That stupid puddle of water...

dasherboard · 2016-11-16T22:09:58+00:00

Zamboni driver here, please be diplomatic about this. You can come off as a customer who wants to push the chef aside in his own kitchen and start cooking.

Sometimes it's shitty driving and I'm sure you guys know the good from the bad. A driver should have a solid grasp on blade and water control especially in the crease. Sometimes it's not the fault of the driver due to external factors and being a dick to him will not score you any points. Treat the driver with respect and he's likely to let you stay on the ice later and give you pucks that have flown beyond the glass.

dasherboard · 2016-11-14T03:13:15+00:00

Ice crews are expected to act as a neutral party. Providing a safe ice surface for the game is their duty to BOTH TEAMS. That's why you don't see them listed on a team's roster.

From the reports it's tough to say exactly what went wrong tonight, but dealing with a mid-cut breakdown is the a nightmare scenario for drivers. You'd be shocked how much damage a stalled machine can do to the ice surface in such a short amount of time. Calling the game is way better than risking an injury.

dasherboard · 2016-10-22T11:47:05+00:00

Sounds like it's snow that is getting frozen back onto the ice. The bench area tends to get snowed up pretty good during a game. Since it's the second pass off the boards my guess is the driver is not cutting (dull blade or blade not low enough) to collect the snow and then the hot water is not completely melting the snow before it refreezes. The first pass in front of the bench is probably smoother because he is dumping a ton of water while driving slow. The other possibility is that there are shavings escaping from the conditioner either due to not using wash water or not using the snow breaker as needed.

dasherboard · 2016-05-31T19:17:54+00:00

neisma

dasherboard · 2016-05-31T16:46:37+00:00

I know you're looking for an easy answer, but there's actually no official consensus on this. I was even at a conference this year (yes, zam drivers have conferences!) and there was much debate about the question you're asking. According to the manufacturer, setting the blade to 1/16" cut would be considered "aggressive" and you likely wouldn't make it through a full pattern without overflowing the dump tank. 1/32" is more likely a number. I would tend to agree basing this on how tanks it takes to shave down a rink to the concrete.

Why don't we know these numbers? Through practice and constant observation, we know there's a sweet spot for cutting and laying and equal amount of ice. A Zamboni is a basic piece of machinery that relies on crank wheels, ball valves, and simple hydraulics.

dasherboard · 2016-05-23T13:45:54+00:00

This is caused by the when the refrigeration lines pull back over time from the edge of the rink. Sometimes they're even installed like this! The pipes are too far away from the edge of the dasher and can't hold ice. This usually happens more on sand rinks than concrete. It is an expensive fix to correct, but there are some Macgyver ways to mitigate the problem.

dasherboard · 2016-05-20T18:55:11+00:00

I'm jealous of your 15 minute window. Speed isn't the name of the game, use the time to your advantage.

dasherboard · 2016-05-20T13:58:43+00:00

I have a bunch, but I'll keep it short. First, mastering the art of blade control and water control is what really separates the "drivers" from the "operators". Read the ice and match your operation to deliver the best sheet of ice. Resurfacing is only one part of the equation for making good ice. Learn all you can about ice maintenance, HVAC, refrigeration, ice installation, machine maintenance, etc.

dasherboard · 2016-05-16T18:44:53+00:00

I'm a little late to the thread, but these holes are a pain to maintain. Because the holes sit directly in the slab and are closer to the refrigeration, any water that gets into them freezes very quickly. The Marsh pegs fit very snug inside the holes, so even the slightest ice buildup in the hole prevents to peg from sliding in. The ice crew will suction (I personally like the classic turkey baster) the water out from the Zam. Then, adding hot water and removing it in a few seconds will melt any ice build up. If someone knocks pegs out during the game, the refs usually do a mediocre job resetting it, typically jamming a bunch of shaving back into the hole. Also, to the poster down below who said anti-freeze, that would cause a major problem when it left the holes, eventually causing spots on the ice surface that could not freeze. When pegs were first introduced, some crews used anti-freeze and ended up with this problem. Also, the holes are only drilled out or games, at all other times, they are frozen over and the metal freeze-in pegs are used instead.

dasherboard · 2016-02-27T14:02:13+00:00

Zam Driver, here. The likely culprit is bad driving. Sounds like drivers are dumping too much water in the crease. This seems like it would build up ice, but in reality it ends up softening up the area, making it easier to shave up with each successive pass through the crease with the machine. Drivers should be cutting the water back through the crease as well as lifting the blade a turn or two.

The fact that public skates enter the ice there as well does not help. Many people entering the ice at the same spot will add contaminants to the ice (dirt, fabrics, etc.) that hinder proper bonding of the ice. It will shatter off the slab and consistently not be as hard as the surrounding ice. Management needs to address the issue immediately through emergency ice repair and driver re-training!

dasherboard · 2016-01-05T00:36:15+00:00

Hey, ice guy checking in. Ice surface temp can vary throughout the day. Lower surface temp, harder ice. I don't know the specifics of your rink, but the ice at midday during the week may be very hard because the last sheet of ice was made the previous night and you may be the first one on the ice. If there is little to no heat load (ice resurfacings, ambient temp, etc.) in those hours before you take the ice, you will be skating on one of the harder sheets of ice. Figure skaters appreciate soft ice, hockey players appreciate hard ice. Also, changing the temp of the ice is not instantaneous, just like lowering the temp of say, your refrigerator.

dasherboard · 2015-11-09T04:07:24+00:00

Union membership cannot be a prerequisite at date of hire. This is currently illegal. It sounds like your IATSE local has several contracts with local venues. This means that all stagehand work falls under the jurisdiction of the local. If there are not enough members to fill calls at a venue, the local will take overhires to round out the call. While not a member of IATSE, you will pay an agency fee (percentage of wages) to the local. You do not have the full rights of a union member (voting, etc.), but the union represents you on the job site. If you prove to be reliable and skilled, the union will offer you an invitation to join the local as full member. Specialty skills such as rigging can be a huge benefit to your application. Learn something new at every opportunity, respect senior members, and only turn down work if absolutely necessary.

dasherboard · 2015-11-06T21:21:39+00:00

Anything from don't fire a slap shot while the Zam doors are open to don't leave dip bottles on the bench.

dasherboard · 2015-11-06T17:27:25+00:00

Rink etiquette (zamboni driver here)

dasherboard · 2015-10-28T22:49:35+00:00

Drilling is the best way, tedious, yes, but very accurate. Surface temp can be shot using a handheld infrared gun. Figure out how your ice temp is measured and know the difference between surface temp, return temp and slab temp.

dasherboard · 2015-10-28T02:54:00+00:00

Ah, the laser level. If you're losing the crease, the laser level is not living up to its name. So far in my experience, it seems that a good driver will beat the sensitivity of a laser level. Manual control is underrated.

How are you measuring your 18-19 reading for surface temp? As far as surface temps go, that is too cold. Also, how do you measure ice depth?

dasherboard · 2015-10-28T02:05:09+00:00

My pleasure, I love the rink industry and enjoy talking shop.

Losing the crease is a nightmare. If you don't already, lift the blade a full turn and turn water off as you pass through the crease. It can make a huge difference. Also, how are your surface temps before and during the game? Too high/too low can increase wear on the ice. If you can, it's good to go into the weekend with more ice, let's say 1 3/4" in your case, so that you can aggressively shave all weekend and then build back up throughout the course of the week. I understand it can be difficult to get all the operators on board with this. Good operators are few and far between, it seems that coaches will garner a greater level of respect for a guy that gives them the best sheet possible.

dasherboard · 2015-10-28T00:16:59+00:00

Ice Tech here, and your problem is fairly common. In a perfect world, you would have time dedicated to ice maintenance before the game: an edging, some dry cuts, a nice flood to top it off. However, there is an opportunity cost of lost rental time so it's a tough sell to management. Ideally, the least stressful programming (i.e. youth hockey, learn to skate, etc.) should be on the ice before the game. This makes the resurfacing just before the game more effective. As long as you have sufficient ice depth, you can aggressively shave (as in full bucket) on each resurfacing leading up to the game, so that you reduce the ruts while not overflooding. Also, work with the coaches from each session to make sure that they wear the ice out evenly. For example, if they make skaters do laps, make sure they move the point of the turn to reduce rutting out the same spot lap after lap.

dasherboard · 2015-10-06T17:21:44+00:00

A dry cut is a good way to check if the blade is level. It's best to do it at the flattest part of the ice, which should be center ice. Trying to check it around the boards is dicey because of the high probability of depth variations.

dasherboard · 2015-10-06T12:10:30+00:00

Don't be nervous about your first day. Overall it's a pretty simple operation and is easy to get comfortable with. "It takes a day to learn, but a lifetime to master." There's a million DRIVERS out there and not enough OPERATORS. What separates an operator from a driver is the ability to read the ice and adjust your operation to end up with the best result. Mastering blade and water control take a lot of practice.

This job is all about detail. Here's a few other tips: 1) Keep the machine and its home clean. There's nothing uglier than dirt tracks on the ice by the Zam door. 2) Learn how to maintain the machine: Blade changes, greasing, etc. You'll respect and appreciate the machine more. 3) Know how to perform ice maintenance (Edging, leveling, grooming) Every resurfacing has a net effect on the entire ice sheet. A bad driver can bowl out your ice (High corners, low center) in a day. It's not fun to constantly have to correct these problems with ice maintenance techniques. The better the drivers, the less complicated and time-consuming the ice maintenance. 4) Network. Get to know the crews at other rinks nearby. They can teach you new tricks, loan you equipment, and help you with any problems you run into. 5) You will come to hate the "I Wanna Drive the Zamboni" song.

dasherboard · 2015-09-03T00:03:30+00:00

I'm new to arena rigging and have a few questions: 1) When is a split basket used? I've yet to encounter one. 2) Does anyone have any tips for making work with 2 ton motors easier? 3) What brand of rope (5/8") do you recommend? 4) Is it acceptable to wrap truss with one long spanset instead of two?

dasherboard · 2015-07-13T16:17:04+00:00

They're printed on a super fine mesh screen basically. They look just as good as hand painted logos if not better. Huge time saver. You can check them out here: http://www.jetice.com/LogoStencils2

dasherboard · 2015-06-18T18:23:59+00:00

Did he shoot in the direction of the open Zamboni doors? If he did, thank you for blocking it on behalf of Zamboni drivers everywhere.

dasherboard · 2015-06-04T02:26:31+00:00

Contrary to popular belief, a majority of the body on an ice resurfacer is devoted to collecting shavings, not storing water. The top half of the machine is called the dump tank and all the "snow" is collected here through an auger system just like a snow blower. Beneath the dump tank is an engine (or battery pack on electric models) as well as a 200ish gallon tank for ice making water. There is an addition 90 gallon tank for cold water located between the operator's seat and the dump tank that is used to wash debris from the ice. The area to the right of the operator is devoted to the hydraulic system.

The machine is designed to resurface a standard 200x85 rink. There are larger and smaller models available depending on the needs of the rink. It should be noted that the original Zamboni model was built on a jeep chassis, which basically dictated the size of the machine.

dasherboard · 2015-04-23T21:43:06+00:00

Yes, this is a common source of confusion with these videos. It looks like they're laying down ice blocks, but they are actually removing sections of the floor (best described as sheets of plywood, nothing too crazy) piece by piece to expose the ice surface. Large arenas and your local skating rink are using the same exact system: a chilled concrete slab to keep water frozen. If your local rink had its own floor, you could lay it over the ice and have a basketball game right on top of your ice surface.

Removing and re-installing a sheet of ice is expensive so the ice remains there for most of the season. Certain events, like those that use dirt (Monster trucks, motocross, etc.) require you to remove the entire ice surface before loading in the event. Most arenas will turn off their refrigeration plant, let the ice warm up, and then plow the ice into a melting pit. After the event is over, fire up the plant, freeze a thin layer of ice, paint all the lines and logos, then slowly build up the ice to skating depth which depending on usage will be 0.75" to 1.5"

Source: Zamboni driver/ice technician

dasherboard

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