backyard rink

[Powerfibers 8]

My concern is for those with the backyard rinks, what do you guys do with the water when spring rolls around winter's done, how did you guys remove it?

i've been wanting to do this for a few years now in my backyard, well the side of the house which is the flattest with concrete tiles. I don't want a pool of water in the spring and potentially saturating the foundation of my home

I cut the liner near the driveway and it all runs straight to the street.

I don;t know anything about central NJ, but Buffalo is usually okay for a few weeks. Of course the minute I posted that it was below 20 today it went up to 33! Hopefully a few cold overnights are en route.

[KryptOng 9]

thanks powerfibers! i guess i can always run some kind of pump from the water thru a hose to the street

another question for those with home rinks, have you notice the lawn below the rink sinking/welting or the grass being ruined?

my uncle has a perfect sized yard but he's reluctant to doing this for his boys

[rebel96 0]

Greatest thread ever.

It's my dream to build my own backyard rink! I guess you have to be lucky enough to have the space and resources to do it. I live in Ireland though and with our wet temperate climate the temperature barely gets low enough to freeze a puddle let alone a whole backyard rink. I guess I'll have to move country at some point.........hmmm this train of though is getting more and more unlikely.....well i guess a dream is just that, a dream.

[Powerfibers 8]

Yesterday 11 degrees F.

Today it rained at 35 degrees F.

Backyard rink....priceless.

[Rustpot 1]

Lots of pond rinks nearby my house at school, but unfortunately the ground most places is too sloped or small in area to really get a sheet made for private use. It gets old contending with kids and high schoolers for time at these things. The school makes 3 sheets on campus, but they're for broomball and have strict regulations about being on them for liability reasons, not to mention no skates.

The rinks at school are made by putting up pretty tight fitting boards in October on a clay and dirt field by the highway. In December they clear the rinks and start flooding them every day to build a few inches up, using snow piles to fill the small board cracks and the ends where the goals are. The ice stays in pretty good shape, but things like leaves will melt into the ice from the sun and they need to be maintained daily. They still have a really rough time keeping a level surface, but thankfully we're not twisting ankles in skates on these rinks.

[greech 4]

you guys think that central New Jersey has a cold enough climate to make an out door rink?

I'd say no. The last couple (5 or 6) years have been too warm for my buddy to have his outdoor rink and we're well north of you in Boston. It takes a string of nearly o degree nights to establish a sheet and a few warmer days afterward will ill it. Hell, its nearly mid-January and I've yet to skate a pond this winter.

[Jordan 13]

another question for those with home rinks, have you notice the lawn below the rink sinking/welting or the grass being ruined?

my uncle has a perfect sized yard but he's reluctant to doing this for his boys

I have had one for 5 years. I have always used a tarp. The results are zero effect on the grass, and no depressions in the ground or anything. I think if you left the tarp there too long after the grass began to grow again, you could damage it, but if the tarp is removed while the grass is dormant there would be no problem.

Tell your uncle, to get 'er done !!!

[lohnman 0]

I have had a rink in the same spot in my yard for 5 years. I make a form with 3/4 plywood which as been cut to the terrain in my back yard. I have 3 ft of slope, so the low end needs quite a bit of reinforcement to hold 3 ft of water. I lay blue styrofoam sheets on the ground and then a white tarp over the styrofoam to hold the water. This combination has been very successful for me. I use a snow blower to clear the rink off after each storm and then apply hot water with one of those walk behind zambonis. In the spring I put a couple of hoses into the rink and run the hoses into the road. Then I siffen the water out of the rink and down the road. Take apart my form and stack it in the garage, so it is ready for next season. Once the grass starts to grow you can't tell there was a rink there.

[Powerfibers 8]

We were real close to being able to skate last night, but this morning we got freezing rain and will need to wait for more cold. Unbelievable weather, not like when we were kids.

[rebel96 0]

My backyard mini stickhandling pad. It's the best I can do but better than nothing. It's getting warmer now though so it probably won't last that long.

[furlanitalia 1]

Just thought I'd give you guys a heads up, my company had an order cancel so we're sitting on 3000 sq ft of half inch puzzle cut ProSpeed Ice. Similar to UHMW HDPE, this stuff is machined with puzzle cut edges allowing for easy assembly with a rubber mallet. Price is regularly $15 per square foot, but we want to get rid of it and are blowing it out for 8 bucks a square foot.

pm if interested, mods please delete if this violates anything.

[dw91 0]

furlanitalia, what company is that? just curious