Warm fans, cool ice
Why arena operators warm up to infrared heating

Can you answer this brainteaser on arena heating?

There are a number of balloons in a hockey arena – some are over the ice surface, some are over the stands. As always, the balloons begin to deflate, but then something unusual happens. The balloons over the ice drop, while the balloons over the stands rise. How is this possible? See the end of the article for the answer.

Here is a simpler question: What do infrared heaters produce?

Most people would answer, quite logically, that infrared heaters produce infrared heat. Most would also assume that infrared heaters produce nothing but infrared heat. However, that is not the case.

While all infrared heaters produce some infrared heat, the amount of infrared heat varies significantly. In fact, the percentage of infrared heater could be as low as 16%¹ or as high as 81%². Which raises another question. If only a percentage of the output is infrared heat, what is the rest of the output? Surprise! It’s convection heat, or hot air.

Think about that. A key feature of an infrared heater – and a prime selling point – is that it can be directed at people or focused on a specific area, such the seating area in an arena. Hot air, as we all know, can only be focused with a fan or ducting. Even then, once the hot air is released, it goes straight up to the ceiling where it is not needed.

Take, for example, an infrared heater that simply meets the North American standard³ – it is producing 65% hot air. With that appliance, you are not really getting the infrared heat you expect and should disregard any claims about “unique” design features or components. The bottom line is you are getting less than half an infrared heater.

You should also know that while an inferior infrared heater might offer an attractive purchase price, you are going to pay big time for fuel and the negative impact on your structure and ice-making. Why? Because low infrared efficiency also means low fuel efficiency, and a high percentage of convection heat and moisture from combustion being dumped into your arena that is detrimental to the structure and ice-making capabilities.

In contrast, a high infrared efficient heater is a slightly higher initial investment mainly because it is precision engineered to deliver the optimum gas/air mixture and also make use of low-intensity infrared rays. However, the resulting fuel savings are so significant, and the negative impact on structure and ice-making are so insignificant, that you can expect payback in 1-2 years – and thereafter the extra savings go straight to your bottom line, month after month, year after year.

What about emissions?

Once again, you are better off with top performing, high efficiency infrared heaters because they achieve heat exchange from burning gas to the tile panel so quickly that NOx emissions are insignificant.

Wait. There’s more. One of the tricks of the trade is to promote combustion efficiency, which is a measure of the conversion of fuel to heat. That sounds important, particularly if the manufacturer is claiming 80-85% combustion efficiency. Remember: the goal is not to get the best fuel to heat conversion. The goal is to get the highest infrared output. That’s what you are expecting when you buy. In any case, heaters with high infrared efficiency also have excellent combustion efficiency rates as high as 96%.

All this raises another good question. Why do so many infrared heaters deliver such poor infrared efficiency? The North American standard for certification of a luminous infrared heater is ridiculously low (35%), particularly when you compare it to the standard in Europe, where infrared heating was invented.

Now that you know the basics on infrared heaters, it’s time to consider the questions that apply directly to infrared heating in arenas. Make sure you cover them all – and get good answers – before you reach for a purchase order.

What about tube heaters?
Can they be used in place of luminous heaters?

Tube heaters have a much less precise heating pattern. As a result, only the spectators directly under the heater are comfortable while the rest are left out in the cold. Worse still, hot spots extend over the ice. One arena operator discovered a 5°C (9°F) temperature rise at the ice surface out from the heater.

Can you control the heaters individually?

Absolutely. You heat the areas of the stands that are filled with people (in fact, the areas you heat will be filled with people) – the rest of the arena stays cool and you pocket the savings (and control your ‘clean up’ area).

Can you save money by buying bigger infrared heaters instead of several small units?

The best results are achieved with several smaller units, because that arrangement produces the best heating footprint with uniform heat distribution no matter where your fans sit. It’s also important to follow the instructions in terms of height and positioning in the ceiling “Whether you are right under a luminous heater, or half-way between two heaters, you are just as comfortable” notes Gerald Klingenberg, Manager of the Embro arena in Zorra Township.

So be a smart shopper. Don’t be misled by a cheap purchase price, vague promises of infrared output, wild claims about unique heater designs or misleading statistics on combustion efficiency. Ask for the infrared efficiency and documented proof of the heater’s output from accredited laboratories such as the CSA International or other certified test facilities.

Brain teaser answer: Thanks to the precise heat footprint created by luminous infrared heaters, there is heat coming off the seating area, but the ice surface is kept at a much lower temperature. As a result, the heat from the seats carries up the balloons while the lower temperature over the ice surface causes the balloons to drop.

To determine the right arena heater for you, please see our Luminous Heaters page.

Footnotes:
¹ As measured by the Canadian Gas Research Institute.
² As measured by CSA International.
³ ANSI Standard requires only 35% radiant efficiency for certification.