Is an Ice Dam Necessary?

Does your facility host multiple events?
​How often do you remove your ice and/or boards?

If your facility hosts multiple events and you are needing to remove the dasher boards and/or ice to accommodate these events, have you investigated how much time is lost with each change over? With every change over it is inevitable that there will be lost time involved. However, that time can be reduced by involving the use of an ice dam. Keep in mind that not every facility requires an ice dam, although it is becoming more and more common that facilities are installing them.

Ice dams are used in facilities that require frequent removal of dasher boards for non-ice events while leaving the ice in place for the next skating event. An ice dam prevents the ice from freezing to the dasher boards allowing for easy removal as the dasher boards sit flush on top of the ice dam. Ice dams come in various heights from 1" High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) to 2.5" Steel.

​The most commonly used ice dam is 2" and uses a steel/HDPE combination. By using this combination it allows for a quicker change over than if you were to use HDPE alone. The steel ice dams have added benefits over the HDPE ice dams as steel is tougher to damage, allows added flexibility to the boards, can be insulated to prevent heat transfer causing softer ice along the edges, and may be cladded to blend with the boards making it look seamless.

Some considerations for whether your venue may require an ice dam are: 

• Hosting multiple events requiring the removal of boards
• Removal of ice for non-ice events during the season
• Hosting a hockey game and concert hours apart
• Hosting summer skating camps and non-ice events on the same day

Benefits to having an ice dam are:

• Quick change over from event to event
• No removal of ice for non-ice events
• Added flexibility to dasher boards
• Easier reinstallation of dasher boards for hockey events

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