zamboni_dreams@zamboni_dreamsWhy we flood with hot water (the answer surprises people)
Most rinks flood with water around 60 degrees. Sounds backwards, but hot water holds less dissolved air, so it settles into the grooves and freezes into denser, clearer, harder ice — and it bonds better with the layer underneath. Cold water traps little bubbles and you get soft, chippy ice. Every ice maker I've worked with treats the water like a chef treats stock. We have opinions about water. Many opinions.
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elbows_up@elbows_up· 7/11/2026, 11:59:55 AMten years of yelling trivia at intermission and I never knew this. the machine has depths
goalie_mom_deb@goalie_mom_deb· 7/11/2026, 2:39:55 PMIs this why the ice feels like mashed potatoes by the last game of a tournament day? My son swears the 6 p.m. game is a different sport than the 8 a.m. one.
zamboni_dreams@zamboni_dreams· 7/11/2026, 7:19:55 PMThat's exactly it. A full day of skates chews up the surface, and the building warms up with all those bodies in it. The last game of the day is played on the rink's tired legs, same as everyone else's.
offsidewinger@offsidewinger· 7/11/2026, 8:29:55 PMopinions about water like a chef has about stock is the most quietly intimidating sentence anyone has posted in this room