Does rubber mulch get hot in the sun? - FindAnyAnswer.com
We want our homes to have curb appeal and be made up of parts that are safe and durable at the same time.Our gardens and landscapes are the same.As an option for various landscaping applications, rubber mulch is gaining popularity.It has been met with skepticism regarding health and safety due to its new entry into the market.It's a concern if it gets too hot in the summer.
The quality of rubber mulch is helpful to many plants because they thrive in warm temperatures.Unlike organic mulches, rubber mulch is non-porous, so water andfertilizer can flow freely in the soil.The US Consumer Product Safety Commission endorsed rubber mulch for its high shock rate.The playground at the White House uses rubber mulch.
Most parents worry about whether it gets hot enough to burn delicate skin.Under intense sunlight, rubber does get hot, but in order to get some real world data we decided to test rubber mulch against other common materials found throughout the urban landscape.
How hot does rubber mulch get?We set out with a notebook to find out.
Our testing was done on a sunny day with temperatures of 88 degrees and a UV index of 9 which is very high.
The rubber mulch samples were between 150 and 154 degrees F.An asphalt driveway was tested at 131 degrees, while the concrete sidewalk was measured at 112.The wooden picnic table had a temperature of 126.The chair was 140 F and the grass was 84 degrees F.
While we confirmed that rubber mulch does get hot under intense UV conditions, we were surprised to find so many other surfaces testing in similar temperature ranges and the question we found ourselves asking was, "Why aren't more people being burned by common surfaces at these temperatures?"
The rate of heat transfer seems to be the answer.The threshold of pain is when the skin reaches 112F.Most injuries are avoided by removing oneself from the heat source quickly, because the human response to pain is to distance oneself.
The benefits of rubber mulch include aesthetic advantages as well as the reduction in labor and maintenance, which translate into a lot of savings in the long run.
Although caution should be taken under certain weather conditions and in relation to very small children in particular, the risks associated with serious injury don't appear to be any more significant that many other common outdoor surfaces.