How to Identify and Resolve Common Issues ?
We offer a diverse range of insights on identifying and resolving common problems in sports. Our sources encompass academic articles, blog posts, and personal essays shared by seasoned athletes. :
Typically you should consider installing your frame in November or December and your liner in December or January depending on weather forecasts. If you miss these time periods, don`t worry! You can install your rink during the cold winter months!
In about a week – or a minimum three inches of ice – the rink should be ready for some family fun!
Or should you always use warm water? Yes, using cold water is just fine to make your backyard rink. If the temperature is in the -10 to -20 celsius range your water can be cold or warm. When the temperature is colder than -20 it`s best to flood your rink with warmer water for best results.
Typically, an ice thickness of 3-4 inches (8-10 cm) will hold most kids and average-size adults.
Fill the rink in stages, adding only shallow layers of water between freeze times. Ice doesn`t need to be particularly thick to be usable, but filling it all at once can create undesirable surface conditions. Staggered filling allows water to freeze more quickly and helps prevent uneven, bumpy ice.
People make a mistake by wearing jeans to an ice rink. It isn`t impossible to skate while wearing jeans, but since falls are highly likely, you want something that will dry quickly. Also, you want something that will not constrict your legs, so you can move more easily. Leggings or sweatpants would be a good option.
Most outdoor rinks will use a chiller set at minus five degrees, which is essentially a large refrigerator, running 24 hours a day to keep the ice frozen.
The reason is that hot water contains less dissolved oxygen, or micro air bubbles, which aids with a harder ice surface.
Outdoor ice rinks are subject to the elements and due to rain, unseasonably warm weather, high winds or a combination of these weather conditions, the surface of the ice rink can develop a layer of water. It is not unsafe to skate on a wet rink, just more uncomfortable if you fall and get wet.
How does an ice rink stay frozen? The most common method of refrigeration used in keeping an ice rink frozen is an indirect refrigeration system. This is where a liquid refrigerant (often ammonia) absorbs heat from a secondary liquid (often brine) which has absorbed heat from the source.
Accommodates slope using 3/8-inch-thick plywood and 2X4 framing lumber to create a rigid board height of 16 inches, strong enough for your children to sit on.
To hold the average adult, the ice on your rink needs to be at least 3 inches thick to avoid cracking.
Typically, rink tarps are very suitable for backyard ice rinks. They are made from a medium- or heavy-duty form of plastic – polyethylene, or simply `poly`. Apply your rink tarp up and around your rink boards. Most poly tarps are three-ply.
Most ice rinks will keep the air temperature at a brisk 55-65 degrees and the on-ice temperature between 17 and 29 degrees.
The colour of ice may be an indication of its strength − clear blue to black ice is strongest, and likely the deepest. You should only skate on ice that is 20+ cm thick. White opaque or snow ice should be avoided. Grey ice indicates the presence of water and is unsafe to stand on.
Try to wear thermal layers. Wearing lots of layers or bulky layers can make it difficult to skate, so try to find layers that are specifically meant to keep you warm but are also thin layers (such as Under Armour ColdGear or HeatGear).
They have cooling systems buried inside them. Pipes full of supercooled chemicals keep everything solid. What is the reason that skating rinks don`t ever melt? They have refrigeration pipes in the ice connected to a large refrigeration machine that can keep the ice below freezing.
Ice gets damaged during a game. To maintain an ice rink, it is first manually resurfaced with scrapers, towels, squeegees, and a water hose. Then, ice-resurfacing machines shave, scrape, wash, and squeegee the rink before it gets a fresh layer of water.
If snow has not accumulated, 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 complete the first flood. This typically requires 7 to 10 consecutive days of minus 10 degree Celsius or lower.
Ice rink refrigerants, much like those in household refrigerators, contain potent greenhouse gases that warm the atmosphere. Common synthetic refrigerants called hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) have a Global Warming Potential (GWP) hundreds to thousands of times stronger than that of carbon dioxide (CO2).
Anhydrous ammonia compressed into a liquid form is commonly used in mechanical refrigeration systems for indoor ice rinks and other facilities. It becomes a gas when released into the ambient air.
Conventional refrigeration equipment can maintain space conditions in a skating rink of 45°F to 60°F at a relative humidity of 60% to 75%. This can result in the air being so close to saturation that it actually forms a fog over the rink and condensation inside the building and on the surface of the ice.
By flooding rink with water, you can build the ice depth during the early months of the winter season. I try to flood my rink a minimum of twice per week. I always plan my flooding around weather conditions and temperatures that are appropriate for rink flooding.
Draining the water
Remove the boards and liner when temperatures start warming in later winter or early spring to avoid damaging grass or the surface underneath the rink. After the ice melts, you can drain the area with a siphon or a submersible pump. You can also cut small holes in the liner to help it drain.