"Green" Ice Resurfacing Machines Fail In Vancouver 356
lurking_giant writes "The Seattle Times is reporting that the Men's 500 meter speed-skating competition was delayed more than an hour Monday evening by the breakdown of the two ice grooming machines at the skating oval. The real story is that the machines that failed were the latest state-of-the-art 'Resurfice Fume-Free Electric Groomers' leased to the Olympics committee. An old, propane-powered Zamboni had to be brought out to fix the ice. This makes two nights in a row with ice resurfacing machine failures. If you're going to spend twice as much on electric devices to replace non-green designs, at least test the things first."
Summary & Article Leave a Bit to Be Desired (Score:5, Interesting)
If you're going to spend twice as much on electric devices to replace non-green designs ...
From the linked NYTimes article:
Electric resurfacers are also cheaper to run — about 25 cents a flood, Mr. Schlupp said, compared with at least $3 for a propane-powered flood and at least $4 for gasoline. The drawback is the cost of the electric machine, which he said would sell for about $160,000, twice the price of a propane model.
So like a lot of 'green' things they are designed to save you money in the long run. Like paying out your ass for CFL bulbs or installing a windmill. Granted that's over 29,000 floods you'd need to recoup the eighty grand, it's a bit misleading to say it's more expensive. The other thing to look at is whether or not the eighty thousand is worth the health of your fans (you know, where you get your revenues from). I mean, fume free might not mean much to me but to the six year old kid suffering from asthma in the front row?
... at least test the things first.
Again, from the NYTimes article:
Mr. Hainault said that so far the machines had run, well, smoothly.
Sounds like they tested them to me. The Seattle Times article is either wrong or confusing when they say that the Zambonis also had problems:
It's the second straight day there have been issues here treating the ice between sessions --- yesterday it was the women's 3,000. Problems with that Zamboni left only one available for today, and then that one that began to have problems. The Zamboni left some piles of slush in the turn near where I am sitting --- which is also the front straightaway.
The Resurfice Olympia models appeared to be the electrics with the Zambonis being the gas fed ice resurfacers. So are they saying they had problems with the Zambonis just as much as the Resurfice Olympia models? Or are they using Zamboni in place of "ice resurfacer" like Kleenex and Frisbee?
I would bet they were having problems with temperatures. I've been to Capitals hockey games were breaks between periods went long since the abnormally high temperatures caused problems with the Zambonis.
Re:How long is your run (Score:3, Interesting)
The olympics didn't purchase these machines outright solely for use during the games. The NYTimes article pointed out that an area company purchased the machines, then leased them to the IOC for the games.
Pure economics aside, there is the air quality argument. Gasoline and diesel-powered machines put out a lot of not-very-nice exhaust. Even the propane ones will leave the air a little stale. Unless you are using an outdoor skating rink, having a Zamboni that doesn't emit exhaust is a nice thing for the athletes and the owners. You can't necessarily put a price on it, but you can bet that for something like the olympics people notice.
Re:Olympic Fail.... (Score:3, Interesting)
Nope, ice repairs are done during the breaks when the ice gets shaved of across the entire track....
The two minutes breaks between each and every run are purely for the $.
Apparently in some countries (I'm looking at you USA) they have small commercials between each run.
Re:Electric Zambonis nothing new (Score:2, Interesting)
Perceptions from Vancouver (Score:5, Interesting)
Then there are the ~100,000 trees cleared for olympic venues, the massive highway expansion that was unnecessary for the games, the construction of huge buildings for various events at a time when homelessness has been increasing for years. The whole thing is a big PR scam, but for the past few weeks it seems like most of the vancouverites on facebook have been abuzz about how silly the whole thing is....except the opening ceremonies for some reason...everyone got all weirdly patriotic about that, which is unusual for Canadians.
Re:Green... EPIC FAILURE (Score:1, Interesting)
Real scientists will laugh at you for claiming CO2 is an issue,
Where can I read their papers? If they are real scientists they must have published their findings, right?
I'll see your enlightened video link and raise you one.
Sorry, but videos made by people that fabricated their data and misquoted scientists in a fraudulent way [wikipedia.org] don't impress me much. They even tried to sue the misquoted scientist with the notorious UK libel laws [libelreform.org] after he complained, great way to react to criticism...
Just go watch the video I linked and the other ones in the series, they do a great job of explaining many common climate myth, both from the skeptics side as well as the believers. And if you have any info explaining the errors in the video I linked I would love to read them.
Oh I know, the guys that resigned their positions at the IPCC are still credited by the IPCC as belonging to the 2500 scientists. I mean clearly the guys in the video I linked to are idiots, I mean, who the hell would listen to multiple university professors anyway right? Let alone the countless sources they referenced in the interviews.
I too found it humorous that the one professor had to sue the IPCC to get his name removed from their list after they refused to present his findings (which were contrary to their position that AGW is real), and tried to claim he supported their lies.
Re:Perceptions from Vancouver (Score:1, Interesting)
Add to that the "Hydrogen buses" athletes uses.... (which was bought x2-3 the price if a normal buses)... Thoses buses need hydrogen to run, and this hydrogen come from Québec... they truck-it from Québec to Vancouver (more than 2000km lol) using a plain old truck which make more co2 than normal buses... That's GREEN lol.
http://www.hydrogencarsnow.com/blog2/index.php/hydrogen-vehicles/hydrogen-buses-arriving-for-2010-vancouver-winter-olympics/
Perceptions from the 'burbs (Score:3, Interesting)
...what's next a near fatal curling accident????
The mind wobbles...
I don't live in Vancouver. I do not, repeat not live in Vancouver. I live in Burnaby, a suburb of Vancouver. A quiet leafy green residential cul-de-sac, where you would never know anything was happening. The daffodils are coming up.
With that said, I feel the Olympics have lost their way. The athletics have become secondary to money and hype. I also feel that it's completely unfair to expect the entire province to assume financial responsibility for the Olympics, when only Vancouver residents were consulted on holding them.
A major part of the weather issue is all the media pundits being from back east, not really understanding what winter means in Vancouver. How quickly they forget what else goes with the snow in Edmonton or Winnipeg. I was born here, one of the few. I understand rain.
...laura
Electric Zamboni (Score:4, Interesting)
Zamboni has had electrics for a long time.
I've been watching US College hockey for a long time. Most rinks have a Zamboni. They last a long time. I've seen a few new ones and usually the go electric because the propane ones generate CO2 and that's not good indoors. I've seen rinks add a 2nd Zamboni for faster resurfacing between periods too.
Zamboni isn't the only maker of ice resurfacers. I bet most rinks in the US are Zamboni though. I remember Union College in Schenectedy had another brand.
FWIW Clarkson University gave Mr Zamboni and honorary degree in 1988 in recognition of his engineering achivement in creating the ice resurfacer.