Thank you for volunteering your time to
take care of your community rink. You are
part of a team of Community Association
volunteers who maintain 52 outdoor rinks in
Saskatoon. Your hard work will keep your
neighbours active and happy throughout
the winter. When taking on this challenge
please dress for the weather and the
water and wear cleats if possible.
Stay safe.
Before you begin the flooding
process you need to assess the area for
damage, garbage and weeds. Have a walk
around the rink and make sure there are
no screws or nails sticking out. Pick up
any debris such as rocks, bricks and
boards. Mow the grass and pick weeds.
Check the condition of the chain-link
fence and make sure there aren't any
loose strands sticking out. Fill in any
gaps between the boards and the base of
the rink on either side of the boards.
Rinks with asphalt or concrete should be
inspected for cracks and heaving. Cracks
should be filled with sand or snow
before flooding. If possible try to build
a two inch layer of snow before flooding
as ice on asphalt is susceptible to sun
melt due to its dark color.
Do your best to level or pack the snow.
Don't be shy to ask the local school
principal to get the kids to stomp the
rink. Begin spraying when the daytime
high is below minus seven degrees
Celsius for several days to make sure
the ground is cold enough. Spray evenly
in a fan-like motion up and outward
starting from the furthest point from
the water supply working your way back
towards it. In the beginning
spraying after a few inches of snowfall
is fine as the slush will seal the edges.
You will need to spray lightly for the
first several layers until a good base
is established and low parts have
started to level. Also in the beginning
don't worry about scraping off all the
bumps and chunks unless they are
sticking up. As soon as a layer is frozen
the next one could start. Once the ground
is sealed heavier flooding can begin.
Have your partner keep the hose out of
your way so you don't trip. Also
constantly moving the hose will keep it
from melting in the ice or creating
bumps.
As a general rule ideal flooding
temperatures are between minus 5 and
minus 20 degrees Celsius.
Keep in mind
the colder it is the lighter the
flooding coat should be.
The more layers
the better. A strong base will set you up
well for the season.
Now that you have a strong base you can
do resurfacing floods as needed.
These are resurfacing floods should be
thin as possible. Always remove any snow
bumps or ridges on the ice before
flooding. You may need to use a heavy
scraper. The cleaner the ice is before
you flood the better your ice will be.
Use a stiff straw broom to sweep along
the boards. If there are plus
temperatures and it snows get the snow
off as soon as possible so it doesn't
melt and then freeze. If it's very windy
do not flood. The top of the water will
freeze first and will not bond to the
layer underneath. It will then chip off.
If there is any drainage near the boards
pack with slush. If you have access to
hot water do not use hot water when it
is colder than minus 15. The ice will be
under tension from contracting and if
hot water is applied to the top the ice
will crack to the bottom of the base.
During the season you may encounter a
number of issues with your ice quality.
These problems are usually due to
dramatic temperature shifts or using too
much water and not flooding evenly.
Anything dark that is left or blown on
to the ice or even leaves from trees
will attract the sun's heat and will
melt down into the ice. Do your best to
make sure the ice is clear. Common
problems also include cracks chips and
air pockets under the surface of the ice.
To fix these problems
a similar process can be used. Clean the
crack or air pocket with a broom. Pack
the crack or air pocket with snow and
drizzle a little bit of water on it and
wait for it to freeze. Repeat as many
times as needed until the ice surface of
the repair is flat. Try to pack the snow
as far down as possible. Do not simply
pour water to fill the crack as it will
make it much worse. Shovel the surface
smooth. This process can also be used to
repair shale or shale ice problems that
are deep. For more information and
assistance call three zero six nine
seven five three three seven eight and
talk to your community consultant. Thank
you again for your effort and commitment
to making your rink a place for
everyone to enjoy.
Check out www.saskatoon.ca to find a
map to list the sites and public skate
times for all the community association
rinks across Saskatoon.