A couple of years ago I decided to take on the task of making an ice rink in my back garden.
My son, who was about five or six at the time, was in skating lessons and doing quite well, so I decided that if I was going mad then I might as well go the whole hog.
So I purchased a tarp big enough to go under a 24-by-40-foot ice rink.
Now you might think that making an ice rink is an easy task. Put the tarp down, put the wood frame around it, load some water in and away you go.
Basically it is that easy, but there are other things to consider when making an ice rink, some of which only come to light after you leave the hose on for a day or two.
I made the frame with two-by-eights putting stakes (not the edible kind) around the perimeter to prevent the two-by-eights from falling over when I put the water in.
Brilliant.
I even got some adjustable flood lights with two 500 watt bulbs from Canadian Tire. One flood light placed on my deck was enough to light up the entire rink.
When putting the tarp down there is one question you have to ask yourself that can be very important, and could cost you some money the following year.
Do I put the tarp on the inside of the wood frame or on the outside. It can be very puzzling, and if your head works anything like mine, you will be questioning your decision for hours before actually deciding.
For instance, the first year I put the tarp on the inside of the frame. Didn't think about it, just did it. However, by the end of the skating season the tarp was shredded from my son and his cohorts who couldn't stop properly and hit the blades of their skates on the tarp and frame to stop. Each time, the blades cut a new hole in the tarp. Now the tarp is used to cover the front lawn to prevent six inches of road gravel from showing up at the end of winter.
If you put the tarp down and build the frame on the tarp placing it on the outside of the frame you run the chance of it getting cut by the edges of the wood. However, this is better than being on the inside because at the end of the season the ice water has to drain off, and if the tarp is on the inside, you have to take the frame apart to drain it. Now that may be fine in most yards, but because my yard slopes back and to one side a bit - my street is on a hill - in that one corner I need three boards high where it is only one board high the rest of the way around. So the snow and ice will have packed up against the frame making it a pain to unscrew until it has melted.
Preparing the rink is also a major pain, especially if we have a lot of snow like last year.
I recommend using the slowblower first to get the heavy snow off, then snow shovel the rest off. After that the rink gets a sweep with a yard broom. I have an ice scraper with a brush handle that I sharpen with a file making it nice and sharp to get rid of any bumps. Then some warm water from a spray gun to melt the top layer.
I did build an ice rake but I guess the holes were too big as it just left four large grooves in the ice every time I used it.
I could not complete my rink last year due to a hole in the tarp. I had put the hose in the rink and cranked it, went out and did some shopping, came home watched some TV, had some people over for dinner and drinks etc. About 20 minutes after or guests left one of them phoned to say that I should turn the hose off. "Why," I asked, "the ice rink is not full yet."
"Because you have a leak and the side street - where the water had been draining - is now the location of your ice rink."
Lessons learned:
Put the tarp down before the snow falls. If you do it after it falls, the snow packed under the rink will burn the grass and it will be dead for at least a year after.
Once the rink starts melting let it drain. Don't wait or the water can back up.
Don't water when it's too cold. I tried to fill the rink when the temperature was below - 30 and the water flowed several feet before freezing. Subsequently I was left with a load of waves across the rink.
Make sure the kids stay off the rink until the water is fully frozen. If only the top inch or two is frozen and they stomp on it you will be left with protruding ice bergs when it totally freezes and they are a pain to get rid of. They make for fun skating practice though.
If you have a leak and the water runs into the neighbours yard or onto the side street deny everything saying something like, "someone must have hit a water line," or "I bet some idiot is building an ice rink has a hole in his tarp. Some people, eh."
