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USICERINKS.COM JULY.AUGUST.2020 / 43 comfortec figure rental comfortec hockey rental sharpen your EDGE but the water vapor that leaks in can cause the stealthy problems described above. We accept that leaks in the arena are inevitable. That's why a dehumidifier is needed. In a simple sense, the moisture that leaks in is removed by the dehumidifier. If the dehumidifier is large enough for the prevailing leakrate and as long as the vapor that leaks in can dissipate into the dry air in the arena, all is well. However, anything that impedes moisture from easily dissipating into the dry arena results in condensation if that moisture-laden air cools to its dewpoint. It is important that the humid air leaking into the arena have a free pathway into the dry arena. It has to dissipate before it cools to its dewpoint. Ceiling insulation systems in arenas commonly consist of batt fiberglass with a plastic or foil liner to contain it. These insulation systems are efficient, economical and attractive, but can set up a scenario which results in the grief incurred by our mythical hapless arena above. The problem with this style of insulation system is threefold. The first issue is the batt insulation itself. While a good heat insulator, it is permeable to water vapor. This means that moisture vapor can migrate through it. The second problem is that the liner below it (what you see from the ice sheet) is impermeable and prevents or severely retards vapor above it from dissipating into our dry arena. The third problem is that a large contributor to the moisture leaking into the arena happens at the joint where the walls meet the roof. This moisture has nowhere to go but into the batt insulation above the impermeable plastic liner. It can't dissipate, but it can cool down. The ceiling structure is often swallowed by insulation and the steel that penetrates it will be cold and sweat. In theory, eliminating any one of these three factors would stop the problem. In the real world, however, that is very difficult or impossible to do. If the insulation were impermeable, no moisture would migrate through it to condense somewhere else. If the liner were very permeable, the moisture could easily dissipate into our dry arena before it cooled to the dewpoint. If there were no moisture leaks in the building envelope, there would be no moisture to condense…and I'd be out of business because you'd no longer even need a dehumidifier. What can you do if you have this problem in your arena? There are several remedies to be considered; some impractical and some financially unpleasant. Here are the possibilities: HUMID AIR LEAKING INTO THE FACILITY MUST HAVE A FREE PATHWAY INTO THE DRY ARENA, ALLOWING IT TO DISSIPATE BEFORE CONDENSATION.