• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Odds / How do skating rinks keep the ice on the rink from melting?

How do skating rinks keep the ice on the rink from melting?

February 26, 2020 by Karen Hill

Skating rinks maintain their frozen surfaces even in warm air because the temperature beneath the ice is so cold that the ice is not affected significantly by moderate temperatures above it.

Thus a burst of sunshine over an outdoor rink, which allows skaters to shed their sweaters, cannot succeed in melting the ice.

In a figure skating rink the ice is generally about 2 inches thick; permanent ice hockey rinks use slightly thicker ice. It lies on a concrete floor through which runs a maze of 3/4 to 1 inch diameter pipes.

The pipes are placed crosswise rather than lengthwise and lie no more than 2 inches apart; an Olympic size rink of 185 feet by 85 feet has 7 to 11 miles of pipes embedded in its concrete floor. A very cold brine solution, or a glycol solution similar to the antifreeze used in cars, is continuously pumped through the pipes.

The solution draws off heat from the floor, as chillers run by compressors cool the solution to –5 to –15 degrees Fahrenheit each time it circulates. The warmer the air above the ice, the more solution is pumped through the pipes.

Related Facts

  • History of Ice Cream
  • History of Tobacco
  • How does the NHL put the red and blue lines under the ice on a hockey rink?
  • How Do You Make Transparent Ice Cubes and Why Do Ice Cubes From the Freezer Always Contain Bubbles?
  • Why does Straight Antifreeze Freeze at a Higher Temperature than 50% Mix with Water?
  • Top 25 Inventions That Changed the World

Filed Under: Odds

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Who invented the suspension bridge and How do engineers suspend suspension bridges?
Next Post: How do Art Conservators restore a valuable painting that has deteriorated with age? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2020 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy