So, I decided to start over during this thaw. I never really could fix my liner and lots too much water. I busted out all the old ice with a sledge hammer. Fixed some tricky spots with soil and added a new liner. Weather man predicted juts flurries so I decided to fill the 8000 gallons I needed. Well 7 hours in and we get 6-8 inches of heavy wet snow. Since I was filling and it was not frozen it is mixed with the water. It does float so it is just the top layer of water. I guess now all I can do is wait for the cold coming in a day or so and see what happens and what needs to be done. At least it is very level.

No problem. Snow is made of the exact same thing as the stuff you've filled your liner with. ;)

That us what i am hoping for. It has the tiniest bit of bumps but nothing a resurface will not fix. Now i just need the cold coming this week withiut added snow until it can support weight.

So is it slush or just snow on top of water? I had snow on top of water my first year...and the snow insulated the water for a couple weeks so I couldn't get out there. Good news for you is we are getting bitter cold this week (highs in the single digits) so you should be ok.

it was the 6 inches of snow that mixed with the unfrozen water. turned to slush and floated to the top. So I had 2 inches of unfrozen slush on top of all the unfrozen water. The slush is now frozen so now it is just the waiting game to see when it is strong enough to support weight. Maybe a day or 2.

Oh ok, you're fine then. Slush freezes very quickly once it's cold. My issue, years ago, was that a small storm turned into 18", the top foot of which just sat on top of my water. ForEVER. You won't have this issue.

last question: Is frozen slush weaker than pure ice? I ask this because if the slush is frozen then I get 4 inches total will that be enough to support weight?

Frozen slush is ice. :-)

If you have 4" of ice, whether from slush or not, it should be able to support your weight.

Thanks everyone. I feel like a 2nd year guy since I installed 2 liners and went through 2 fills. Learn a little each time.

More support, more dirt so the liner cannot go under the boards, Make sure nothing sharp on the boards or under the liner. It is all good.

So it's snowing here. The rink never completely froze so my rink is now 100% slush. Once that freezes I should be able to resurface and skate? We are dying here - in fact the whole neighborhood is holding their breath - I'm the first one in town to build a rink.

It's supposed to get pretty cold here the next week or so - single digits at night for the next 3 nights..........