Rink

July / August 2016

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42 / JULY.AUGUST.2016 RINKMAGAZINE.COM by JEFF THEILER, CIRM t our most recent NARCE, I had a conversation with an operations manager about the increase in utility consumption at his rink. Over the past few years, the electricity usage at his rink had been steadily increasing. After some investigation, he determined that the increase in their electricity usage appeared to be due to the compressors in their refrigeration system running longer than they used to. During our conversation I found out that they hadn't made any significant changes to their operations over the past few years. They were running the same ice temperature set points, their ice thickness had remained fairly consistent (his staff takes ice thickness measurements twice a week), and they hadn't had any significant issues with their HVAC or dehumidifiers. I asked him, "Have you inspected your condenser lately?" That is when I could see the light bulb go off over his head. He said that he couldn't remember the last time he had done an inspection; "Out of sight, out of mind," he said. When the manager returned to work after NARCE, he immediately went up onto the roof of his rink to do an inspection of their evaporative condenser. What he discovered was that the coils inside the condenser were covered in heavy calcium scale; the float for the water bleed valve was stuck; there was a significant amount of dirt and leaves in the water basin; and several water spray nozzles were plugged up with scale and other debris. In addition to those issues, he noticed that the fan belts were very worn, and the bearings on one of the fan shafts were making a grinding noise. Have You Inspected Your Condenser Lately? OUT OF ALL THE COMPONENTS IN A REFRIGERATION SYSTEM, THE CONDENSER HAS ONE OF THE MOST PROFOUND EFFECTS ON THE EFFICIENCY OF THE SYSTEM. RINK ISSUES Condenser Maintenance PHOTOS: COURTESY OF STAR

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