How to Build a Backyard Rink with No Liner

[@garthtrain4719]

I’ve been making our community rink in Calgary for the last 18 yrs . We use no liner or boards . The trick is to clear off the snow and layer the water over several days , the water will level itself and if lucky to have snow that’s when we make the banks . It’s also very important to clear off the leaves and sticks as that will cause hot spots to develope

[@GreenNeighbour]

Such great advice! I always love hearing from folks like you because I also get a number of comments from people who say, “it’s so much easier to use a liner!“ At that point, I usually point out that folks like you who make large rinks for their communities on an annual basis virtually never use a liner: they always do it the old-fashioned way! Hope your rink does very well this year, and I hope your community appreciates all of your efforts! PS. Have you noticed any changes to your ice or the length of your rink season over the years owing to global warming?

[@garthtrain4719]

@@GreenNeighbour living in Alberta we still get lots of cold weather but it seems a little less snow .our season usually goes from about the last week of November till end of February . The killer for us are the chinook winds that can push the cold from -30c to high teens in just a few hours and can last for several days

[@GreenNeighbour]

Thanks for the insight… and thanks for all the work you dedicate to creating good, healthy, outdoor fun for your community. I appreciate your efforts all the way from here in Ontario… because good deeds set a terrific example for everyone, and they make the world a better place.

[@Baneslayer]

The trick is to also live in Calgary 😂

[@GreenNeighbour]

@Baneslayer Ha! That’s true! I suppose Edmonton might be an even better truck. 🤣

[@GapedCeiling]

if you want something that holds the water a little more uniform when towel dragging, go to a craft store and buy a piece of thick felt. It's the same material we use on zamboni's and other ice resurfaces.

[@GreenNeighbour]

You know what… that is a fantastic idea! The towel doesn’t make a very smooth surface, and it always leaves little bits and pieces of terry cloth frozen to the ice.

[@thequestlivetolearntolive.8555]

Thank you

[@briansmith3191]

Built a hockey rink twice...alot of work ...alot of fun...the colder the better for building a rink...below -20 Celsius is best

[@GreenNeighbour]

Absolutely. That’s what I’ve found, too. Happy skating!

[@mpc1410]

Have been debating going liner-less, ready to make the leap after your video, cheers!!

[@GreenNeighbour]

Thanks so much, and best of luck!

[@mickimcguire2497]

Thank you, very detailed

[@GreenNeighbour]

You’re very welcome. All the best with your backyard skating rink!

[@ShalayaRoan]

Guess I did know what I was doing just added too much water but 3:40 am and I feel like trying again doing for the kids god bless for this video

[@GreenNeighbour]

It takes some time and patience, but the fun your kids will have and the memories you will all make will be with it! Be well, and all the best to you and yours this holiday season.

[@justinfendelet8675]

Was gonna use a liner but I see the stomp water method still best I worked at a indoor rink and used jet ice paint if you want you can use water based latex paint I've done that also...

[@GreenNeighbour]

Interesting! Keeping a white surface certainly does help to reflect the sun and keep the ice from melting. Cool idea. How environmental is that paint?

[@craftzars]

Do you need to renew grass in spring?

[@GreenNeighbour]

In truth, I’ve got pretty bad grass in my backyard to begin with, but I haven’t actually noticed any impact on the grass under the ice itself… just under the boards if they’re put up early or left up too long. Placing something on top of grass while it’s growing will kill it, but placing something on top of grass while it’s dormant in the winter doesn’t seem to have any effect. You can actually see that quite clearly in another video of mine where we are reassembling our backyard rink right where it always goes. You can see that the grass within the rink is fine, but you can also see a dead patch of grass (at the lower right corner of the screen), where we had previously pitched a tent in the summer and left it up for too long. That grass has never bounced back! kzbin.info/www/bejne/maWsY2itj9Gnr5osi=vpI1yUvlw-V0LJjs

[@craftzars]

@@GreenNeighbour interesting, last winter i made huge snowman and it melted last, and after that in spring and summer there was no grass in that circle whre snowman was , just brown dead grass

[@GreenNeighbour]

@@craftzars I believe it depends on how much sun that area of grass receives. If it gets the signal to stop its hibernation earlier, but then finds that it is starved of sunlight as it is trying to grow, then it is more likely to die. a snowman is also quite tall, and so the snow might hang around for longer. Although, I must say, a big chunk of ice sticks around for a good long time as well.

[@amysvegpatch7306]

How does this hold up when we get a mid winter warm spell? I fell like you'd be doing all that work again:(

[@GreenNeighbour]

That's a great question. However, in a situation like mine, where I actually do have boards around my rink, it makes very little difference. A warm spell will soften the ice on top, but that ice will re-harden when the temperature drops. The ice underneath, however, stays cold and helps to keep the top layer cold, too. Owing to the laws of thermodynamics, water takes a long time to cool down and freeze, but the opposite is true: ice takes a long time to melt. Ice needs to absorb a large amount of energy in order to change from a solid to a liquid. (This energy is called latent heat.) As just an example of this, many of the ice sheets in existence today would not have formed under today's climate conditions, but they nonetheless continue to exist because of the very conditions that their own presence creates. This might sound like a bunch of gobbledygook, but if you've ever gone trail running in the spring, you will feel a dramatic difference in temperature as you run over top of the odd remaining patch of ice. Be well.

[@Krv52]

Try a lawn roller or vibrating plate

[@GreenNeighbour]

Cool idea! Would that be to prepare the ground (and maybe even it out a bit), or to compress the snow?

[@Krv52]

@Green Neighbour (Art Lightstone) compress the snow. I think I'd rent them if possible lol. You seem to have a lot more patients then me to foot stomp all that snow. Cool video. May just have to try this

[@GreenNeighbour]

@@Krv52 For sure! Give it a try. I greatly prefer this method (called a “traditional” rink) to using a liner. The traditional approach uses a lot less water because you get to take advantage of the snow, and it basically can’t spring a leak.

[@jekabskalejs2544]

what is outside temperature during this process?

[@GreenNeighbour]

Such a good question! I should have made a note about that in the video. According to my video files, I started the process on January 18th of 2022, and I took 11 days to complete the rink. According to Environment Canada, the temperature on that day was -14.3°C. The next day it warmed up a bit to -11°C, but after that it stayed between -14.7°C and -22.1°C for the remainder of the build. It was good and cold!

[@GreenNeighbour]

This is such a good question that I added the temperature data to my video description. Thanks again for pointing this out.

[@H2OisLIFE]

I’ve been doing a 50’x30’ linerless rink for the last 5 years - I felt so bad sending a giant liner to the dump after a season or two. I’ve been using snowshoes for a quick compaction, and then a lawn roller to get as flat & compact as possible before spraying with water. Lots of work, but it’s a labour-of-love. My resurfacer is quite similar to yours, DIY. I see a comment from someone above suggesting thick felt in lieu of a towel… definitely going to try that this season! Good luck, man /Sean (Russell ON) 🇨🇦

[@GreenNeighbour]

Truth be told, I still haven’t thrown out that old plastic liner. In fact, I haven’t thrown out any plastic in years. I just keep storing it up in my garage in the hopes that I eventually find some company that recycles plastic. In fact, I did end up buying that felt from Fabricland, so I’ll see if I can use it to modify my resurfacer this year. I’ll let you know how it goes! All the best!

[@Michiganman800]

11 days of fussing with it? No thanks. But I respect your dedication and proof of concept.

[@GreenNeighbour]

For sure, it takes more time. That, I would imagine, is the main reason why people buy liners. However, the upshot’s are: i) Less fussing with making boards to hold your liner. (You don’t necessarily need to have any boards for a linerless rink; I just have them because I made a liner rink previously that same season. Also, my ground is so sloped that it helps to have at least two sides of my rink with boards on it.) If you have a big, flat yard, linerless can be quicker and easier. The guy who makes and maintains a public rink here in Newmarket every year never uses a liner. ii) You don’t have to worry about your liner springing a leak with a linerless rink.

[@garyr4211]

We had an acre of land and just flood the yard by leaving the water on all day and night.

[@GreenNeighbour]

Epic!

[@asadullahbatory5389]

😊

[@GreenNeighbour]

🙏🙏🙏

[@carolbrubacher1680]

Good linerless

[@GreenNeighbour]

Thank you, my friend!

[@simonlalonde1094]

It’s so much easier to use liner

[@GreenNeighbour]

Thanks for your comment. It’s easier to do a lot of things, but many of those things aren’t good for the environment, for our health, or for our kids’ futures. Besides… I’ve never been one to take the easy road. Be well.

[@heang0315]

say goodbye to your grass.

[@GreenNeighbour]

In truth, I’ve got pretty bad grass in my backyard to begin with, but I haven’t actually noticed any impact on the grass under the ice itself… just under the boards if they’re put up early or left up too long. Placing something on top of grass while it’s growing will kill it, but placing something on top of grass while it’s dormant in the winter doesn’t seem to have any effect. You can actually see that quite clearly in another video of mine where we are reassembling our backyard rink right where it always goes. You can see that the grass is fine within the rink, but you can also see a dead patch of grass (at the lower right corner of the screen), where we had previously pitched a tent in the summer and left it up for too long. That grass has never bounced back! kzbin.info/www/bejne/maWsY2itj9Gnr5osi=vpI1yUvlw-V0LJjs

[@hamstergraphics]

Grass will be just as good come Spring. I build outdoor community rinks at our school field each year and you can see by late Spring it's actually better than the other grass. You don't have to be as careful as you were with initial soak, just water it every day, 2-3 times a day. Takes me 7 days start to skateable. You don't need the snow lip either. Then it's just light flooding every night when possible to keep it going.

[@GreenNeighbour]

That’s terrific insight. Thanks so much for taking the time to share your experience. Have a fun season of skating!

[@hamstergraphics]

@@GreenNeighbour late start here in Ottawa, but on a roll now!

[@GreenNeighbour]

@@hamstergraphics I hear you, brother. Good luck with it all!