They shoot; they scooore

Stellar helps save NHL community ice rink from meltdown despite Texas heat wave

By Jose Mergulhao

In early June, the Children’s Health StarCenter, a community ice rink affiliated with the NHL's Dallas Stars, was anticipating a weekend full of events when the facility discovered a sudden malfunction to its refrigeration system—a failed cooling tower. With a triple-digit heat wave spreading across Texas, the ice on the Health StarCenter rink would begin to melt in only a matter of hours and the weekend’s events would be in jeopardy.

Just before midnight on Wednesday, June 9, StarCenter personnel realized the problem. Because melting ice would threaten the scheduled youth and adult hockey games, the ice rink staff turned to their refrigeration contractor, Stellar, for a solution. The rink called the company's after-hours service line and from that moment, Stellar took immediate action, which triggered

the swift response that led to a fully repaired system in short order. A Stellar service technician, Mike Womack, responded to the call around midnight, putting off scheduled personal leave to take care of the client. He identified the issue and started work immediately. He quickly noticed the broken fan, which prevented heat from escaping the rink. As pressure began to rise, the ability to keep the building cool began to slip. “When you reach 190 pounds of pressure, the temperature increases and it's more difficult to cool the facility," says Eric Adams, Stellar's regional service manager for the Birmingham, Alabama and Ft. Worth, Texas, regions. With both temperatures and compressor head pressures rising, it was only a matter of time before the ice would melt and be unusable for the weekend. To help mitigate this, nonessential systems were turned off, including the air conditioning, to lower head pressure and reduce the load on the system. To correct the problem at the Children’s Heath StarCenter, the important part needed was a fan shaft and bearing assembly for the facility’s cooling tower. After assessing the problem and identifying the required parts, Womack was able to streamline a speedy fix. “Their efforts and sacrifice in going above and beyond ensured our customer’s equipment problems were resolved quickly,” Adams says about his team.

In an effort to save the ice, Stellar controls specialist Brad Smith remotely tapped into the customer’s refrigeration system to monitor temperatures and pressures.

Communication + Teamwork = Win

The Stellar team collaborated across the country to locate and quickly ship parts to the facility. As the torch was passed, Ariel Tort, in the company's Texas parts office, tracked down the parts needed and made sure it was handled without delay. “Even though it was late afternoon on Thursday before it was approved to move forward, Ariel made sure the factory would expedite shipment of the parts,” Adams says. Tort was able to get the parts to the facility before 10 a.m., Friday, on an EVAPCO

truck, saving valuable time that was needed for the repair. The quick delivery by EVAPCO was a crucial piece to the repair puzzle. The two teams worked together to get the necessary parts boxed and shipped same-day on a dedicated truck. Back at the office, service coordinator Carlena Avery gathered the information relayed to her by Texas technician Womack and secured a rental crane from the local Sunbelt facility—despite the short notice. Sunbelt stepped up with the all-important scissor lift, which hoisted the fan assembly to the rooftop condensing unit.

The need for speed

An on-site crew of four Stellar technicians, including two ammonia refrigeration specialists, responded to the facility’s call for help. One technician arrived in the middle of the night to begin the initial troubleshooting at the StarCenter and get the ball rolling. The other three took charge of the repair after the replacement fan shaft and bearings arrived. In an effort to save the ice, Stellar controls specialist Brad Smith remotely tapped into the customer’s refrigeration system to monitor temperatures and pressures. Despite not having a cooling tower, the controls division was able to maintain the ice, even from afar. "The use of videoconferencing platforms like Zoom was important to this success. That technology has come a long way," Adams says. “Without Brad's part in this, it would have been nearly impossible to avoid melting ice and the lost revenue from the customer’s planned events that weekend.” The repair was ultimately completed by 11 p.m. on Friday, June 11, with technicians enduring harsh conditions and 100-degree temperatures inside the equipment room. The speed of the parts delivery, assessment and teamwork prevented a potential meltdown, which would have required a long re-freezing process. “The Stellar team came to our rescue,” says Damon Boettcher, Senior VP of StarCenter Facilities. “Their quick actions and expert knowledge of ice rinks saved our ice and allowed us to host the youth, adult and summer high school games on schedule.” The collaborative effort among team members across the country contributed to the win for the StarCenter and the surrounding community. Tracking down and shipping the parts in a truck overnight, securing the rental crane on short notice, and accessing the customer’s control system remotely saved the rink and its big weekend plans. “Without the coordinated effort across these different divisions, this most likely wouldn’t have been a success,” Adams says. “This is what Stellar is all about. I’m absolutely proud to have these folks on my team.” CCR

Jose Mergulhao, PE, is a Director of Operations, Ice at Stellar with extensive experience in the industrial and recreational refrigeration industry. He can be reached at jmergulhao@stellar.net