Optimal Ice Thickness
Optimal ice thickness
Ice thickness is one of the few things an operator controls directly, and one of the quickest ways to waste energy without noticing. Every extra millimetre is more ice to keep frozen, all season.
Why thickness costs you
An average sheet is about 1,800 m². Every millimetre of ice across it is 1,800 litres of water that has to be frozen and then kept frozen for the rest of the season. Ten millimetres of extra ice is 18 m³ of it.
Thick ice also insulates the surface from the slab, so the plant works harder to hold the surface temperature, and the ice feels soft no matter what the water is doing. Operators who find their ice soft at a warmer set point often have a thickness problem, not a water problem.
Harder ice lets you run thinner. REALice ice stands up to deeper shaving without breaking down, so you can take more off at each clean and carry less ice overall.
Keeping it in range
- Measure at fixed points across the sheet, not just at the boards, and log the readings so you can see the trend over a season.
- Because REALice ice is clearer than ordinary ice, it looks thinner than it is. Use a gauge, not your eye.
- If the ice is creeping up, shave more at each clean rather than flooding less; thin, even floods are still the goal.
- Build-up is gradual and seasonal. Most rinks that drift thick do it over months without a single obvious moment.
More from the Ice Academy: optimal ice temperature · optimal humidity levels · how REALice works
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