Outdoor Rink Maintenance

It is the responsibility of the members of our association(PAHA) to maintain the outdoor ice rinks in Proctor. It is important for our players and the community to have a place to work on skills outside of games and practices. Each level from Mites to Pewees, including U8, U10 and U12 Girls, will be assigned a night for ice maintenance, Sunday through Thursday. Friday and Saturday ice maintenance responsibility falls on the team that is scheduled for concession duty for that weekend, including Bantams and U15 girls. However, if needed on the weekends, any volunteers can flood that choose to do so. 

Each team should be 3-4 people. Please find someone else to cover for you, if at all possible, when you can’t make it. Crews should exchange numbers and work out their own schedule. Nothing wrong with getting early starts or late starts if that’s what works out. If kids are out rink ratting, they never have a problem moving to a different rink or taking a break while you put down fresh ice. We typically start around 8 pm depending on practice schedules, and if there is snow, please try to start when you are able, since practice will be delayed until the snow is off.

Ice maintenance equipment (zam, tractors, snow blowers, etc.) will be stored in the Zam Room in the arena. Access to this equipment will be possible when the arena is open. Which, for the most part, will be from 7 – 8 AM to 9 – 10 PM most days. If you arrive before the building closes, you can gain access to the Zam Room and Warming Room off the lobby and use door stops to keep the doors from locking. The hose reel and shovels will be in the small room off the front corner of the building next to the warming room and has a key pad entry handle. Codes will be provided by the team managers or level coordinators, and may change from time to time. If your team can not make it to the arena before it is closed, arrangements will have to be made with the arena manager to check out a key card that will give you to access to the Zam Room and Warming Room.

Guy 1 and 2 snow blow with tractors and guy three clears stairs and walkways with shovel. After first rink is clear, guy 3 uses Zam to clear dust and leftover snow from rink 1 then follows snow blower crew across rink two and three. After snow removal is done, guy 1 tops off machines with gas and re-fills gas cans while guy 2 cleans out the shop and guy 3 finishes Zamming. Sweep/hose out the shop and clean any dirt off the Zamm tires.

Buy only 91 Octane Non-Oxygenated gas for the machines and give your receipt to Amy Pocrnich. Number 1 diesel or a blend for the yellow can.

Use a lot of thin coats and keep moving, just getting the ice wet. Keep moving the hose so it doesn’t melt in. The hose is in the outside door on the Northwest corner of the arena. Please get the code from your lead or team manager if you need it. The code for the lights is 1-2-3-4 (enter), and that pad is inside the warming house. There is a hose port going thru the wall covered by a PVC cap. Please use the port and don’t pinch the hose in the door and remember to replace the cap when done. The hose reel is powered by the foot pedal. That can grab hands and loose clothes, so be aware of that. Please bleed the hose by opening the nozzle and closing the ball valve above the hose reel when you reel it up. When there is more snow on the ice than just dust, then the snow should get removed prior to flooding. Three people for flooding makes it fast and easy, but 2 is enough. Also break the air pockets with your feet or use the sledge in the hose room as you see them develop.

Always snow blow the bulk of the snow off, then use the Zam to pick up the dust and little windrows and use the board brush to get the last couple inches of snow away from the boards, then dump the hopper and use the Zam to put down the water. Please do not use the Zam as the primary snow tractor. We now have two tractor/snow blowers thanks to the City allowing us to use the diesel John Deer. Please be aware that this is diesel and should only get fuel from the yellow can. Also realize that the diesel is a tail dragger (steers in the back) and can get caught in the corner if it gets tight to the boards, so please maintain a little gap along the boards and rely on the cab-less or walk behind snow blower to get close. Also a tip for using the old, cab-less snow blower, start with the snow blower off the ice a little and build a little momentum before lowering to the ice. If you start with it down, the tires tend to eat into the ice rather than hooking up and pushing the load.

• For 4 inches or less of snow, it is fastest to start in the center and just make concentric circles, working out to the boards.
• For greater than 4 inches of snow, it is best to start at the boards and work your way inn until you’ve got about 10-15 feet cleared out, then start again in the center and make concentric circles working out to the boards. That is the 2-stage method and will prevent you from having to deal with a big pile of packed snow against the boards at the end of the bigger jobs.

The Zamboni should be used after you’ve been made familiar with it by me or Rob. I’m going to try and get with the teams when the regular use of the Zam starts after ice has been built high enough, and I can answer questions then. Here are some key points:

• Don’t stop the machine on the Ice. The towel hangs off the conditioner behind the Zam and will freeze almost immediately if you stop moving, then you will have a mess and torn towel.
• If the conditioner is down, the augers should be on. If the augers stop from pucks, freeze up, or just get shut off, you can stall out and freeze down, then another mess. Also you will have a pile of snow/slush to deal with. o Go slow. When you are starting out or just getting back into the swing of things, go slow and regulate the water and don’t worry about running into stuff
• Don’t adjust the blade unless you set it with the gauge under the seat. There is a good gauge under the seat that will get the blade flush with the bottom of the conditioner and angled into the ice at ten degrees, and that is right where it should be. Please don’t run it down and roll the edge or damage the blade.
• Check the oil.
• Check the gas
• Check for leaks
• Check that the blade is not too low. If you use your hand then be aware that the blade is super sharp, so move your hand from the back to the front or you will get a cut. o Rinse the towel and don’t set it up until you get the machine to the rink or you’ll drag it and pick up a bunch of garbage.
• When you store it, fill it with gas, put the hopper up and rinse out the conditioner
• Store with the conditioner up on 2X4s to protect the Blade. Please call me or inform Rob, the indoor rink maintenance foreman, if anything breaks down or needs quick attention.

It is important that everyone does their part to help maintain these rinks. Volunteering your time helps keep your costs down and gives your player a place to develop their skills as a hockey player and skater, during practice and on their own time.