Ice Rink Dehumidification Systems for Ice Arena Dehumidification

Desert Aire’s ice rink dehumidification systems for ice arena dehumidification build on our appreciation for the intense demands these chilled, specialized arenas place on HVAC and environmental control equipment.

Our innovative, automatic hot gas “defrost-on-demand” technology ensures proper performance of our systems at the low temperatures required by ice rinks. With Desert Aire, you can be sure your facility is always well dehumidified and avoid the issues that come from not having your ice rink properly dehumidified.

When building codes require the introduction of outside air to benefit the comfort and health of users and to remove the pollution caused by ice resurfacing machines, our ice rink dehumidification solutions and curling rink dehumidifiers regulate outside air to remove excess humidity and supply the air at the temperatures and humidity levels you specify.

Our ice arena dehumidification solutions, which includes curling rink dehumidifiers, consistently keep a space’s humidity at designed setpoints that help owner/operators avoid a plethora of problems caused by excess humidity and moisture in the air. 

Problems Caused by Excess Humidity in Ice Rinks

  • Condensation on ceilings
  • Mold, fugus, and corrosion on building structures
  • Fog over the ice surface
  • Pollution from resurfacing machine pollution
  • Soft ice
  • Slow ice
  • Poor skating conditions

Causes of Humidity, Condensation and Fog in Ice Rinks 

Moisture is introduced into an ice skating facility through several sources:

  • Water evaporation
  • Skaters & spectators
  • Code ventilation
  • Infiltration
  • Combustion (ice resurfacers and gas heaters)

Moisture follows a physical law of nature and migrates through the air from a higher concentration to a lower concentration due to a difference in vapor pressure. When the air is cooled it is unable to hold as much moisture. Moisture will condense on colder surfaces that have a lower temperature than the dew point temperature of the air. This moisture will be deposited on the cooler surfaces in the form of water droplets, leading to sweating, dripping and fogging above the ice surface.

This condition is intensified in indoor skating and curling rinks due to the large area of ice surface and the indoor air which has been cooled considerably below the outdoor ambient. Consequently, outdoor air will increase the inside relative humidity, and at this point, fog is formed above the ice surface. The cold ice surface at this time will in fact produce a dehumidification effect by having moisture condense and accumulate at its surface, known as “frosting.” Frosting causes “slow” ice and an additional load on the ice making system.

Desert Aire has been providing commercial dehumidifier solutions since 1978 and have installations throughout North America. We look forward to assisting with your next ice rink dehumidification project! 

If you have any questions, or would like more info on our dehumidification systems, please contact us! If you are in charge of HVAC for buildings like these and are interested in our dehumidification systems, please request a quote.

Documents

DownloadBrochure-ExpertAire-LW-Series-DA214.pdf
DownloadTech-Note-Indoor-Ice-Rink-Dehumidifier-Sizing-Guide-Application-Note-DA113.pdf