Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Ice safety, info etc.......

with the winter bassicaly here I thought it would be interesting to have an Ice safety, info or whatever thread.

I'll kick it off with a question about ice safety. Is it safer to go out onto ice with a lifejacket on? I was thinking of a scenario where someone could fall into the water and somehow get under the solid Ice. The life jacket would push you up against the solid Ice and not allow you to swim to the opening in the ice. I guess a good safety rope would fix that but would it be better to just wear a safety rope without the lifejacket?

an ice covered pond is a lot of fun but it can also be very dangerous. So, lets get some safety, fun fact, and personal stories going here.

A life jacket is recommended and so is a rope. I rarely wear a life jacket though and I carry the rope more to rescue others than myself. It's a good idea to have some picks within easy reach should you fall through to help climb out. You can make a set easily by sawing off two 6" pieces of broom handle and driving a 16d nails in 1 end then grinding the heads off to a point. Drill holes in the opposite end to attach a rope between them and wear draped over you're shoulders for easy reach.

Another handy tool is a spud. It can be fashioned from a long handled floor scraper by cutting the blade into a point and hardening it. You can use it to spud the ice in front of where you're walking to check ice thickness. If it goes through or you see water come up, probably better back up.

Water takes away your body heat 25 times faster than air, if you go through the ice you have just a few minutes to get out before the cold water weakens and overcomes your ability to stay afloat. A life jacket can buy you time if you are unable to get out right away. Picks and ropes are highly recomended to have along.

One safety tip I know is that if you fall through the ice, and get back out of the water, is to follow your tracks back the way you came. The ice there held you until you fell through. This is better than taking off a new direction and possibly falling through again.

Dont icefish alone!
Clear ice is much stronger than white ice.

I have fallen through numerous times, but only once over my head. We were trying to make our ice smoother on the pond for iceskating by running the garden hose onto the ice. That did not work out too good as the water ate right through the ice. I was young and dumb and went out to check on the progress and fell right on through. I made it out real quick on my first try and almost froze solid walking 150 yards back up to the house.

Nate, I must have been lucky. I decided to try to make the ice smooth for a hockey game by pouring buckets of water onto the ice. It worked for me but I spread the water around with a squeegy so it didn't get very deep on the ice. I wouldn't try it again but it sure was a nice smooth surface for a hockey game.

If the ice gets thick eneough this year I may have to break out the old hockey skates and play a pick up game.

Ice Thickness* Permissible Load
3 inches Single person on foot
4 inches Group in single file
7-1/2 inches Passenger car (2-ton gross)
8 inches Light truck (2-1/2-ton gross)
10 inches Medium truck (3-1/2-ton gross)
12 inches Heavy truck (8-ton gross)
15 inches 10 tons
20 inches 25 tons
30 inches 70 tons
36 inches 110 tons
*Solid clear blue/black and lake ice.
Slush ice has only half the strength of blue ice.
Strength value of river ice is 15 percent less

The above is only a guide line based on good ice conditions. There are many variables that affect ice condition. I have driven on lakes with over 30" of ice and have found areas in the middle of a lake that are wide open water. Up here, I usually don't go out until I can drive on, around December typically. When in doubt we walk out and drill test holes to determine thickness and ice quality.

Avoid river inlet/outlets, beaver lodges, we drive with truck windows down and no seatbelts, keep speeds below 20kmh. Things are different here, ice is good for at least five months, lakes become winter roads. As always, play it safe and stay off if you are unsure.

I guess ya'll are telling me jumping up and down as I work my way out is not a good stress test for ice

Don't do this

Wearing snowshoes on a pond or lake can be hazardous, I was snowshoeing with a friend years ago and I went thru the ice on a lake, luckily It was only 3 ft. deep, but the snowshoes can really make getting out more difficult.
Ryans suggestion about having ice picks is a real good idea, we have them with us when we snowmobile.

I only have one ice safety tip:

Make sure the ice that you use in your Captain and Coke is small and easy to swallow. That way when you're eagerly gulping your beverage you won't choke if you inhale an ice cube.

Good advice JHAP. I'll have to remember that for my gin and tonics.

Brett,
Hockey is my absolute favorite sport to play.....It happens to be my least favorite sport to watch though. We set up lights and play after dark.

I have a pond set up this year that is 4 feet deep, oval shaped the size of a hockey rink and the edges are lined with railroad ties. Also i can raise and lower the water level instantly if needed to make better ice! We will be playing lots of hockey (until I brake a bone or two at least)

Guys, funny you might talk about this topic. In the upcoming Jan-Feb issue of Pond Boss, Mark Cornwell wrote a story about that very topic. He refers to a cool video that all you should watch. Here's the link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysnKtuUTt8k

Yep that's a good one. I posted that link on here a couple of years ago.

I think it was pretty good stuff to learn!
Saturday I plan to venture out onto a couple inches?

I saw some guys on a couple of inches yesterday. Not me! I need 4 inches. With 2 inches there's always a possibility that some part of the pond or lake froze later due to wind and is not yet 2 inches.

I'm with you Cecil. I don't think I could have any fun on 2 inches. I would be worried about falling through the whole time.

I was out boring some test holes this afternoon. The ice is 9-9.5" thick, nice and clear. I had the Mule out there. The Mule hauling stuff sure beats dragging it across the ice and snow!

I don't drive the Mule on the ice until the ice is 8". Loaded and with me in there it weighs about 1500 pounds . As I said in another post, I like living and don't take any chances on the ice.

Water temp at 14 feet - 40.6F degrees, 7 feet - 38.6F, and 1 foot - 32.5F.

So how's the new auger working for you Dwight?

Ryan, I really like it, 126 holes on it without a recharge. Granted, some of the first ones were only through 3 or 4 inches but most have been 7"-9".

All you hear for noise is the blades cutting the ice.

I want one of those! I guess I will just have to get tons of exercise for just one more year.

Mule chained for ice duty.

Now THAT looks like the shop we have all become accustomed to know and be jealous of!!!!

Rainman, That is the warehouse for my business. Oops, couple of toys in there.