Ice Quality
Ice quality is where every conversation about REALice starts
Cold treated water sounds like a compromise. It isn't. Ice made with REALice is harder, clearer and makes less snow than ice made with hot water, and the operators who were most skeptical are now the ones saying so. Below is what has been measured, what operators report, and where the two agree.
Harder, and more even across the rink
Southern California Edison tested ice hardness before and after REALice at two rinks, using a Schmidt hammer at 24 fixed points on each sheet. Their conclusion: the readings were as good or better after REALice at both rinks, and the ice was much more uniform in hardness from one end to the other.
What the readings showed. Rebound readings rose at every test point. Averaged across each rink, they were 39% higher at San Miguel and 46% higher at Anacapa, and the variation across the Anacapa sheet halved, from 35% to 18%.
How to read that. A Schmidt hammer is a comparative tool on a surface as soft as ice, so the percentages describe the change in readings, not an absolute strength. The reliable takeaway is the direction and the consistency: harder everywhere, and the same hardness everywhere.
Southern California Edison, Design & Engineering Services, Ice Rink Water Treatment System Assessment ET09SCE1070, December 2010
"We have huge savings and having great ice. Even some of the pro teams skating in our facility are saying how hard it is. There is nothing I would want to change."
Chet Murch, former General Manager, The Rinks at Exeter, NH"I was the biggest skeptic, being an old-school ice maker, but I can eat crow now."
Mike Shevallier, Arena Manager, Christenson Sports & Wellness Centre, Rocky Mountain House, ABClearer, because the air is gone
Untreated water carries micro-bubbles into the ice, which scatter light and turn the sheet milky. REALice removes them before the water hits the ice. Same rink, same lighting, same camera position: the only change between these two photos is the water.
"First thing we saw is just the clear ice. The lines show up. Easier for the referees, easier for the scorekeeper."
Twin Rinks, Tacoma, WA (from Tacoma Power's video on the installation)"Some of our operators were really worried about the ice quality we'd get by using cold water to flood the ice. If there had been a difference, I would have heard about it from everyone. With the REALice system, we're not missing a beat."
Ange Tassone, former Supervisor of Facility Operations, City of Guelph
Want to see it on your own ice? Tell us about your rink and we'll prepare a savings estimate and walk you through what to expect from the first flood.
Get a free rink estimateLess snow, and a sheet that holds up all day
This is the change operators mention first. Denser ice sheds less material under skates, so there's less snow to scrape and what comes off is a fine powder rather than slush. The sheet stays flat and hard through a full day of bookings instead of breaking down by the evening.
Kitchener's blind test. After a 12-month pilot at Sportsworld Arena, the City of Kitchener asked user groups about the ice without telling them anything had changed. Figure skaters noticed a smoother glide, public skaters reported better consistency, and the hockey academy reported faster pucks and quicker rut recovery.
City of Kitchener, 12-month REALice pilot, Sportsworld Arena. Webinar recap
Lake Placid. Since switching to REALice, Mount Van Hoevenberg has seen 12 new speed skating track records and multiple world records, with a 90% approval rating from skaters.
Hear it from the operators
Short clips from four BC arenas on what changed on the ice.
Why the ice is different
Luleå University of Technology compared ice crystals from untreated water and REALice-treated water under cross-polarized light. The REALice crystals were larger and more homogeneous, giving ice that is stronger and more consistent. The same study measured a higher heat capacity in the treated ice, one of the reasons the refrigeration plant has less work to do.
The treatment itself changes the water before it freezes: lower viscosity and no entrained air. How the technology works →
Read the studies
- Ice hardness testing (PDF)Southern California Edison. Schmidt hammer results at two rinks, before and after REALice.
- Ice crystal comparison (PDF)Luleå University of Technology. Crystal structure and heat capacity of REALice ice.
- FortisBC rink pilot (PDF)Operator feedback on ice temperature and ice quality from the 10-rink pilot.
- Ice quality assessment guide (PDF)How to get the most from REALice ice: thickness, temperature and flooding practice.
Further reading in the Ice Academy: optimal ice thickness, optimal ice temperature and the importance of wash water.
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