Hey guys! This site has been a wealth of knowledge this year for sure. Thanks for all the great advice.

I have a few noob questions that I'm sure have been covered time and again but I can't seem to find them reading through the threads.

Some background info: I'm in SW PA and the rink is 16 x 40. I used 2x10's and have about a 4" difference in water depth at the deep end. As of last night, the ice has frozen solid enough to walk on and shovel. Everything SEEMS fine so far, but I have some concerns.

1. I put too much water in. At the deepest end, the water is reaching the top of the boards. I could get away with less water (I was a bit overzealous) and could probably take some out when it thaws. Am I screwed? Do I have to add boards in the corner?

2. How long will the ice stay skateable after the weather gets warmer? It's supposed to be mid 30's during the day next week and going down in the teens at night. Will we be able to use the rink when that happens?

Thanks again for the great site and community!

1. I wouldn't say that you are screwed. One issue you might have is while resurfacing your water will flow over the boards in the deep end but stay on the rink in the shallow end. This may lead to an unlevel surface. However, I suggest skating on the rink and scraping it with a good shovel. Don't resurface it as much or just enough to cover the skate marks.

2. It all depends on how warm it actually gets, whether your rink is in shade or direct sunlight and how thick your ice is. My ice stayed completely solid over the week-long Christmas thaw and only took one day of frigid temperatures to get it back skateable. The great thing about your forecast is the subzero temperatures at night. You might be able to even skate in the mornings and stay off it in the afternoons. An evening skate could be squeezed in as well if it gets cold enough after the sun goes down.

Thanks Kevmac! So in regards to the depth, should/could I remove some water if it thaws out a bit? I read on here you shouldn't take it from under the slab if you have one, so I'll stay away from that. But if it REALLY thaws out a bit? I probably could add more boards, I'm just concerned about what to do to support the new boards.

We skated for the first time on it on Friday, and it's pretty awesome...except the pucks go flying off the sides where the water and boards are level haha.

I would just extend my boards higher.
Get some 2x6 and stack them on top of your 2x10.
Then cut some 2x4's down into 1 foot pieces and screw them into the sides to hold the additions in place.
It'll probably take you less than 30 minutes.

Thanks Jimmy. Yea I actually had some 2 x 6's that I put on yesterday on their shooting side. That looks like it will work out just fine. I went to the store and got enough to put all the way around it.