Tips To Maintain A Home Ice Rink
The ice rink is frozen water—a sheet of ice where people can skate or play ice games.
Since the 19th century, ice skating popularity has increased, leading to the construction of ice rinks in many countries. Sometimes kids’ craze for ice rinks may make their parents create ice rinks in the pond nearby.
There are different types of ice rinks – natural ice rinks, mechanical ice rinks, and synthetic ice rinks. You can hire professionals to help you build home ice rinks quickly for a relatively reasonable price.
The beauty of a home ice rink is that it could fall into all the above categories. If one has a pond or lake in the backyard, it becomes a natural ice rink. With enough budget, one can create mechanical or synthetic ice rinks in the backyard.
Tips To Maintain Ice Rink
An ice rink in one’s backyard is easy to build and maintain, provided the conditions are right. There should be constant freezing temperatures (minus degrees) to keep the ice in solid form. Otherwise, it will melt.
1. Foundation
To extend the life of home ice rinks during the winter season, the foundation of the ice rink should be solid. The ice should be at least 5 inches thick.
While working on the ice rink’s foundation, fill it with water up to 2 inches at a time and wait till it gets frozen. Keep adding water until the foundation reaches 5 inches. It will help in creating a solid foundation.
2. Shovel Snow And Ice After Every Skate
Like any professional ice stadium, even the home ice rink should be cleaned by shoveling the ice after every skate.
Keeping the surface clean will stop the ice from melting and prevent an uneven surface. Cleaning the surface could also prevent the skaters from tripping.
3. Use Hot Water
Resurface the ice rink with hot water. Pouring hot water on top of your ice rink will help create a surface like glass. The hot water will melt all the cracks on the uneven surface, leaving a smooth glass-like finish.
One could use a simple hand-held ice resurfacer to control the water that has been poured, thus providing a perfect finish. A household mop could be used too, but it is advisable to use a manual hand-held resurfacer.
4. Wait For Water to Freeze
Ensure the ice is frozen solid before skating; otherwise, the foundation of the ice rink will be damaged. Once frozen, use a snow shovel to remove the litter and bits of uneven ice.
It is where a resurfacer with hot water comes in handy; it smoothens the top layer and melts any extra rough surface that becomes unreachable with the shovel.
5. Excess Snow
Excess snow after the fresh snowfall should be removed from the surface of the ice rink; otherwise, as the layer of snow increases, it will create a slush between the foundation of the ice rink and the snow, which could hinder a smooth skating experience.
Conclusion
The weather is an essential factor in maintaining the home ice rink. Even weather forecasters cannot predict 100 % accurate weather. If a forecast predicts rainfall, one should immediately remove debris on the ice rink. Regular maintenance is key to avoiding that extra work.
One of the most effective ways to maintain a perfect home ice rink is to remove the litter by digging it out of the ice. To avoid extra work, clean the ice rink regularly after every skate.
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