LINER LINGUISTICS
LINER LINGUISTICS
This is an informal discussion on
ice rink liners, lines, limbs and living with a rink.
No doubt about it, it is a big project and the more you want out of it, the
bigger it is. The bigger it is, the more you get out of it and the harder it
is to manage. So.... lets talk about managing your liner, the most critical
piece of equipment so to speak, the most important single item in your rink
assembly.
No matter your rink style, and we have several to show you on this site, the liner is important.
A
one piece liner….
is important as it holds all your water in place and awaits the freeze. If you
have an inferior poly liner or ice rink tarp then you do not contain your water
and you may as well pack snow and spray water like your father did years ago.
If you have had any experience with this the old fashion way then usually your
choice is the new fashion way, the liner method. There are countless stories
out there about the frustrations with the new fashion way as well. This is why
we include in every kit a video/D.V.D. and a paper instruction kit.The D.V.D.
also includes a very valuable section as a bonus which includes maintenance
through all types of weather.
If you have the
info, you will get the job done right. Just remember, if you do not educate
your self then you are ripe for failure. We supply you with as much info as
you care to have. Our poly liner or poly tarp or replacement liner, in all sizes
up to 40’x 135’ are .04 mil (commonly called 4 mil), NEW in 2007/2008
is our .055 mil poly liner (commonly called 6 mil) opaque in appearance (clear
white look as seen above right) U.V. protected and guaranteed against U.V. damage
for 2 years of rink use. They have an extremely high cold crack resistance and
again, guaranteed for two years of rink use. There is a stretch factor built
in to these liners as well but, no guarantee if you over stretch them. Having
said that, the guarantee on the stretch is educating yourself with our 3 different
media forms. E Book (if you choose) D.V.D. and the paper instructions included
with all kits. It is simple, we want you to be successful. Remember if you have
made a mistake, it has been done before. Usually because the rink builder does
not access all the info available to him and take the time to learn what is
necessary.
About lines and face off circles………
a common question is do our liners have lines? The answer is no and this is
why. 1.) If you have any experience with building rinks you know what happens
when a leaf or other dark object freezes in the top of your ice. The sun is
attracted to the dark object and heat is generated and a hole is melted and
sometimes as deep as 3 inches in a day. Imagine your rink now with blue and
red lines or face off dots. In a perfect rink world, the sun would not come
out and melt those areas but we love the sun and the sun loves to shine and
not being able to use your rink on sunny days would be a travesty. In short
the slushy areas would be many and your skating surface would be ruined. 2.)
In our area, almost without fail, while the water is freezing there is some
snow falling. This snow, then is absorbed into the rink water and surface area,
turning it white. If your liner had lines or dots then chances are you would
not see them as they would be obscured from view.
Those are the main 2 reasons why
we do not recommend, or supply liners with dots and stripes.
About limbs………
We have touched on leaves and how a leaf in the ice surface will “burn”
a hole and the same applies to bark or pine needles or any dark object. Always
best to wait for awhile till all your surrounding trees have shed, or set your
rink up early as we do, so all, that does fall, becomes waterlogged and sinks
to the bottom. Remember every yard and rink site is different. You will learn
what is best for you!
Back to liners for a moment…………
Our liners are strong and can be used for 3years or more if you are using the
Liner Protection System. Remember that you will be positioning
this liner next to or within fractions of inches to skates and pucks and shovels
and snow blowers. If you want to save your liner then you need to protect it
with a dasher board or frame guard. It is located in a very busy, high
traffic and dangerous area. Look for the section (with picture) called
"liner protection system"
from cuts and nicks, shovels and snowblowers etc. If you want nitty gritty
details on assembly and how to do it all, we have a comprehensive new section
in our amazing e book called you guessed it.............Liner Protection System
We have saved our liners in the past but remember these following points to ponder. Rink liners come in rolls or folded neatly. When you are done with them for the season they are hard to fold up small and store as they were when you received them. While in storage they are susceptible to other forms of damage like mice eating holes or cats/dogs or children playing near them. Make sure they are stored properly and many years are probable when using the L.P.S. We have had a mouse chew a hole through our liner while stored improperly and have had many a story relayed to us the same. Here is the scenario if you have an unsuspecting puncture or tear. 1) Set up frame. 2) Lay your liner. 3) Fasten all your dasher boards or frame guards. 4) Turn on hose and fill. 5) 15 hours later wonder why rink is not filling. 6) Wade through water with shoes off (very cold) to locate hole. After finding or not finding hole(s) decide to replace. Repeat steps 1 thru 4 again. You decide what works best for you!
In conclusion………….Here are the positive
points to using a 4 mil liner or a 6 mil liner.
1)they are less expensive to purchase. 2) they are less expensive to replace
3) they are less expensive to ship because they are lighter. 4) they are lighter
to move around and or fold up and store. 5) they work, as is proven by the number
of repeat customers we have yearly. Neighbors ordering for neighbors and many
of our rinks can be found on the same streets in towns and cities just like
yours. We have used a 4 mil liner for 15 years and enjoy the ease of use and
workability 6) they are guaranteed against cold cracking 7) they are U.V. protected
. 8) they have a stretch factor built in for covering lumps or bumps in your
yard surface. We do recommend running your water and allowing the liner to settle
before fastening to your frame.We also stock and highly recommend our liner
clips as they hold your liner in place while it is settling. Remember the heavier
it is the harder it is to work with and when and if you drop it or drag it
the greater possibility of damage. If you want a 6 mil liner thats o.k. too as we carry 6 mil. These liners are very worthwhile when trying to save and re use for following years with the L.P.S. (liner protection system)
SUMMARY: It does nt matter how
thick your liner is if you don't have a way to protect it from Skates, pucks,
snowblowers, Zambonis, figure skate pics, shovels etc etc etc. The Liner
Protection System is the answer.
Patching and fixing…….
Every one of our liners comes with a patch kit which is a dry type of tar in
sheet form that when heated grabs on to the liner and forms a very secure bond.
There are other ways of repairing and fixing liners too! There is a very aggressive
tape that works for small patch jobs but seaming long seams is not the best
as the wind plays a roll in the success as does the straight of your tape. If your tape is not perfectly straight
down the entire seam then you end up with creases in your tape and the potentiality
of leakage is very probable. There is caulking and a plastic patch or wet/dry tar roof
patch which is also a remedy for repair and maintaining your water level. Finally
one of the most ingenious methods is as follows. This method is …..take
two pieces of wood and place on opposite sides of your area that needs to be
patched. In between the liner with the puncture or tear or rip, sandwich a wet
cloth between the wood pieces and screw together in several places. You now
have in order, wood plate, wet cloth, liner and another wood plate all screwed tightly
together. Screws should be at least 2 " from the edges of the wood and more to the inner section of the hole or tear. Allow to freeze. The wood sandwich protects the frozen cloth from
thawing and acts as your patch. Then fill your rink liner up and allow to freeze
as per. You decide what works best for your particular scenario.
We are very proud of the information compiled on our site after 15 years and believe it to be unparalleled in the industry. Hope you like it and happy rink building.
TOLL FREE 1 800 448 6648
or drop us a line at: rinks@backyardrink.com
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As
you have noticed there are several styles of rinks on this page. From the first
one at the top right made of materials from around the house (hence the unorthodox
shape) to the more esthetic number 2 and 3 and 5 to the one listed just above,
they all use 4 mil or 6 mil poly liners and have great success. Some liners
are placed outside the frame and some liners inside the frame and some randomly
over the top. But when it finally freezes we all skate, play hockey and tag,
frolic in the snow banks, use our saucers and magic carpets and just have fun.
That's the way to enjoy what winter has for us all ! Cheers!
Customer Quotes:
I MADE A BIG MISTAKE this year. I had a gift certificate from one of the big box stores. I went and bought a liner and installed it. After running my water for 14 hours and seeing no change in the water level I realized it was full of holes. I called you guys because I know your liners are quality and they work and your service is amazing........... Ryan Nobes, Collingwood On.
YOU GUYS ROCK....Once I get the liner I 'll tell everyone about you guys. I've got about 15 friends that build rinks down here and its not easy. Thanks for the great service.
Dennis Golden Mass.
AMAZING SERVICE and great products. I used your Ultimate Flooder last year and I was done in 5 minutes with a surface that was as good as you get for an outdoor rink. Gord Waterloo On.
AWESOME PRODUCTS........I am so glad I did it. Thanks for the advice and the awesome products and fast shipping. Love the flooder and the puckboard corners too!
Jim Lethbridge AB.
LOVE THOSE J-Braces........... you guys are quick!!! we just received our J-Braces.
Rob and Hallie
THANKS for the quick turnaround every year. Nice to see you have 6 mil white.
Paul, Burlington
I JUST WANTED you to know how impressed I am with the timeliness of my shipping year after year. The liner clips are a great idea being as my rink is in a wide open space. They save me time, staple holes and worry from the wind . Geoff. Durham. On.
I MUSY SAY this is an impressive looking kit. I ordered the extras like the L.P.S, the nets and the flooder and I am glad I did. I absolutely love the video. After seeing you guys build a rink it all makes sense now. Very helpful!! ...and the ice maintenance section is a huge bonus.
Jeff. Red Deer AB.
YOU GUYS come highly recommended!!! Patrick. Williamsville N.Y.