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Interior NW Burbs & Hudson Valley - Discussion


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Had some snowflakes falling from a cloudless sky before.  There was a squall over Ulster county and a stiff NW wind, I am guessing they were being carried downstream.  It's a balmy 16 degrees but the wind is brutal!  I flooded my rink and the new water was frozen in minutes.  Hard to believe it's almost the second week in March.

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...I really gotta get a rink in the works next season.

 

This was (is) the perfect year for it.  If I had gotten my act together and put it up in December, it would have been usable for almost the entire winter.  As it is, I put it up on MLK weekend and have been using it almost continuously since (with the exception of 2 days during each of the 2 brief warm ups we've had).  So, basically that's 6 weeks of use, with probably another week or so before I have to shut it down due to warmer temperatures.  Last year (my first year), I got about 3 weeks out of it before heavy snow and a subsequent warm-up killed it.  I learned that you have to get the snow off of it as soon as possible because it insulates (and hence weakens) the ice.  So despite the 2 big storms we got last month, I was able to keep the ice high quality.  In fact, the ice tonight was just about the best it's been all winter.  If you're going to do it next year, let me know and I can share the things I've learned over the past 2 years.

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15f here.. Hard to believe its March 6th lol..

I got down to 9, with a constant wind all night. Thats kinda nuts. I love the idea of one or two more storms to get this close to a top winter all time...but damnit i wont be golfing till May at this rate.

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Violently agree.  I love a good snowpack but...now I'm looking forward to beers in the yard while basking in the warm late afternoon sun...

Count me in. Even the dogs can't wait too see the grass again. They slip and slide on the frozen snow pack. Hard for them to do their business. For the first time ever, I saw a woodchuck standing on the snow pack, guess he went back to bed hungry. Hope the euro takes next Wednesday's possible storm up the apps or is a lakes cutter. Like you said " time for the beers in the afternoon sun"  :sun:

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This was (is) the perfect year for it.  If I had gotten my act together and put it up in December, it would have been usable for almost the entire winter.  As it is, I put it up on MLK weekend and have been using it almost continuously since (with the exception of 2 days during each of the 2 brief warm ups we've had).  So, basically that's 6 weeks of use, with probably another week or so before I have to shut it down due to warmer temperatures.  Last year (my first year), I got about 3 weeks out of it before heavy snow and a subsequent warm-up killed it.  I learned that you have to get the snow off of it as soon as possible because it insulates (and hence weakens) the ice.  So despite the 2 big storms we got last month, I was able to keep the ice high quality.  In fact, the ice tonight was just about the best it's been all winter.  If you're going to do it next year, let me know and I can share the things I've learned over the past 2 years.

Cool, thanks. I'll shoot you a message if/when I get serious about it. Just briefly, and I think you might have already answered this, but what did you use for lining? I'd just like to get an idea on cost of materials.

 

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Count me in. Even the dogs can't wait too see the grass again. They slip and slide on the frozen snow pack. Hard for them to do their business. For the first time ever, I saw a woodchuck standing on the snow pack, guess he went back to bed hungry. Hope the euro takes next Wednesday's possible storm up the apps or is a lakes cutter. Like you said " time for the beers in the afternoon sun"  :sun:

I'd like to believe this is just an attempt at reverse psychology, and everybody is actually all-in on one more behemoth of a storm!

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Cool, thanks. I'll shoot you a message if/when I get serious about it. Just briefly, and I think you might have already answered this, but what did you use for lining? I'd just like to get an idea on cost of materials.

 

 

I used 6 mil plastic sheeting, something like this: http://www.lowes.com/pd_16964-18632-CFBH0620C_4294865824__?productId=3224913&Ns=p_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&pl=1&currentURL=%3FNs%3Dp_product_qty_sales_dollar%7C1&facetInfo=

 

My rink is 16 x 40.  I would like it to be wider, but last year I put it up last minute and the 20' width was the widest available locally.  Since I had a 100' roll, I just kept the same width this year but made it longer (was 32' last year).  It's super durable, no issues with leaks whatsoever.  It's pricey though, the 100' roll was about $100.

 

The perimeter is made up of pressure treated boards, mostly 2 x 8 x 8's.  Some walls have two bracketed together as my yard is not flat, so one end of the rink is as shallow as 3" in spots while the far end is close to 10".  I can give you some more details next fall, unless you want to start buying stuff slowly now.  It was about a $300 or so project in year 1, it would have been no cost this year, except I made it longer and also added lights, so my out of pocket this year was about $100.  It sounds like a lot, but we have used it almost daily for 6 weeks.  Consider the cost of skating passes at the local rink, which are $6 for adults and $3 for children (plus the inconvenience of getting in the car etc) and it actually is a wise investment for me.  My son plays hockey so it's been a priceless experience for him to gain skating skills.  

 

I know I posted a pic during the day after our 20" storm a few weeks back, but here's a cool night shot:

post-8457-0-01347800-1394156117_thumb.jp

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