Repairs for PNC Arena leak cost more than $50,000

The leaking refrigerant that caused the ice temperature to rise at PNC Arena and postponed the Carolina Hurricanes’ Dec. 19 game against the Detroit Red Wings will cost the Centennial Authority more than $50,000.

The authority, the arena landlord, said the price of the emergency repairs and refrigerant was $52,457. That includes 1,365 pounds of R-22 refrigerant that was needed for the cooling system.

The NHL rescheduled the game for March 27 at PNC Arena. The Canes already were to host the Red Wings on March 28, and Hurricanes president Don Waddell said no reimbursement to the Red Wings from the Canes was necessary after the rescheduling of a back-to-back set.

Information received by the authority indicated the ice-plant malfunction was discovered Dec. 19 at 5:45 p.m. during a routine equipment check. It was learned the compressors were not pumping enough refrigerant and that there was a leak coming from a sight glass on the high pressure liquid side of the condenser.

Both teams were immediately notified. With the ice-sheet temperature rising, the playing surface was ruled unplayable.

A technician from Johnson Controls, which handles the ice-plant maintenance, removed the leaking sight glass and inspected the glass and the gasket for damage that night, Alan Wobbleton, senior director of facilities and operations at PNC Arena, said in his report to the authority. Wobbleton said the technician found no damage and reinstalled the glass and gasket.

The R-22 refrigerant, which was not stored at PNC Arena, was procured and added to the chiller system, but the ice temperature could not be lowered quickly enough to play the game. The Red Wings had a game at Tampa Bay on Dec. 20.

This story was originally published January 25, 2017 at 10:12 AM with the headline "Repairs for PNC Arena leak cost more than $50,000."