Our Neighborhood Rink Rat: What I Can Tell You About Icemaking
As Told to Todd Andre
Our intrepid sports director and rink rat volunteer, Ken Werbicki sat down with us to lay out the fundamentals of freezing a rink. When he started, the Deer Run rink was maintained with no more than a few sputtering sweepers and snowblowers.
A tractor was purchased about nine years ago, helping the process immensely. The community centre board is planning on future upgrades which could include an asphalt surface, a new storage garage, and perhaps even a Zamboni to replace the “DIY Zamboni” we currently use. More on that below. We wanted to know though; how do you make nice ice?
“At one time we just flooded the grass. We kept flooding and flooding, which did not always freeze but seeped into the surface of the grass. Those were the days when water was cheaper, and they didn’t charge you double for sewage.
Now, we usually wait for the snow and pack it down with the tractor, get that base, and start flooding from there. Packing it down eliminates the mud and the seepage. Then we start cold flooding with the two-inch fire hoses – depending on the weather.
The base is the hardest part to get and that’s the key. It takes a lot of water and a lot of flooding every night. It takes a week of flooding to get a good base. That’s two people working two to three hours every night, depending on if they’re flooding one rink or two.
As that builds up, we move to a lighter flood, where we just spray it lightly, so we don’t get a lot of big puddles and ice holes. Once we get that up, we can use the sweeper if there’s a dusting of snow. We sweep that off and do some light sprays.
Then we move to our DIY hot flood. We put hot water in the tank and it’s sort of like a Zamboni, but a little more archaic [laughs]. It’s a plastic fifty-gallon barrel with a tap and [the tractor] dragging some burlap behind. By the time you stop, get off, and pull the burlap up, it’s frozen [to the ice]. That’s why you have two people; [one drives] and the second guy has to chase him down when he’s just about out of water. And they have to make sure the burlap doesn’t freeze to the ice.
Once we get the ice surface to smooth out, it’s a matter of maintenance, sweeping, and more hot floods. It’s not complicated, but it’s labour-intensive. Especially when you consider the freezing temperatures while working with water. You have to watch your hands for frostbite and dress [for the] the conditions.
We have a great crew of volunteers and that makes the best ice: The Deer Run Rink Ratz.”
Ken Werbicke brushes the snow off the Deer Run Community Association outdoor rink.
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