Optimal humidity levels in ice arena

Optimal humidity levels in an ice arena

Humidity is the parameter most rinks notice last and pay for all season. Damp air condenses on the ice as rime, the blades turn it into snow, the resurfacer takes it off, and the plant freezes the replacement water. It starts in the air and ends on your utility bill.

Aim for 50–55% relative humidity. Above that, you're making ice twice: once in the plant, once out of the air.

Where the moisture comes from

  • Crowds. A full house raises humidity fast; a tournament weekend is the hardest test your dehumidifier gets.
  • Doors and gates. Every minute an overhead door stands open is warm, wet outside air coming in. An airlock is better than a habit.
  • Fresh air intakes. Check where yours draw from. An intake near a stream, a pond or a cooling tower is pulling in moisture by design.
  • Hot floodwater. A 160°F flood puts a cloud of vapour into the building ten or more times a day, and the dehumidifier has to take it back out.

What high humidity does to the ice

Rime forms on the surface, and rimed ice is rough rather than hard. Skates cut it into snow faster than they would a clean sheet, so the resurfacer removes more, which means more floodwater, which means more plant load. You also get fog over the ice and condensation on the roof structure, which is a building problem rather than an ice one.

Cold flooding removes one of the sources. Rinks running REALice flood with unheated water, so there's no vapour spike at every flood and the dehumidifier has less to do. How that works →

Keeping it in range

  • Measure at ice level, not at the office thermostat. The air over the sheet is the air that matters.
  • Log it alongside attendance. Most rinks find their worst readings line up with a particular event rather than the weather.
  • Service the dehumidifier before the season, not after the first tournament.
  • Watch the dew point, not just the relative humidity: fog and frost appear when the air temperature approaches it.

More from the Ice Academy: optimal ice thickness  ·  optimal ice temperature  ·  is humidity making you sweat?

See how much your rink could save

REALice is already running in 200+ rinks across North America. We help you with the funding applications.

Get your free savings estimate
CONNECT WITH OPERATORS