thorough you intend to be.

I think your biggest concern should be broken glass. I find it all the time in tot lots in the wood chips. It seems to be the most common dangerous item, and obviously presents a particular challenge as it will not be picked up by a detector.

Good luck!

[Lowjiber]

I totally understand your concern. "Negligence" is often defined as failure to do what a prudent person would do. Your situation is amplified because the school district is a large financial "target" for many folks.

I suggest a Fisher F2. It is very simple and effective in wood chips.

[steve in so az]

Maybe start with a pull magnet - like this one I use. It will get all the attractable items for sure, buy it online for about 125 bux. Steve in so az

[TomNWMI]

If your rec areas are frequented by "users" and used hypo's are a concern, no hobby detectors currently made will reliably pick up needles.

Tom

[Lowjiber]

Originally Posted by TomNWMI

If your rec areas are frequented by "users" and used hypo's are a concern, no hobby detectors currently made will reliably pick up needles.

Tom

A PI will find them. I dig them all the time at Santa Cruz beaches.