Before our work can begin, there are some preliminary details that we need to know so we can appropriately prepare for the equipment, materials, and tools that will be required for a successful and efficient installation.
Before our work can begin, there are some preliminary details that we need to know so we can appropriately prepare for the equipment, materials, and tools that will be required for a successful and efficient installation.
1. The voltage of the existing light fixtures
The light fixtures at your facility will fall into one of two categories regarding voltage. They will either be what is known as 480V or something less that we refer to as multi-volt. There are multiple ways that you can discover which system your light were wired under.
(a) If your facility is currently outfitted with fluorescent, HID, or plug-and-play linear LED lighting you will likely have a ballast that is tied into the functionality of the lighting system. A ballast is the functional heart of a light source and is used to control, regulate, and ultimately stabilize the light output of the lamp. They can typically be found on the end walls behind the tennis courts or connected directly to the light fixtures. On these ballasts will be a label that categorizes and notes all the required information for your electrical system and will commonly include either a “277V” or “480V” like in the example noted below. If you are not certain when looking at your ballast take a picture and send it into Sports Interiors and we will have our electrical experts review the information to confirm voltage.
(b) If your club does not have ballasts, or they are kept in the ceiling and you have no extras in storage, another way to determine the voltage is by capturing photos of the electrical panel that controls the tennis lights. The electrical panel is where all the breaker switches are located and it works as the main circuit breaker that controls the power to whatever it tied to it. A typical electrical panel will look like something shown below.
The areas highlighted in red are all pictures that will need to be taken and sent into the Sports Interiors team for review and assessment. Be sure to capture the electrical panel that powers the tennis courts – some larger facilities may have more than one electrical panel and might have different circuitry than other areas of the club. A sure fire way to ensure you are capturing the right panel is to look in the directory that is typically kept inside the panel to see what breakers control what parts of your facility. If you have further questions on this our Sports Interiors team are available to talk you through this process.
2. Facility access points for scissor lift entry and exit
Whether your project is an LED Lighting installation, Reflecting Liner installation, or both, our team will be working in the ceiling of your facility and in order to reach these areas we will be utilizing electric scissor lifts to be able to safely and efficiently complete the work. Our installation team will take full responsibility for the lifts once they are delivered to the project site, from driving them into the club to parking them every day when work is completed and finally removing them from your site. What is important for us to know ahead of time is what type of access points your club has for us to drive these lifts into the club and what is the shortest route we can drive to reach the project area so we avoid disruption to your daily operations. A lot of facilities will have an overhead door that is located right next to the project area and our team can have the lifts delivered right to the overhead door and then drive them quickly and safely into the facility. Other sites may not have an overhead door and as a result we will need to coordinate what options we must drive the lifts through the club in order to be able to work. If you do not have an overhead door, but perhaps have a double set of doors or other variation of a simple doorway, we will need to get exact dimensions of all openings so we can coordinate with the scissor lifts which ones will be able to work in the facility.
For all access points it is vitally important that we know as much about the approach to the opening as possible. Is the approach on tarmac or grass? Is it a straight approach or a difficult to reach part of the building? Is there a flat approach from the exterior flooring to the opening or do we need to bring ramps in order to go either up or down to reach the overhead door? Photos and as much information as possible will allow us to arrive and be prepared to tackle all initial challenges quickly so we can focus on the installation.
3. Plan for old lighting system
Once our team begins your light fixture installation, we will safely remove the old lighting system so our lights can be hung in the proposed locations. Sports Interiors offers a full turn-key service that includes the safe disposal and recycling of old light fixture systems however some clubs decide they would like to keep all or some of the old lighting for use in other areas of the club or to recycle themselves. If your team can decide what the preference would be before we begin we can coordinate with local scrap and recycling contacts to ensure there is a regular removal of the old material as it comes down so that there is not a mess made at the facility.
With these three questions addressed our team will be prepared to hit the ground running and provide you and your facility with an improved indoor experience!
