Q&A

Questions and Answers

QMust the ground be perfectly level before installing my GeoRink?

A Small bumps and a slight slope will not affect your rink as water will seek it's own level. However, sharp objects and large rocks must be removed first.

Q Do I need a large area for a full size rink in order to skate well?

A No. Even if you only have room for a small GeoRink your family can enjoy hours of skating enjoyment. Larger rinks will accommodate a greater number of skaters safely as well as a greater variety of activities and games.

Q How many seasons can I expect from my GeoRink liner?

A Your GeoRink liner is designed to give you many years of service. Accidental damage is easily repaired using our patch system. The liner should be taken up once the weather thaws and stored properly to ensure many years of carefree use.

Q What is the best time to install my GeoRink?

A Anytime following the onset of cold weather is a good time to install your rink. It is best to fill the liner once it is in place to prevent accidental damage from high winds or animals. Walking on the liner with the wrong shoes or over sharp objects left underneath can cause damage.

Q How will snow and rain affect the surface of my GeoRink?

A Snow can easily be removed using one the many GeoRink shovel designs. A GeoIce resufacer will return the surface of your rink to perfection whatever the weather conditions, provided it stays cold.

Q Will my GeoRink liner damage my lawn?

Q Absolutely not. Your lawn will come back when the rink is taken down in the Spring.

First Timers How-To

Important items to consider when choosing the best site for your rink. First: Select a location near an easily accessible water source to fill your rink and resurface your rink when needed. Second: A convenient location plus, the rink should run parallel to the house if possible, to avoid pucks being shot directly at the house. Third: The pitch or levelness of your sight. Pitch may be important if you want a clean looking rink or don't want to end up filling your rink with 30,000 gallons of water. A site that has a pitch of 6" or less is best. Result: Less effort to install the side boards, using less water and take less time to get your base ice going. Fourth: Size of your ice rink -- open space availability will be the determining factor of how big you can make your rink. Budget and appearance will be the next. A quick recap of the four major factors and we'll detail each factor separately.

1. ACCESS TO WATER 2. CONVENIENCE OF USE 3. PITCH OF THE RINK SITE 4. SIZE OF THE RINK

1. ACCESS TO WATER is important during the skating season. It will be to your advantage to have the rink close so you don't have to haul your hose when it's 10 degrees outside. You'll be glad you don't have to haul out 300' of hose every time you want to resurface. It's great to be able to set your hose outside the house, hook it up and resurface. Two good items to have available are either a quality hose reel or large plastic bucket (muck bucket or garbage can). When you're done resurfacing you'll need to bring your hose back inside so it doesn't freeze. When the hose is brought inside it will have some water left in it. If you have the hose reel most of the water will be dispersed while winding it up, or if you have a hose bucket the water that drains will be contained leaving no mess.

2. CONVENIENCE OF USE is why you are or are not considering building your own ice rink in the first place, so make it as convenient as possible. Out the door and on the ice is best, but you have to consider windows, doors opening and viewing the rink from inside. A rinks about 20' from the house makes great viewing from the house. You can see everywhere on the rink from any facing window -- you can just let the children out to skate and watch for any mishaps while warmly conversing with friends and neighbors. Plus, you won't have to shovel a very long path to the rink.

3. PITCH OF THE RINK SITE may be more important to some folks than others. Have a level site to work with? Great! With level ground the sides are easy to put up. With un-level ground we help make it easy. That's why we have the GeoRink system for building an ice rink. Ninety-nine percent of all backyards will not be flat. A yard that is perfectly flat does not have proper drainage away from the house and shouldn't have water added onto it because it may cause flooding problems in the spring. A Backyard with an 18" pitch is quite a bit, but we have customers that have built rinks with a 30" pitch without problems. Just make your sideboards higher and stronger, which will support the weight of the water on the deep end. How can this be done? With a rink size of 60' x 90' and with an 18" pitch it would take a friend and yourself about 4-5 hours to complete the old way of stake and sideboard construction and about 30-40 minutes to lay out the liner. With Geo IceRink brackets, it only takes about 1.5 - 2 hours to set up the boards! That is less than 50% of the time it takes to spray a rink to completion and get the ice surface you'll get from a single, time saving flood. Your ice surface will always be level when filling a GeoRink system to get a base, as water will always seek its own level. No more skating up down and over hills!

4. SIZE OF THE RINK should be determined by several factors. The first is your available space. If you have the space and budget, go big. You'll enjoy your rink much more when you have more room, especially when you have skating parties. Everyone will have room to skate around without bumping into each other. If you're not sure if you'll use your rink enough to make it worth your while, start smaller. You can always decide to go bigger in a year or two, and continue to use the brackets, boards and equipment that have already been purchased. Besides space and budget, the people that will be using the rink will determine the size as well. When your rink is just for children, you can go smaller and be very satisfied, as they don't need a huge rink to make it feel huge to them. On the other hand, if you're an experienced skater your self, you'll be able to cover a 30' span rather easily with one stride, which doesn't end-up being really fun if you're an avid adult skater. The choice is entirely up to you, the "rink manager", but we can tell you that we have heard the following time after time "I SURE WISH WE WOULD'VE GONE BIGGER!"

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GeoCHEM, Inc. Business Page © 1997 - 2007 GeoCHEM, Incorporated All Rights Reserved.
Visit Often for Our Latest Page Developments And Updates! Last Updated: 11/08/2007 09:39:23 PM

Questions and Answers
QMust the ground be perfectly level before installing my GeoRink?	A Small bumps and a slight slope will not affect your rink as water will seek it's own level. However, sharp objects and large rocks must be removed first.
Q Do I need a large area for a full size rink in order to skate well?	A No. Even if you only have room for a small GeoRink your family can enjoy hours of skating enjoyment. Larger rinks will accommodate a greater number of skaters safely as well as a greater variety of activities and games.
Q How many seasons can I expect from my GeoRink liner?	A Your GeoRink liner is designed to give you many years of service. Accidental damage is easily repaired using our patch system. The liner should be taken up once the weather thaws and stored properly to ensure many years of carefree use.
Q What is the best time to install my GeoRink?	A Anytime following the onset of cold weather is a good time to install your rink. It is best to fill the liner once it is in place to prevent accidental damage from high winds or animals. Walking on the liner with the wrong shoes or over sharp objects left underneath can cause damage.
Q How will snow and rain affect the surface of my GeoRink?	A Snow can easily be removed using one the many GeoRink shovel designs. A GeoIce resufacer will return the surface of your rink to perfection whatever the weather conditions, provided it stays cold.
Q Will my GeoRink liner damage my lawn?	Q Absolutely not. Your lawn will come back when the rink is taken down in the Spring.
First Timers How-To Important items to consider when choosing the best site for your rink. First: Select a location near an easily accessible water source to fill your rink and resurface your rink when needed. Second: A convenient location plus, the rink should run parallel to the house if possible, to avoid pucks being shot directly at the house. Third: The pitch or levelness of your sight. Pitch may be important if you want a clean looking rink or don't want to end up filling your rink with 30,000 gallons of water. A site that has a pitch of 6" or less is best. Result: Less effort to install the side boards, using less water and take less time to get your base ice going. Fourth: Size of your ice rink -- open space availability will be the determining factor of how big you can make your rink. Budget and appearance will be the next. A quick recap of the four major factors and we'll detail each factor separately. 1. ACCESS TO WATER 2. CONVENIENCE OF USE 3. PITCH OF THE RINK SITE 4. SIZE OF THE RINK 1. ACCESS TO WATER is important during the skating season. It will be to your advantage to have the rink close so you don't have to haul your hose when it's 10 degrees outside. You'll be glad you don't have to haul out 300' of hose every time you want to resurface. It's great to be able to set your hose outside the house, hook it up and resurface. Two good items to have available are either a quality hose reel or large plastic bucket (muck bucket or garbage can). When you're done resurfacing you'll need to bring your hose back inside so it doesn't freeze. When the hose is brought inside it will have some water left in it. If you have the hose reel most of the water will be dispersed while winding it up, or if you have a hose bucket the water that drains will be contained leaving no mess. 2. CONVENIENCE OF USE is why you are or are not considering building your own ice rink in the first place, so make it as convenient as possible. Out the door and on the ice is best, but you have to consider windows, doors opening and viewing the rink from inside. A rinks about 20' from the house makes great viewing from the house. You can see everywhere on the rink from any facing window -- you can just let the children out to skate and watch for any mishaps while warmly conversing with friends and neighbors. Plus, you won't have to shovel a very long path to the rink. 3. PITCH OF THE RINK SITE may be more important to some folks than others. Have a level site to work with? Great! With level ground the sides are easy to put up. With un-level ground we help make it easy. That's why we have the GeoRink system for building an ice rink. Ninety-nine percent of all backyards will not be flat. A yard that is perfectly flat does not have proper drainage away from the house and shouldn't have water added onto it because it may cause flooding problems in the spring. A Backyard with an 18" pitch is quite a bit, but we have customers that have built rinks with a 30" pitch without problems. Just make your sideboards higher and stronger, which will support the weight of the water on the deep end. How can this be done? With a rink size of 60' x 90' and with an 18" pitch it would take a friend and yourself about 4-5 hours to complete the old way of stake and sideboard construction and about 30-40 minutes to lay out the liner. With Geo IceRink brackets, it only takes about 1.5 - 2 hours to set up the boards! That is less than 50% of the time it takes to spray a rink to completion and get the ice surface you'll get from a single, time saving flood. Your ice surface will always be level when filling a GeoRink system to get a base, as water will always seek its own level. No more skating up down and over hills! 4. SIZE OF THE RINK should be determined by several factors. The first is your available space. If you have the space and budget, go big. You'll enjoy your rink much more when you have more room, especially when you have skating parties. Everyone will have room to skate around without bumping into each other. If you're not sure if you'll use your rink enough to make it worth your while, start smaller. You can always decide to go bigger in a year or two, and continue to use the brackets, boards and equipment that have already been purchased. Besides space and budget, the people that will be using the rink will determine the size as well. When your rink is just for children, you can go smaller and be very satisfied, as they don't need a huge rink to make it feel huge to them. On the other hand, if you're an experienced skater your self, you'll be able to cover a 30' span rather easily with one stride, which doesn't end-up being really fun if you're an avid adult skater. The choice is entirely up to you, the "rink manager", but we can tell you that we have heard the following time after time "I SURE WISH WE WOULD'VE GONE BIGGER!" Starter Kits Home\|Rink Liners\|Ice Resurfacer\|Bumper Caps\|Shovels\|Side Boards\|Fencing Rink Brackets\|Corner Keepers\|Stake Supports\|Patch Tape\|Patch Adhesive Ice Mat\|Ice Paint\|Safety Cones\|Scoreboard\|Refrigeration\|Goal Nets\|Products Ice Tender\|Pucks\|Tape\|Sex Wax\|Skate Sharpeners\|Odor Gone\|Hose Reel Scrapers\|Ice Choppers\|Lighting\|Apparel\|Installation\|Questions\|SofBoards View Pictures GeoCHEM, Inc. Business Page © 1997 - 2007 GeoCHEM, Incorporated All Rights Reserved. Visit Often for Our Latest Page Developments And Updates! Last Updated: 11/08/2007 09:39:23 PM