Rink Floors

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Question: Why are my dasher boards tilted/leaning throughout the rink?

Answer: This common problem tends to stem from an uneven rink floor surface.  The rink floor surface over time is pushed up from the frost below the sub-surface of the rink.  Frost issues can create leaks in floors, damaged dasher boards and an inefficient system.

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Question: Why is my ice rink turning a grey/black color?

Answer: This issue is caused by a leaking floor.  When glycol is leaking out of the pipes, it will get trapped between the ice and the rink floor.  Take action on this right away as the problem will only become worse!

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Question: Why does my my ice rink have high and/or low spots?

Answer: Even after trying to level out your ice surface, high and low spots are very common in older rinks.  This is also another common problem in the ice rink world caused by frost.  Frost will push ice levels high in one location and other locations won't have any change.  This caused a weird skating surface that over time will only become worse.

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Question: What are the different types of ice rink floors?

Answer: Sand and concrete floors are the two types of rink floors.  Many permanent rinks in recent years have decided to move to concrete floors.  Sand floors are more common to in outdoor seasonal locations but also can be installed inside facility's as well.

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Mechanical Chillers

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Question: What is an ammonia chiller?

Answer: The refrigerant charge is ammonia, which is a natural refrigerant.

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Question: What is the most environmentally safe type of refrigerant?

Answer: The base design refrigeration system chiller utilizes Ammonia, which is the most environmentally friendly refrigerant.

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Question: What is an open drive screw compressor?

Answer: This compressor selection is the most energy efficient and is the least maintenance intensive.

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Question: What is included in a packaged chiller?

Answer: Our Packaged Chiller comes complete with not only all refrigeration system component but includes all Ice Slab circulation pumps

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Question: What is a secondary glycol fluid chiller?

Answer: The American Arena Ice Rink cooling system transfers the heat load through a secondary Calcium Chloride or Glycol loop.

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Question: Why chose an American Arena ice rink chiller?

Answer: American Arena is an industry leader in ice rink mechanical systems.  With our years of experience and industry knowledge we will build the right system for you!

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Rink Accessories

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Question: What size of goal frame do I have?

Answer: The standard professional goal frame is a 44" goal frame.  In some cases such as mini rinks or shorter rinks, a 34" net would be a viable option to conserve space behind the net.

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Question: What are the different types of dasher board frames?

Answer: There are two different types of dasher board frames, steel and aluminum.  Steel frames are common in year round rinks, that don't move their boards at all.  They are heavier, therefor harder to move but provide good support for the long haul.  The other option is an aluminum frame which can be a little more expensive but provide the ability to easily move and replace more regularly.   You will see many aluminum sets of dasher boards in large arenas that host many different types of events.

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Question: What are the different types of dasher board facing and backing?

Answer: The two types are poly and fiberglass.  Poly is the most common type in indoor rinks and rinks around the country.  Fiberglass can be a good option when working with dasher sets outside as the expansion and contraction of the material will be less.

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Question: What is the standard height of glass on the sides of the rink?

Answer: The standard glass height on the side of the rink is 4ft.

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Question: What is the standard height of glass on the ends of the rink?

Answer: The standard glass height on the ends of the rink is 6ft.

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Question: How do I remove puck marks off dasher boards and plexiglass?

Answer: Our patented American Arena Rubber Scrubber will do the job!  Use it both on the glass and on the dasher boards to make them look as good as new!  Check it out in our store now.

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Question: When do I have to replace my dasher boards?

Answer: A good indicator when to replace your dasher boards is when your poly facing is beaten up and your metal frames are not aligned. Dasher sets can last between 15 and 20 years, well others may get beaten up a lot faster. 

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Question: When do I have have to replace my dasher board refacing and kick-plate?

Answer: After a good amount of play, the poly/fiberglass on the dashers will get beat up and can cause an uneven surface.  The best thing to do, is to make sure to stay on top of this to ensure a smooth surface and a nice playing surface.  A simple poly/fiberglass refacing project can revamp your boards to looking almost new!

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Question: What is the standard dimensions of an ice rink?

Answer: We have put together an awesome diagram here ----> Click Here

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Question: What is the standard thickness of poly on dasher boards?

Answer: The standard thickness of dasher board facing is 1/2".

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Question: What is the standard height of dasher boards?

Answer: The standard height of dasher boards is 42"

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Question: What is the standard thickness of glass in a hockey rink?

Answer: There are two different thicknesses based on where you are at on the rink.  The standard thickness on the sides of the ice rink are 1/2" while the standard thickness in the corners and on the ends (where more puck are shot) tends to be 5/8" thick.

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Question: What is the difference between tempered glass and acrylic?

Answer: Tempered glass tends to be more common among community rinks around the country.  The pros of tempered glass are that it's cheaper, and it doesn't scratch as easily. The cons are that it does break easier and causes a mess.  Acrylic on the other hand is more common among the larger arenas.  They don't break as easy and are a bit softer then tempered glass.  The cons are that they do scratch easier and can be pretty expensive!

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Question: What sizes of screws do you use for dasher board caprail?

Answer: 1 1/2 screws are commonly used for caprail.

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Question: What sizes of screws do you use for dasher board facing?

Answer: 1 1/4 screws are commonly used for caprail.

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Question: What is the standard size thickness of dasher board kick-plates?

Answer: The standard thickness of dasher board kick-plate is 1/2".

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Question: What is the standard thickness of dasher board backer?

Answer: 3/8" is the standard thickness for dasher board backer.