Dealing with a Sloped Area

It is not uncommon to have to deal with a small slope when building a rink.  The RinkMaster can deal with up to 8 inches of slope.  Use styrofoam or other objects to support the frame in low areas.  Make sure to support the frame every 3-4 feet. See Photo 1 below.

Photo 1

 

Photo 2 shows the styrofoam supporting the frame. The ice in the Photo 2 is about 6 inches thick.

Photo 2

 

 

Often, the surface of the ice will be above the RinkMaster frame.  Yes, this is possible, and it is not a problem.  Photo 3 shows where the frame was too low, and unsupported. But as you can see in the Photo 4, the ice surface can actually be built up above the frame. When the temperature is very cold, below -10C, this can be achieved quite quickly. You can see a small barrier of snow used in Photo 3. Read further about this in the next section.

 

Photo 3

 

Photo 4

 

 

Dealing with a Low Side after Setup

If you did not get the frame level and have already started building the rink, do not try to pull the liner or move the water or ice around, as this may tear the liner. It is easier to create a dam and continue building the rink.

Below we have a low side and the water will flow over the top when flooding. Follow these easy steps:

1. Place some snow along the low edge. Make a small snow bank about 4 inches high.
2. Wet the snow to make slush.
3. Shape the slush with a shovel to create a barrier for any water that will flow over the edge.

Once the barrier freezes, the problem of losing water out of the rink should be fixed. See the series of pictures below.

 

                             Photo 5                                                                              Photo 6

The Final Product

What can come as a surprise is that the RinkMaster kit disappears after the first snowfall! When clearing snow off the rink as you do your driveway, you will create snow banks all around the perimeter of the rink, achieving a natural looking outdoor winter setting. In the picture below, after many floodings during the winter months, the surface of the ice is about an inch higher than the RinkMaster frame!

 Photo 7