ice resurfacers, unite!

[dix0r 0]

i just started and it feels pretty weird so far...any tips?

also notice i refrained from using trademarked names, hah.

[UMWhockey 0]

i just started and it feels pretty weird so far...any tips?

also notice i refrained from using trademarked names, hah.

um, there is a lot to go into here... what resurfacer are you using, what blade are you using, and what kinda problems are you having with your cut?

[dix0r 0]

zamboni 552 electric...no idea what blade

i'm just looking for general tips as i haven't got a good feel for it yet...i only just started, but rather than sit me down and go over everything, i've received a few minutes here and there of training. it also doesn't help that our batteries suck so i'm limited to how much i can drive it.

so far i have a hard time keeping it close to the boards around the corners, and the ice around the crease is really bumpy - i don't know if i lay too much down there or keep going over the same spot as it starts to freeze...

really just any general advice is appreciated as obviously i'd like to get good...i'm sure it takes some time to get comfortable though

[Dante2004 0]

I will try to leave the name brands out too... ;)

I think it is a lot like riding a bike. I looks easy until you try. Then it is harder than you imagined it could ever be (to do a GOOD job at least). Once you have learned, you can't understand how you ever struggled.

Tips...practice, practice, practice. Sucks about the battery situation. That can be a bummer. When I ran the "machine" it was at a 2 pad facility. We had two machines and the rink times were staggered so one person did both sheets. Basically you would prep machine #1 and cut the ice and finish just in time to start prepping machine #2 and cut that ice. You had a few minutes in between to do odd jobs, take compressor readings, etc, but for the most part you would make the running one of the machines 2-3 times and hour depending on what was on the ice. So...you learned your technique pretty fast. What cut depths & water flow works best based on what was on / will be on the ice.

[Sven 1]

Sounds like learning to skate.

[UMWhockey 0]

zamboni 552 electric...no idea what blade

i'm just looking for general tips as i haven't got a good feel for it yet...i only just started, but rather than sit me down and go over everything, i've received a few minutes here and there of training. it also doesn't help that our batteries suck so i'm limited to how much i can drive it.

so far i have a hard time keeping it close to the boards around the corners, and the ice around the crease is really bumpy - i don't know if i lay too much down there or keep going over the same spot as it starts to freeze...

really just any general advice is appreciated as obviously i'd like to get good...i'm sure it takes some time to get comfortable though

in my conversations with Don Zamboni, he has said that the 552 electric is the best they have made. I was lucky enough to have one in my last operations manager job. It is hard to tell you why your crease is bumpy without seeing the conditioner or the ice, but if you take your turns too fast and slide a little then your studded tires will leave tracks that your conditioner can't pick up. Another thing to worry about is how much water you put down along the boards and in your turns. When you can no longer see the top of the boards in front of you (only see glass) then you should be turning off your water and turning it back on again once you are almost out of your turn, since there is a delay between when you turn on your water and when it kicks in.

The reason I asked about the blade was because some rinks have blades that are either too short, not sharpened right, or just crappy blades. I used to use a blade called the Avalanche blade. It was by far the best cut I have ever had. If you want to get more info on them to your operations manager or GM just let me know and I can give you their contact info.

Hope this helps

[biff44 0]

You must keep the same velocity at ALL times.

Most inexperienced drivers go fast on the straight aways, and slow down in the turns. This leaves more water at the 4 corners of the rink, and after one season the ice surface is like a dish--4 inches thicker at the corners than in the middle!

[Dante2004 0]

You must keep the same velocity at ALL times. 

Most inexperienced drivers go fast on the straight aways, and slow down in the turns.  This leaves more water at the 4 corners of the rink, and after one season the ice surface is like a dish--4 inches thicker at the corners than in the middle!

Not always true...it is just easier/less work to drive the same speed.

Most EXperienced operators CAN drive fast on the straights and slower in the turns because they have also mastered the feel of throttling down the water and possibly raising the blade as they turn (if needed). Also, if the rink maintains an ice depth/thickness chart, you won't get the dish effect you mentioned. We had to drill a 1/4" hole down to the cement in ~50 (maybe more) locations across the sheet to monitor thickness so that we maintained a good sheet. You can also pick out the thick/thin spots by the color and hardness of the ice.

When you have 15 minutes to run stupid promo games between periods AND make the ice, you don't always have time to go slow.

[forbs02 20]

I haven't driven now in about 3 yrs but I drove all through high school and college. I usually got pretty consistant ice levels and no swimming pool action (unless it was 90 degrees outside). I would keep the water level constant on the first two laps. It wasn't turned all the way on though, maybe 3/4. Our rule of thumb was put down as much water as you pull snow (half tank/half tank). Once I started coming down the center of the rink and coming around on the end boards I'd completely shut the water off or turn it way way down. As you accelerate out of the turn open the water back up. Make sure you use your wash water also, it really does help get that ice nice. When we'd prep for the high school games we would actually do a dry cut first and then a slow flood with hot water. That ice would be perfect. As another poster mentioned, practice makes perfect. Once you get it down though it'll be second nature.

[biff44 0]

Thanks for the additions, guys.

But how is a rookie going to be able to learn to control the ice thickness? It sounds like you have developed a technique over many years of practice! For every one like you, there must be 30 jamokes out there flooding the end boards.

I have heard of one company selling a laser leveling system that would automatically control the ice thickness.

BTW, what do you consider the ideal ice thickness to strive for when you drill holes in the surface and measure it?

[Dante2004 0]

Are you using real ice? Treated water? What is the capacity of your compressors? How hot is it outside? What do you keep the building temp at? What events are held on your ice surface?

Too many variables to say "this is the thickness to use".

Thinner sheets will be harder with the same amount of cooling...but if you get too thin, aggressive use of the ice will cut down to your concrete. Make it thicker...and you may get soft ice. You want to have some buffer in there. Heavy usage, maybe a Junior game, or something like that...you will have to cut more (to remove all the grooves in the ice) that you could probably replace with water and have it freeze in time for the next period. So you may loose 1/16" (or whatever) in thickness during each cut. You will have to build that back up with a flood after the game. But if you have 2 of these games in a row...you have to have enough thickness to work with and not hit concrete by the end of your second game.

Are there experienced drivers at your rink that you can consult with? You post almost makes it sound like you are running a solo operation with no one to talk to. Aren't the other drivers helping you learn?

Sorry I can't give you better/specific advice, but without knowing your exact situation, I don't want to steer you in the wrong direction.

Like was said earlier...it is like riding a bike. It isn't too difficult to learn how to ride, but there is a big difference between an 8 year old kid on a Huffy and Lance Armstrong! :-)

[Dante2004 0]

One more thing...if you start taking thickness readings, keep in mind that the concrete slab below the rink will not be perfectly level or flat.

Most rinks will have a SLIGHT slope to one side to ease draining when you melt the ice in the summer. This is SLIGHT. The ice shouldn't be sloped, just the concrete. As a result, in order for the ice to be level it will have to be SLIGHTLY thicker in one end.

How can you tell if you have left too much water on the rink? Look where the puddles are when you are done. Chances are that the last places to freeze are areas where you left more water. Of course, many areas will freeze before you even get off the ice (your first few laps).

You won't be able to control the ice thickness on your own...because I assume there are other drivers at your rink. Just make sure YOU take an even cut.

Personally, I would crank the blade up 1/2 to 1 full turn in the my corners and turn the water WAY down (after the first two laps) since I had already cut those areas. This helps to prevent cutting the ends too thin.

Change your start point every time you do the ice. If you drive over a spot twice, you cut it twice (unless you raise the blade). So change your pattern.

[Zamdriver 0]

Sounds like Dante2004 has driven a few times... Good advice. I wish all rinks had the FastIce system, that makes driving so much eaisier and the ice is tits. It's fun though to go from it to towel/water application just to keep it different. SLOW driving will make a big difference, try it. If you're cutting a rink the has blue lines old school, 6-7 seconds between blue lines is good. New style NHL blue lines, 5-6 seconds. Know the machine you're driving, they all drive/act different, so be aware of that.

[rel017 0]

What causes the ice to seem "sticky" after being resurfaced? By sticky I mean that the puck will just not slide when being passed om the ice.

[hehatemefrisbee 0]

What causes the ice to seem "sticky" after being resurfaced? By sticky I mean that the puck will just not slide when being passed om the ice.

water. The ice needs more time to settle before people start playing. If people dont give it enough time that "stickiness" ensues.

[UMWhockey 0]

What causes the ice to seem "sticky" after being resurfaced?  By sticky I mean that the puck will just not slide when being passed om the ice.

water. The ice needs more time to settle before people start playing. If people dont give it enough time that "stickiness" ensues.

that, or try to skate through paint that is coming up on poorly maintained ice

[JR Boucicaut 3791]

Unfortunately, I cannot contribute to this thread because the few times I've driven/cut ice was after a nice night at the bar. My best friend was the ice guru at the rink. Nothing impresses chicks more than "Hey, want a Zamboni ride?" :)

[UMWhockey 0]

Unfortunately, I cannot contribute to this thread because the few times I've driven/cut ice was after a nice night at the bar. My best friend was the ice guru at the rink. Nothing impresses chicks more than "Hey, want a Zamboni ride?" :)

it was very nice how many times that line worked around the bars close to the rink.... might have been my best pick up line

[GBX2006 0]

I would say as a tip on how to drive the 552 closer to the boards just use your board brush as a measuring stick on how close you want to be. You don't want the brush to be barely touching the boards, you want the arm on the brush to bend inward a little. If you can keep it like that the whole way around then your doing well.

Another tip on leaving to much or to little water is that if you are picking up a half tank of snow you should be dropping a half tank of water, or a quarter and a quarter of hot and cold water.

[dix0r 0]

OK, so after a few weeks of driving, i'm feeling more confident. i can get the ice looking pretty good, but i still have a hard time "feeling" how much i'm cutting, so i usually end up hardly taking anything off, and laying down a normal amount of water. this is kind of good, because a couple other guys at the rink cut too much, but it's bad because we only schedule 10 minutes in between games and practices, and i'm still a bit slow, so it's not always frozen by the time the teams take the ice. if we had 15 minutes i could lay down more water and have it dry nicely...

anyways, thanks for all the tips.