Calico Court Calls
By
The Cal-Cap® Crew at Calico Racquet Courts, Inc.

Cal-Cap® in the Winter Time _____________________________________________________________________________________________

Since playing on a Cal-Cap® court is addictive, it's difficult not to play on your court when it freezes and is beginning to thaw; however, there are indoor Cal-Cap® courts. Call or e-mail us for the location of the ones nearest you.

When winter starts to appear, a 100 watt light bulb placed inside the water control box of the Cal-Cap® court will keep the unit safe until real freezing weather arrives. (One of those light bulbs with the long extension cord that you use to work on your car will work just fine; they are usually orange in color.) But don't wait until it is freezing cold to winterize your court. When the geysers occur in the spring, you'll understand that you waited too long.

How to Shut Down your Cal-Cap® Court:

Turn off the water supply (VERY important to do first).

Turn off the electricity.

Open ALL the pipes and drains.

Drain the water out of the court.

Unscrew the "union" to separate the system from the "feed" pipes.

"Feed" pipes (one for each court half that disappear into the ground) should be void of any water; get a plumber to blow out the pipes.

Drain the filter body by removing the end cap or, in some models, opening the end "spigot."

Remove the filter body and filter by gently turning to the left (Left to Loosen!), being careful not to lose the little black "o" ring located in the top.

Lift out the "250 mesh" screen from the body. This is a good time to soak the screen in clorox to remove all the iron or sediments in the water supply that may have clogged the screen. Some folks have a screen soaking at all times and rotate the clean one into the filter body when the working one starts to discolor.

Use a silicone lubricant on the "o" rings when storing.

The Surface of the Cal-Cap® court will freeze when the temperature falls. As long as the surface is frozen solid, you can play (slide around) on the court; you MUST get off the court when the court STARTS to thaw. Stay on it, and you'll see hills and dales of mushy green.

After the court has thawed completely (be patient...think of how long it would take for a 4000 gallon ice cube to thaw), the lines must be walked down (the nails, and the lines along with them, popped up during the freeze) and then the court must be rolled before play can begin. See "To Roll or Not to Roll."