Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1184562
ASK RINK You have rink questions, RINK has rink answers Send your rink questions to: INFO@USICERINKS.COM 50 / NOVEMBER.DECEMBER.2019 USICERINKS.COM The snow melt pit in our 2-sheet rink fills up quickly on the weekends so my ops staff ends up wasting a lot of time melting the overflowing snow pile with hundreds of gallons of hot water throughout the day, is there a more cost-effective way to control the growth of the snow pile? We've been to hundreds of rinks around the country and this is a very common problem. The issue is generally related to the size of the pit and/or the heating coil not being sized properly or the coil has been shut off because it has leaks in it. We have found that the most effective solution is to put a ½ HP dock de-icer in the pit and run it for 20 to 30 minutes at a time. The de-icer works by agitating the water in the pit which significantly accelerates the snow melting process. There are numerous companies that sell dock de-icers online and the average cost is very reasonable. Lately we have been having issues with wavy ice at our rink. We normally change the blade once a week so I don't think a dull blade is the problem. Are there any other things that could be causing the problem? Normally a freshly sharpened blade can be used for 80-100 ice resurfaces before it needs to be removed and re-sharpened, so we wouldn't think blade sharpness is the root of the problem. However, to rule that out you should check the width of your blades. A new ice resurfacer blade is 5 inches wide with a 1.5 to 2-inch hardened steel inlay. After the blade has been sharpened enough times that the hardened inlay is gone, the Q: A: blade will dull quickly. The second thing to confirm is that the proper bolt holes are being used to attach the blade to the blade holder. The third thing to confirm is that the blade angle and level are set properly after the blade is changed. Each ice resurfacer manufacturer has blade change and adjustment procedures outlined in their owner manuals and in videos on their website. You can also learn how to do this in our Ice Maintenance & Equipment Operation (IMEO) course. Finally, if all these things check out, then you should look at the conditioner down pressure. Down pressure isn't something that needs to be adjusted frequently, but if one of your operators hit the conditioner on the dasher board gate frame or dragged the conditioner as they were leaving the ice and hit the gate threshold, something may have been bent or knocked out of adjustment. J Q: A: CHECK YOUR BLADES 3.5" REPLACE BLADE HARDENED STEEL INLAY , Run a dock de-icer in your snow pit to accelerate the snow-melting process. 4"-3.5" FASTEN BLADE USING SECOND SET OF BOLT HOLES 5"-4" FASTEN BLADE USING FIRST SET OF BOLT HOLES 5" 4"