Mechanical systems
Protect the ice. Preserve the building.
Moisture control is the most overlooked system in rink design. Resurfacing, outdoor air and foot traffic all pump water vapor into the building, and without a plan for it you get fog, dripping steel, mold and a chiller working overtime.
What uncontrolled humidity costs.
- Soft ice, fog over the sheet and poor visibility
- Condensation on structure, and the corrosion that follows
- Mold and mildew in locker rooms and above the ceiling
- Shortened equipment life
- Higher energy cost, because the refrigeration plant is removing latent heat that should never have entered the building
We evaluate the layout, the usage pattern and the local climate, then recommend one of two system types.
Two ways to dry a rink.
Cool below the dew point
Mechanical dehumidifiers cool air below its dew point so vapor condenses and drains away. Engineered for high airflow and continuous, active humidity management.
- High-volume airflow with optimized coil design
- Packaged units for indoor or outdoor installation
- Ceiling-mounted or freestanding
- Factory-assembled, wired and tested
- Sub-cooling circuit for better efficiency
- Compatible with all voltages
Absorb it and exhaust it
A rotating absorbent wheel draws moisture from the air and exhausts it outdoors. Extremely dry conditions with very little mechanical complexity.
- Few moving parts, low maintenance
- Consistently dry air in demanding environments
- Multiple sizes to fit any rink
- Limited ductwork required
- Indoor or outdoor installation
- Multi-voltage operation
Which one fits?
- Choose mechanical
- When the rink needs continuous, active humidity management integrated with a refrigeration-style system
- Choose desiccant
- When the priority is very dry air with low operational complexity, or when energy savings and space flexibility matter most
- Either way
- We size the unit to the building envelope, the resurfacing schedule and the climate
Questions we get
Frequently asked
Do outdoor rinks need dehumidification?
Covered or semi-enclosed outdoor rinks often do, especially in humid regions where fog and soft ice appear on warm afternoons. Fully open rinks rely on refrigeration capacity and shading instead.
Can dehumidification be added to an existing arena?
Yes. Packaged mechanical units and desiccant systems both retrofit well, and desiccant units in particular need limited ductwork.
Ready to talk through your project?
Tell us the site, the season and the goal. We will come back with options and a straight answer on what it takes.