How do I keep my ice rink smooth?

Asked by: Efrain Cobb

How do I get rid of bumps on my rink?

Again with the with the ultimate flutter with the use of the ultimate flutter and those high points will then run into the low points.

What makes ice smooth at a ice rink?

Frank Zamboni, an inexaustable inventor, made the process much quicker with his newly invented “Zamboni ice resurfacer.” The Zamboni is a mechanical ice resurfacer. It works by scraping the ice surface and collecting the snow (which is later discarded).

What is the best temperature to flood an ice rink?

1. Wait until the frost is into the ground at least 2 inches and be sure the weather will remain below -4º (24ºF) for several days before attempting to flood. 2. If snow is available, create a wall on perimeter of rink.

How do you maintain an ice skating rink?

Keep your ice clean



Just like your local hockey pad, it is smart to clean your backyard ice rink after every skate. Simply use a snow shovel to remove the ice and snow after use. Keeping the surface clean will prevent bits of ice and snow from melting in the sun and freezing in an uneven layer.

Why is my rink bumpy?

Snow can end up adding more work to the process so try to remove snow from your rink after every snowfall. Leaving snow on the rink could have it melt into bumps and create uneven ice. Like when building the rink, add a layer of hot water (if available) when you’re done skating for the day so it can freeze overnight.

Should I flood my rink with hot water?

Hot water is usually viewed as preferred for flooding, because that’s what we all see in arenas across the country. The reason is that hot water contains less dissolved oxygen, or micro air bubbles, which aids with a harder ice surface.

How do you Zamboni ice rink?

And a vertical screw carries them to the pin on the top. Each resurfacing shaves about 1.7 cubic meters of snow that's enough to make more than 3,600 slushies but removing the ice is just the first.

How thick should ice be to skate on?

The Canadian Red Cross recommends that ice should be at least 15 cm (6 inches) thick to carry a single person, but if you are heading out with a group of friends for skating or a game of shinny, ensure it’s 20 cm / 8 inches. Ice thickness for a sled or snowmobile is a minimum of 25 cm (10 inches).

How do they make NHL ice rinks?

This company made its own ice making machine by retrofitting an ice resurfacer. It's onboard water tank feeds 20 sprayers that mist a 4 meter span.

How do I make my lake ice smooth for skating?

Shariff says you should never flood during a cold snap because it produces brittle ice that easily cracks. If that does happen, Shariff says you just need to wait until the temperature rises. Then fill the cracks immediately with a mixture of of water and snow and give your rink a warm water bath to smooth things out.

How thick should a backyard ice rink be?

A – A minimum of 2” (two inches) thick for the ice to stay solid and hold the weight of a 300lb person is required. For the municipal rinks, we recommend at least 3” (three inches).

How much water does it take to resurface an ice rink?

It takes between 12,000 and 15,000 gallons of water to form a hockey rink surface.

Can you use a blue tarp for an ice rink?

Depending on how you build your rink and what type of liner you use, will determine the health of your grass. With a WHITE liner and the FLOOD method, we have seen a 99.9% effective rate in turf health. On the other hand, if you use a clear, blue “tarp”, black liner and/or just flood the grass, that % goes way down.

How do you flood a homemade rink?

Start flooding at the furthest point away from the water supply and move across the rink applying light fogs or spray over the entire surface until wet. Never direct the force of the water downward at the ice. Instead, always spray up and outward.