Championship ice starts with smarter air
NovelAire’s PrecisionDry-ICE dehumidifiers combine advanced desiccant technology with high-efficiency refrigeration to deliver precise dew point control for hockey rinks, figure skating arenas, and multi-use ice complexes. Just reliable, energy-efficient humidity control — engineered for the demanding conditions of indoor ice environments.
Why Ice Rinks Need Dehumidification
The Humidity Problem in Ice Arenas
Indoor ice rinks are among the most challenging environments for humidity control in commercial HVAC. The extreme temperature differential between the ice surface (typically 22–26°F) and indoor air (50–65°F) creates a constant driving force for condensation, fog, and moisture damage. Without proper dehumidification, facility owners face escalating costs, safety risks, and structural deterioration.
Sources of Moisture in Ice Rinks
Moisture enters an ice arena from multiple sources, each contributing to the overall humidity load that must be managed:
- Ice Resurfacing (Zamboni): Hot water applications (140–180°F) release significant moisture as steam during the 5–8 minutes before refreezing occurs.
- Skaters & Spectators: Each occupant generates 200–300 grams of moisture per hour through respiration and perspiration, with larger events creating substantial latent loads.
- Code-Required Ventilation: ASHRAE-mandated outdoor air introduces warm, humid air — especially problematic during spring and summer months — making it the primary source of moisture in most facilities.
- Building Infiltration: Moisture migrates through the building envelope driven by vapor pressure differentials between outdoor and indoor environments.
- Combustion Equipment: Gas-powered ice resurfacers and gas-fired unit heaters add both moisture and combustion byproducts (CO, CO₂, NO₂) to the indoor environment.
Problems Caused by Excess Humidity
When left uncontrolled, excess humidity leads to a cascade of costly and dangerous problems.
- Fog Over the Ice Surface — Warm, humid air contacting the cold ice surface condenses into a visible fog layer, obscuring visibility for skaters, officials, and spectators. This is a significant safety hazard and can halt events.
- Ceiling & Structural Condensation — Moisture condenses on cold ceilings, beams, ductwork, and glass surfaces, dripping onto the ice, seating areas, and electrical systems.
- Mold, Mildew & Bacterial Growth — Persistent high humidity (above 60% RH) creates ideal conditions for mold and bacteria, leading to poor indoor air quality, unpleasant odors, and health risks.
- Corrosion & Structural Damage — High relative humidity accelerates corrosion on steel structures, roof decking, fasteners, and mechanical systems, reducing building lifespan and increasing maintenance costs.
- Soft, Slow Ice — Moisture condensing and freezing on the ice surface (“frosting”) creates uneven, soft patches that compromise skating performance and increase refrigeration system load.
- Increased Energy Costs — Frost accumulation on the ice surface adds thermal load, forcing the refrigeration plant to work harder and consume more energy to maintain target ice temperatures.
A Better Way to Dehumidify Ice Rinks
Controlling humidity in an ice rink is a particularly challenging — and costly — problem. Achieving the low dew points required (typically 25–35°F) is beyond the practical limits of standard refrigeration or reheat dehumidifiers. For decades, gas-fired desiccant dehumidifiers were the industry standard, but they come with significant drawbacks: high natural gas costs, excessive maintenance, shortened desiccant wheel life from combustion byproducts, and the need for gas service and exhaust ducting.
NovelAire has engineered an alternative, energy efficient approach.
Our PrecisionDRY-ICE series combines the precision of desiccant dehumidification with the efficiency of a high-performance refrigeration cycle — all without natural gas. The result is reliable, low-maintenance dew point control.
Product Specifications Overview
PrecisionDRY-ICE Example Unit Configurations
PrecisionDRY-ICE+ (with Energy Recovery)
Standard Features
- 2″ double-wall insulated panel construction
- NovelAire proprietary high-performance desiccant wheel
- 410A refrigerant with scroll compressors
- Low-maintenance direct-drive fans with VFDs
- Microprocessor control with BMS interface
- Winter heating options: gas, hot water, or steam
- ETL and cETL listed
Energy Savings & Operating Cost Comparison
Engineered for Efficiency & Performance
The PrecisionDRY-ICE unit relies on a high-efficiency refrigeration cycle and uses waste condenser heat to regenerate the desiccant wheel. By contrast, a gas-fired dehumidifier uses a high-temperature flame — and the cost of natural gas to operate the unit is substantial. Similarly, electrically regenerated desiccant dehumidifiers consume excessive power to create the heat necessary to regenerate the wheel.
As outdoor temperatures drop, gas-fired units require even more fuel to maintain regeneration temperature, causing operating cost differentials to widen further. In addition, gas and electric desiccant dehumidifiers increase supply air temperature more than PrecisionDRY-ICE units, adding thermal load to the ice plant and consuming additional refrigeration energy — a hidden cost often overlooked in initial equipment comparisons.
Ready to Solve Your Ice Rink Humidity Challenge?
Our engineering team will help you select and size the right Novel-Ice system for your arena — whether it’s a single-sheet community rink or a multi-pad competitive facility.