Backyard ice rink

[DblG]

I've been doing some research on backyard ice rinks. My son plays house league hockey and LOVES the sport. I skate too, and have a big enough yard to do it, so I'm gonna give it a go this winter. From my reading, I've decided to make one myself instead of the kits available because I've read some aren't as easy as they make them sound. I'm starting this year with a 28' wide x 40' long and see how it goes.

So, anybody else here do this before? Tips? Suggestions?

[Jonyak]

we used to do this all the time, all you need is some 2x4's and a hose.

you put the 2x4's in the shape of your rink, and then slowly flood the rink each nigth and let it freeze, after a week you will have a rink.

[MJ5150]

Cool dad, you are.

-Mike

[Randall]

i would suggest a few 4x8 sheets of cheapo plywood behind the nets so the pucks do not get lost in the snow

At real ice arenas they use hot water to flood the ice. I believe it allows the previous ice surface and the new ice surface to bond together better.

[Jonyak]

Originally Posted by Randall

i would suggest a few 4x8 sheets of cheapo plywood behind the nets so the pucks do not get lost in the snow

But half the fun is finding the lost pucks!

[warwick.hoy]

This,....makes me want to go ice skating.

[bassybeenz]

Post pics of your building process!!!!!please!
Lol

[Ziltoid]

I made/maintained/supervised one of the the city's ice rink as my winter job last year, it was fun, They had already installed the sidewalls but it was still on asphalt when I started.

[Apocalypse Dude]

My Dad always used this big, heavy roller to roll over the snow before he put water on top of it to help it freeze smoother and faster. But all you really need is a couple pieces of 2X4 or 2x6, water and some plywood. Good luck, nothing better than playing hanging out with friends and playin' some hockey.

[Sandvich Hero]

Yup, your kids should love you for that one !

All good advices here, and don't forget to remove snow quickly when it snows, or after a night or two it will have messed a bit with the ice.

[iamlowsound]

My dad and I used to build one every winter. It was a great experience and lots of fun skating for hours on end.

lowsound

[DblG]

Originally Posted by bassybeenz

Post pics of your building process!!!!!please!
Lol

I think I will! haha
Nothing new here that I haven't read so far, but keep any suggestions coming! I at least hope this makes for some cool memories for the kids (my son who plays hockey is 8, my daughter is 10 and I need to help her learn...)
I told my son this is my rookie year and not to expect too much and this is a learning project for all of us. He told me to just make sure we do it and not just leave it half done "like everything else I do". Ouch!
He's a pretty smart kid....

[bwv1013]

for the record this sounds like the coolest idea ever.

[Jim Campbell]

Originally Posted by DblG

I've been doing some research on backyard ice rinks. My son plays house league hockey and LOVES the sport. I skate too, and have a big enough yard to do it, so I'm gonna give it a go this winter. From my reading, I've decided to make one myself instead of the kits available because I've read some aren't as easy as they make them sound. I'm starting this year with a 28' wide x 40' long and see how it goes.

So, anybody else here do this before? Tips? Suggestions?

i found that without boards they are not too good for hockey....40 feet is a few strides at full bore for an adult,but a longer narrower road course with built in turns/switchbacks etc is an option.....

[T-Bird]

Hi.

Kits?

Who the hell sells ice rink kits?

Who the hell buys ice rink kits?

Like said, a some sort of "fence" material, water and below freezing temperature is all that's needed.

Make it slow though, too much water at one time, and You'll have an unusable icy patch full of holes on your backyard.

The comment about the snow is a great one, even a 1cm on top of the ice may spell disaster if it's not below -10C.

Regards
Sam

[DblG]

Originally Posted by T-Bird

Hi.

Kits?

Who the hell sells ice rink kits?

Who the hell buys ice rink kits?

Like said, a some sort of "fence" material, water and below freezing temperature is all that's needed.

Make it slow though, too much water at one time, and You'll have an unusable icy patch full of holes on your backyard.

The comment about the snow is a great one, even a 1cm on top of the ice may spell disaster if it's not below -10C.

Regards
Sam

google it..there's a few ice rink kits out there, NiceRink being one of them. From what I've read they're harder to put together than it looks (customer reviews). And the sizes are smaller than the one I'm building. The "fill the bag with water & let it freeze then cut the top off" ones I've read can be troublesome for slightly uneven yards too (like mine).
I am going the build it yourself route...plywood walls since I have 4 sheets of 4'x8' x 1/2" in the garage. Those will make the end where the net will be (4' high). I'll have to buy 2 more and have them cut to 12" x 8' so there'll be a few inches above the ice to stop pucks. Then, I plan on making wooden angle brackets to support the walls when filling (yes..little at a time!) with water. The end of the rink where the ice will be thicker (~8" thicker I'm guessing) will have an extra 2x10 along the back of the plywood for extra strength. All I need to do then is get some 30' wide 4 or 6 mil plastic for the liner, staple it in & wait for below freezing weather to start filling.
After we get a sheet of ice, I will make a 'rink rake' to get a good smooth surface. Well, I hope it all works out. Especially for my hockey playin' 8 year old!

Greg