3 days of warm days have done some major damage to my backyard ice rink :( It was holding up okay until the third day when it reached 46 degrees, turning 1/2 inch surface of ice into a giant 7-11 slushy drink. I attempted to scrape off the top but the ice was too soft and started to collapse in thin spots, so I stopped. Thankfully the next 3 days were back into the … [Read more...] about Backyard Ice Rink Update – 3 days of 40+ degree weather
Backyard Ice Rink
Backyard Ice Rink – Ice Condition February 3
With the overnight temperature hovering around 7 degrees, I decided to stay in my warm bed by justifying (in my head) how the shallow end of the ice would crack if I would add water. As expected, little bit of water I added early last night really did not help. The surface still looked and felt very uneven (see pix). The night time temperature is expected to be around 14 … [Read more...] about Backyard Ice Rink – Ice Condition February 3
Backyard Ice Rink – Ice Condition February 2
So far, the ice rink is holding up well in the mid 30 degree weather with kids skating over the weekend. But keeping it skate-able definitely involves serious work commitment: 07:00 - We got about 3 inches of snow overnight but then by 05:00, it started to rain; 09:00 - With temperature in the 40s already, it is raining fairly heavy; 11:00 - Rain slowed down; Forecast … [Read more...] about Backyard Ice Rink – Ice Condition February 2
First Time Building a Backyard Ice Rink – Ice Condition January 17
First Time Building a Backyard Ice Rink is a multi-part articles: Day 1 - Initial Planning, Day 2 - Construction, Day 3 - Filling with Water, Day 4 - Second Layer of Ice, Day 5 - Skating Time and Day 6 - Finally Ready. STATUS On average, the temperature hovered around 38-40 degrees but surprisingly, the rink is holding up very nicely without adding more … [Read more...] about First Time Building a Backyard Ice Rink – Ice Condition January 17
First Time Building a Backyard Ice Rink – Day 6 Skating Time
First Time Building a Backyard Ice Rink is a multi-part articles: Day 1 - Initial Planning, Day 2 - Construction, Day 3 - Filling with Water, Day 4 - Second Layer of Ice, Day 5 - Skating Time and Day 6 - Finally Ready. OVERVIEW Skating time! Yeeees! STATUS After another cold night, my backyard rink is finally ready! Kids have been dying to get on and it was … [Read more...] about First Time Building a Backyard Ice Rink – Day 6 Skating Time