IN SEARCH OF

The SUPREME SHEET

by Ed Peduto

We all have one. It is our most critical product. Yet the variety in the quality of ice sheets is limitless. Outdoor sheets are a combination of love and art, subject to the vagaries of the weather; for this reason, outdoor sheets generally receive a pass from this author. One would think that indoor sheets, being in a “controlled” environment, would be fairly uniform.

Once again, logic fails us. Deep grooves, wet spots, missing/faded/erroneous ice markings, and thick corners are the bane of the conscientious iceman’s existence. Furthermore, the “controlled” environment of each and every ice sheet is somewhat different. Variations in floors, refrigeration, humidity control, water and radiant heat load are just some of the critical issues with which we contend to provide the Supreme Sheet!

BUILT FROM THE BOTTOM UP All acceptable ice surfaces should be void of liquid within two to three minutes of resurfacing. Standing water is unacceptable for skaters, pucks or curling stones to glide across. The cure for this is to reduce the temperature to induce freezing. This can be done by reducing glycol temperature, reducing the heating system or both. Conversely, the Supreme Sheet simply glistens after resurfacing. The water is frozen within one to two minutes of resurfacing. The ice begs to be skated on!

If it were only as simple as controlling the ice temperature! Like any other superior product, the Supreme Sheet is built from the bottom up. Any deficiencies at any point in the process will result in a less-than-supreme sheet. Knowing a facility’s deficiencies can lead to corrective action, even if the opportunity to correct the issue only arises once a decade or less for a year-round sheet (when the sheet is removed).

The subsoil and subfloor heating system comprise the bottom of the product. Located 12 to 24 inches below your sheet, a subsoil that does not absorb water and never freezes is the goal. Yes, an out-of-sight, often out-of-mind system can wreak havoc on the quest for the Supreme Sheet. Monitor the subfloor temperature and keep it at least 4 degrees above 32 F. This ensures that heaving from subfloor freezing will not be a problem. Just above the subfloor heat grid is, or should be, a layer of rigid insulation. In the early rink years, this was thought to be enough to prevent permafrost but is now seen as a smart assist to a well-functioning subfloor heat system. Above the insulation is a vapor barrier, which has either a cement floor with refrigeration pipes or pipes in the sand above it. While I know many figure skaters who enjoy the “springiness” of their jumps on a sand floor, I have yet to meet a veteran rink manager who prefers a sand floor. The maintenance of the sand floor is exponentially more demanding than the relatively maintenance- free cement floor.

The sheet reflects the characteristics of the floor on which it is built. Cement floors are poured level and sand floors are meticulously leveled before each sheet installation. Sand floors must be saturated before freezing to build on a solid sheet that is free of air. Minimal air insulates the surface, adding load to the refrigeration; excess air creates entire areas that must be removed and replaced due to skates crashing through the ice surface frozen from the top down. Similarly, very fine coats of water seal a cement floor, minimizing air in the all-important bonding coat and those coats below the paint.

A Supreme Sheet features a fabulous, well-maintained paint job. If the floor is painted, it should be scrubbed and all paint touched up for crisp lines and logos. If the ice is painted, a Supreme Sheet is likely attained by veteran painters, either in-house or hired subcontractors. The mistakes learned by many years of trial and error are too numerous to elucidate. Trust me, watching a well-oiled veteran crew of ice painters perform their art is something to behold (and much easier on your back than trying to do it yourself!). The remainder of the ice surface installation is a routine spraying of light coats of water.

MAINTENANCE MATTERS As soon as the sheet is skated on, the maintenance begins. If you don’t dedicate time and energy to edging, shaving and burning out the lines, your ice will be less than supreme.

Edging is required because the resurfacer blade is beveled from side to side, as seen from behind the conditioner. The ingenious bevel, which eliminates deep grooves during each pass of the resurfacer, also precludes a deep shave along the boards. The edger rips the accumulated ice down, which is then followed with a dry shave with the dasher board-side end of the conditioner blade adjustment screw lowered two to three turns. Remember to turn it back up before resurfacing away from the boards!

As for edger models, I have recently become partial to the AGM battery-powered edger. I can run it with people in the building without fans running. Fresh blades and fresh batteries allow this edger to serve me well. For best results, the ice should be shaved with a freshly sharpened blade on the resurfacer. Shaving gets the top layers, often with lots of air obscuring the lines, off the ice. Corners often need excessive shaving due to the disproportionate amount of water applied when the resurfacer slows to turn at each end of the ice. New technology has been designed to assist in keeping the surface level, but I have not yet used this. Corner shaving is a delicate process where shaving just enough produces a masterpiece and shaving too many results in a catastrophe (and a lot of work repainting the shaved-out paint!). Shaving should be followed by a few flood coats with the resurfacer to provide ample ice to skate on without jeopardizing the lines.

Ice fanatics with an ample, almost endless, the supply of hot water take shaving one step further by burning out the lines. Hot water is sprayed down at the line, melting the surface ice loaded with skate marks and refreezing clear ice above the now-bright line. Extreme care must be taken in this process, often done by experienced workers just before closing, allowing for refreezing overnight. Burn too deeply and the line is gone, and it’s a long time before the ice freezes level — a case in which less is often more. BE CAREFUL!!

The Supreme Sheet is not built in a day but maintained daily and dutifully. Many simply don’t have the resources required to make a Supreme Sheet. Many find the endless hours of maintenance an exercise in futility. However, those whose efforts produce a Supreme Sheet are appreciated at this address!

Ed Peduto is general manager of Burbank Ice Arena in Reading, Mass., the Public/Not-for-Profit Facilities representative on the ISI board of directors and a regular presenter at the annual ISI Ice Arena Conference.