With winter sports like curling and ice hockey becoming popular by the day, preparation is key. Not many have the opportunity to visit a skating center often to train. That’s why they are looking for ways to have a home-made training ground. You are probably aware of real ice rinks being installed at home but are not sure if you should install them or not.
Now, there is a synthetic version of the real ice. Maybe you are wondering what it is. Synthetic ice is ideally a plastic form of ice that mimics real ice. Actually, not many people can tell the difference just by mere observation. The options are available online in different types and you can seek installation help from your supplier. But before you can pick between real ice and synthetic ice, it’s important to understand their differences.
- Installation Location
One of the biggest challenges for real ice panels is finding the perfect location to fit them. They are normally suitable for large open spaces. This is where synthetic ice beats real ice. If you consider hockey synthetic ice KwikRink, for example, you can have the ice sheets fitted in your small outdoor space. This is not the only advantage. Synthetic ice can be fitted both outdoors and indoors. Whether it’s your basement, garage space or veranda, you can have the ice panels installed perfectly. The bonus is that you don’t have to worry about the ice melting and resulting in flooding because of warm temperatures.
- Maintenance
The other bigger challenge for real ice is that it’s expensive to maintain. You have to spend a lot of money on water and electricity to try to preserve the ice rinks. The costs can be really overwhelming, especially if you are the only one to shoulder the expenses. The guys at www.kwikrinksyntheticice.com/ offer you a low-maintenance option. Synthetic ice rinks are self-lubricating, so the input in terms of water and electricity is nil. The self-lubricating system helps them to preserve their colors for long and protect them from UV rays.
- Ice-Like Feeling
From the name, real ice rinks are actual ice panels. They give you the same feeling as skating on snow. However, you may not get the response if you skate on synthetic ice. It will feel a little different. To make sure that the feeling is closer to real ice, you have to invest in premium ice panels.
- Smoothness
Real ice is generally smooth in texture. So, it doesn’t take much effort to learn to skate and play hockey on it. The main concern, however, is that it’s not resistant to skate blades. You can to avoid this challenge if you opt for synthetic ice. It comes with a rough texture. Unlike real ice, it may take you more time before you can master the art of skating on synthetic ice as it requires extra effort to successfully move on it.
- Environmental Impact
You already know that real ice needs more water and energy to be preserved. However, it’s not just the maintenance that is a concern. Preserving the ice has a huge environmental implication. Water needs to be pumped to create a fresh ice layer at regular time intervals. The replaced layer eventually ends up in the environment. Such challenges are not associated with synthetic ice rinks as the materials used to make them are fully recyclable. So, if you are eco-conscious, synthetic ice rinks are your ideal option.
- Evenness
Sometimes, synthetic ice panels appear uneven after a few training sessions. In most cases, this happens because of wrong interlocking. A majority of the synthetic panels are designed to interlock horizontally instead of vertically. This creates a vertical panel shift that may make the ice surface to appear uneven. The angles, in this case, may attract dirt. With real ice, however, such an issue is very rare. The rinks are interlocked in a vertical manner to ensure complete uniformity. But still, you can avoid the interlocking issue if you approach an expert to help you install the synthetic rinks.
- Reliability
The problem with real ice is that it can be unreliable, more so during the hot season. This is the most frustrating thing for most people. The ice will easily melt and you’ll be forced to do the installation afresh. Luckily, you don’t have to worry about such a problem if you fit synthetic ice rinks. Thus, you are guaranteed to train on the surface all year round regardless of the temperatures.
Generally, both ice rink types have their fair share of pros and cons. It boils down to what works for you. However, it’s clear that synthetic ice sheets are cost-effective, especially when compared to real ice rinks. If you don’t want to go through the maintenance stress that comes with real ice and want a reliable solution, opt for synthetic ice.
