How do you keep the ice looking and feeling as good all season long, just as it did when you first put your ice in? It can be tough, especially with dark colors in your logos and text that tend to grey-out quickly because of skate marks on top.
There are several elements that go into keeping your ice looking good all season long, and best practices apply. Here are 7 tips for making great ice all season long.
- Keep the blade sharp
- Keep the spreader towel clean
- Keep the ice at a reasonable thickness
- Do drill tests at least once a week
- Drive consistently. That will avoid too much ice buildup in corners 1 and 3.
- Shave with each ice make, don’t just pick up the snow
- If your resurfacing machine is equipped with washwater, use it. If not, (or if you don’t have that function on your machine) you’ll need to shave more.
WARNING: The images you’re about to see contain ice that’s completely dry. #That’llBeTheREALiceIce
Ice makers using REALice, like Wayne Bacon (above) find that in addition to having clear, dense, durable ice, he and his team of operators don’t need to do as much on-ice maintenance as they used to with hot water floods. Wayne is the Lead Hand at the Multi Recreation Centre in Slave Lake, AB and he tells me that by following those practices, and adding a few more, his on-ice maintenance has been cut down drastically. He hasn’t needed to do any on-ice patching this year, and edging the ice has been reduced to a once-a-month exercise, not a once-a-week chore. If you’d like great ice, all year long — that looks great and costs less, just reach out.
REALice is an easy-to-install solution that’s radically different from the hot water floods you’re used to. We always talk about the big energy savings you’ll have by hanging up your hot water fill hose. But the truth is no one would use REALice if the ice that’s produced isn’t at least as good as the ice you’re making now.
We know you’ll have great ice by following some simple rules. Your user groups will thank you for it, and so will the ice!
