29 Apr Absolutely NO Cracks in the Ice!!!
April 29, 2019 – Wade Yianakopolos is the operations manager at The Rinks at Exeter in Exeter, New Hampshire.When Wade and his team put in their REALice water treatment system at the beginning of December, 2018, it was mid-season, so the ice for their busy twin pads was already in. Following our best practices, they shaved down the ice to just above the lines and logos and built it back up using REALice-treated water.
From Big Cracks…
But the ice on Rink 1 was already in rough shape. That floor had been replaced over the summer, a task that took longer than expected — and management was faced with a drop-dead date on their calendar as a commercial for a prominent hockey equipment manufacturer would be shot on that surface. With that deadline looming, they were forced to make ice in a hurry — during a week where the temperatures hit 90F and higher — and their ice took a beating, with big cracks forming here, there and everywhere.
Although the ice wasn’t visually appealing because of those big scars, the resulting REALice-ice was fast, hard — and it forced them to raise their set points higher. Their ice temps used to be at 21F and they found their sweet spot at 26.5F on that rink. Those higher temps means lower electricity bills that the facility’s General Manager, Chet Murch, is thrilled about.
To NO Cracks — at ALL!
Two weeks ago — in the middle of April, Wade took out the ice on that pad and built it up from scratch using REALice-treated water. He started by using the handheld with the blue (misting) adaptor and transitioned to the black adaptor with a stronger stream. Once the painting was done, and Wade put his ice resurfacer on it for the very first time, he couldn’t believe what he saw. The ice didn’t crack — at all. That’s something he says has never happened in all his years of ice making.
The new ice at The Rinks at Exeter in Exeter, NH
Watch the short video clip with Wade speaking about his experience with the REALIce system.
And take a look at their ice….below!