any zamboni drivers here?

[Oil Gauge]

How often do drivers cut down the edge buildup, once or twice a week?

At the rink I work at we do it every morning on the main rink and 2-3 times a week on the second rink. ideally you want to do it daily to keep the outside from building up, plus its so much easier to do it when you are doing it regularly, and you will have better ice around the outside if you keep those thicknesses in check.

 

[Golden_Jet]

Ok thanks
Local rink guy I asked says at end of last scrape, or first thing in the morning.

 

[The Crypto Guy]

Ok thanks
Local rink guy I asked says at end of last scrape, or first thing in the morning.

Yea you dont want to do it in the middle of the day, it takes an extra 5-10 minutes and ice time is booked up.

 

[Oil Gauge]

Ok thanks
Local rink guy I asked says at end of last scrape, or first thing in the morning.

First thing in the morning is usually best, especially if you struggle with any sort of humidity that can for on the boards and run down to the ice overnight. That can usually be taken care of with a light hand edge in the morning though if edging at night works better for you.

 

[Bones45]

Great thread -- I had the pleasure/displeasure of learning how to drive/work last summer. (The guy who was "teaching" me, led to my leaving the job after a couple of days).

That being said, like anything else in this world, looks easy. Not quite so. I'll share some n00b thoughts on this.

Uses a crap load of hot and cold water - pain in the ass to fuel (some propane around these parts).

4 wheel drive has to be only used while on the ice, not anywhere else, so constantly, shifting back and forth. Took quite a while to get used to the accelerator feel. Steering and using the brush for the sides, was actually fairly quick to learn. Just a big machine with awful visibility which is why you see many people stand.

When you have ice buildup at the boards -- near the benches and corners, you need to cut the wash water while in those areas. Never truly got a feel for how much I was cutting, spinning that wheel, the only true indicator was sound and feel and ice ripping through the auger and into the tank. I suspect this comes with experience. I don't have experience.. LOL

And I MOST got yelled at for not running straight lines up and down the ice -- missing spots. Yeah -- that's how you learn.

And I was able to skate on the Isles' new ice last year, @UBS. Let me tell you-- after decades of skating on crap, if you ever have the chance to skate on NHL quality ice, please drop everything and do it. Was like glass.

 

[Rich Nixon]

At the rink I work at we do it every morning on the main rink and 2-3 times a week on the second rink. ideally you want to do it daily to keep the outside from building up, plus its so much easier to do it when you are doing it regularly, and you will have better ice around the outside if you keep those thicknesses in check.

If we're talking about board bashing, f*** THAT but I was the only guy who did it regularly at our rink during down time. Hate the buildup, especially around the benches during high school and juniors season. But what a thankless, tiring task that is. I have a bad wrist from my playin' days and that task would leave everything below that wrist numb for hours after.

I started a year ago last week, and broke/chipped a bone in the last knuckle in my middle finger while closing a rink door. All the board bashing and net moving kept it from ever truly healing and now it's just a big bloated bump...ouch.

Been away from the job for a couple months since we moved across the state to buy a house and have a baby...but my new place is like 5 miles from two rinks and when things settle down at home I think I'll go get back into it for the extra cash and the fun.

 

[Oil Gauge]

If we're talking about board bashing, f*** THAT but I was the only guy who did it regularly at our rink during down time. Hate the buildup, especially around the benches during high school and juniors season. But what a thankless, tiring task that is. I have a bad wrist from my playin' days and that task would leave everything below that wrist numb for hours after.

I started a year ago last week, and broke/chipped a bone in the last knuckle in my middle finger while closing a rink door. All the board bashing and net moving kept it from ever truly healing and now it's just a big bloated bump...ouch.

Been away from the job for a couple months since we moved across the state to buy a house and have a baby...but my new place is like 5 miles from two rinks and when things settle down at home I think I'll go get back into it for the extra cash and the fun.

Its honestly so much easier to do it daily, little to no bashing needed. Just run the hand edger around the wall and peel off the bead left by the power edger.

A good hand edger makes a world of difference as well. I'd recommend this one. ICE CLUB Ice Scraper | ICECO Advanced Arena Products