Zamboni batteries don’t come cheap, Paradise finds out

By Craig Westcott/March 24, 2023

The Gear Daddies, the band that put out the famous ‘I wanna drive the Zamboni,’ song may have thought twice if they had ever had to replace the battery in one.

On Tuesday, Paradise council found itself having to do just that, as a couple of cells in one of the Zambonis at the Double Ice Complex have gone kaput. It turns out the batteries are not just expensive, but sometimes they also cause a stink when they’re not running right.

“Zamboni B-94’s battery will actually have been in service with us five years this March of 2023,” said councillor Elizabeth Laurie, who made the motion to buy the part. “The battery, as I found out today, consists of several cells and currently there are cells at the end of their useful life that must be replaced and the operation of the Zamboni is under reduced capacity because of this. So, one of the Zamboni units has some dead cells in the battery which is causing some off-gassing from the battery while under load and this creates an undesirable odour.”

Staff approached three companies for quotes to supply a new battery, Laurie said. Only two were able to respond.

Electromechanical Services was the lower bidder at $21,581, HST included. The other quote, from Saunders Equipment Ltd., came in at $23,383, HST included.

“To ensure that the Town sets a leading example by running its own operations in a sustainable manner and encourages residents and other municipal stakeholders to do likewise, thus ensuring a healthy ecology and environment for the town today, as well as for generations to come, these new batteries will assist with the optimum energy efficiency at the Double Ice Complex by improving the charging and the performance of the Zamboni,” Laurie said.