Hi All... Rink newbie here... Minneapolis.

We've got a typical Minneapolis postage stamp type yard, but enough space for a small (tiny actually) rink that our 6 and 3 year old kids should be able to have some fun on this season.

I've seen a few rink concepts based on 4" diameter PVC pipe (http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-a- ... ting-rink/) Wondering if anyone has done this before and what kind of results you've had. Any lessons learned?

Also - I have a 6 mil clear liner. Is a white liner waaaaay better, or just marginally better?

Here's the proposed layout:
[img]C:\Users\rdehave\Desktop[/img]

Thanks for any pointer folks!

-Bob

Hey Bob, welcome to the forums!

I just took a look at that link, and honestly, I have no idea how people can skate on that. Some questions I have:

-They used 4" PVC, meaning that even given LASER-FLAT ground (which does not exist), they're getting a max of 4" of ice. 4" is just fine, but to my point, flat ground does not exist, so part of their rink has less than 4" of ice. Not ideal.

-Did I mention flat ground doesn't exist? I build my rink on a tennis court, which one would imagine is flat. But yet along my 56' long side, I have about a 6" slope. You know what happens when you have a 6" slope and you use 4" PVC? It's not pretty, I can tell you that much.

-PVC will crack if you hit it with a puck, or a stick, or a snowblower.

-They have a total price tag of $300 for their rink, and it uses inferior parts. We have a price tag of $250 for one of our most-visited posts, and it gives you up to 12" of board height (or enough for about 8" of slope).

My suggestion? Don't build a PVC rink. You'll see if you read the site that I very rarely "prescribe" solutions because every yard is different and thus, every rink is different. But I will shoot down ideas I don't necessarily believe in, and this is one of them. A rink with 4" PVC will work on about 1% of yards, tops.

Take a stroll through our how-to posts and start by finding your slope. Once you have that, the basic design of our "build a rink for $250" post will make more sense, and you'll know if 12" boards are high enough. And if you have any questions along the way, don't hesitate to ask!

Oh, and you should be able to attach an image once you graduate from the "newly registered users" group (which is an anti-spam control). I believe the threshold is three posts. You'll have to attach the image so we can see it, as we can't see your C: drive.

Sorry, missed your last question. I've used a clear liner without issues before. I think white is probably the best, but honestly, when I look back at my rinks, I can't tell you which lead to better ice. By the first skate or snow, the ice is all white anyways.

I'd have to agree with Joe on the idea of using PVC. Would you use a PVC net on your backyard rink if you are shooting pucks? I wouldn't. Some lovely -15'C weather and that stuff will snap like peanut brittle.

I'll also agree with Joe on the 'no level' ground. If I used 4" boards, my neighbour would have a lovely rink in their backyard - or a lovely pond in the spring.

As for tarp colour, I have never used clear. I have used blue (which works but I don't recommend it - sun loves the darker colours) and white.

I was intrigued by the pvc idea myself. I like the ice n go kits since they include brackets that raise the pipes off of the ground, giving you about 3 or 4 inches of ice. They also have covers that go over the pipes and liner to protect it from tears. Since it is not exposed, I wouldn't worry about pucks or skates breaking it.
Has anyone used these kits? I would love to build it myself but I can't find a bracket to use to raise the pipes.

In my area, (long island, NY) both Lowe's and Home Depot raised the price of the OSB Sheathing. It now costs $13 per sheet.

if you plan on putting up your rink for several years i wouldn't go with the pvc pipe. it begins to stick together after awhile and gets hard to break down. and cold weather is really hard on that pvc. cracks very easily and sunlight will make it brittle after a few years also. so while theyre cheap to start with they usually dont last. and clear or semi clear tarps will work but they can develop some soft spots after a few straight days of sunny weather. dark areas (grass, leaves) under that liner abosorb sunlight and warm up the ice in that area. white tarps do a good job of keeping that from happening

Thanks for the insight. I have been debating which way to go with it and I haven't seen much about the ice n go kits. I've been leaning towards doing it myself and it's looking like that is the right way to go.