A little humidity isn’t so bad, right? It can make a cool day feel a little bit warmer and it keeps our skin soft and supple. When it comes to ice arenas, however, humidity can create a slew of problems that affect ice quality and building integrity. Fortunately, desiccant dehumidification is highly-effective in controlling indoor rink humidity levels. Let’s take a closer look!
How can humidity affect an indoor rink?
Humidity creeps into a building in many different ways. From people, man doors, resurfacer room doors and small cracks or gaps in a building, humidity WILL get in. In an ice arena where the humidity isn’t properly controlled, fog and condensation may be visible. In addition, high humidity can cause the ice surface to become soft and dangerous for skaters, it can slow down the ice resurfacing process and creates perfect conditions for mold and mildew to form. It also takes more energy to preserve the ice surface when the air is humid, increasing costs for rink owners.
So what can be done?
Desiccant dehumidification and why it is important
Desiccant dehumidification is a process of removing humidity from the air using a permanent, stabilized silica gel wheel. The wheel is then reactivated typically through the use of natural gas. By controlling the ambient dew point, you eliminate visible moisture and reduce latent moisture transfer to the ice surface. This allows your rink to operate below the 32 degree dew point and prevents condensation, fog, mold and mildew from forming.
How does a desiccant dehumidification unit compare to a traditional refrigeration coil unit?
The Arid-Ice MS-Desiccant Dehumidifier design is particularly effective in reducing indoor rink humidity levels. As opposed to a traditional refrigeration coil unit, this desiccant dehumidifier does not have a defrost cycle. This permits airflow to move constantly through the unit instead of being restricted by residual ice buildup.
This desiccant unit also does an exceptional job of dehumidifying, helping to achieve superior thermodynamic efficiency over a refrigeration coil unit. Other benefits include: easy maintenance, solid construction and modern controls. Because no two facilities are alike, the Arid-Ice comes in a wide variety of sizes so you are sure to find one that best suits your space.
Becker Arena Products partners with Climate by Design International (CDI) to bring you the Arid-Ice MS-Desiccant Dehumidifier. As a courtesy, for each purchase of this unit, a product tech will be available on site during installation to field any questions that might arise and train new customers on controls and maintenance.
If you would like more information, specifications and a free estimate for the Arid-Ice MS Desiccant Dehumidification unit for your ice arena, don’t hesitate to contact us at 800.234.5522 or online!
