With the necessary upgrades to the ice arena chiller system completed, SEAPARC Arena is back in business.
 
The arena could not open earlier this month due to a supply issue.
 
After the upgrade, there was a minor hockey practice on Tuesday afternoon.
 
Public skating will resume on Thursday.
 
The new $365,000 unit has built-in redundancy if the unit breaks down.
 
"The old system was antiquated. If the old chiller ever went down we'd lose our ice for months," said SEAPAC chair Al Beddows.
 
An ice rink chiller, often called a condenser, is a device that cools down a liquid, in SEAPARC’s case, its brine circulates through pipes under the ice surface.
 
The chiller absorbs the heat from the liquid and transfers it to another medium, water.
 
The provincial government changed regulations for ammonia use in ice refrigeration after an ammonia leak at Fernie Memorial Arena killed three workers on 17 Oct 2017.
 
The new chiller will meet safety recommendations as determined by Technical Safety BC.
 
"The type of chiller we moved to is a plate and frame chiller, which means it holds a smaller ammonia charge, so we actually need less ammonia to operate the plant. We are also finding that the ice is setting up quicker," said Melanie Alsdorf, SEAPARC manager.
 
Unlike the old system, Alsdorf said the chiller will not need replacing in 20 years.
 
Instead, wearable parts within the chiller, such as seals, gaskets, and the plates within the exchanger, will need replacing in 10 to 20 years.
 
Kevin Laird.