The "homeboni" made of PVC has broken twice this year. Just my luck.
So I may still make one out of black iron pipe down the road. It's not the cost of PVC or even the time it takes to repair, which is usually minutes. It's getting soaked when it breaks and then having to bring in the hoses if it's cold out.
[list=]A few random lessons, in case any of you ever try a backyard rink:
Your yard is never as flat as you think it is. Borrow a laser level from someone or make a water level (easily done). Google it.
Make sure you leave extra tarp to go over the boards. You can cut some off for patches if needed.
Tuck tape will stick to small holes, even when applied under water. Since it's red, put white duct tape over it first and heat it inside to get the duct tape to stick well to the tuck tape.
Having a homeboni or a hose with sprinkler is key to getting new, flat ice.
Never leave a hose flooding for more than 20 minutes at a time, or you'll probably find out the hard way that you have a leak.
You can use a Christmas wreath hanger flipped upside down over the boards to make an ice thickness gauge. VERY handy.
Shovel any snow off right away or it turns to slush and really screws the surface.
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The weather has been weird, with most weekends being warm and the colder days during the week. Makes it tough to use the rink as much as we'd like, but the rink is going strong. At least at this point, we've spent more time skating than building it. Unlike some previous years.
I can't post pics due to the Photobucket pay wall. Fuck them. This year's is 62'x27'. I plan on extending 10' more next year. I reused last year's tarp so I couldn't expand this year. Next year- new tarp and maybe some boards to keep pucks in. Or at least one of the backstops around the net. I put up some LED lights in a tree. Does a great job.