I had occasion to meet our dock's bubbler-service owner last month . (I'd overlooked their bill!)
I asked if a sturdy metal beam (or a heavy chain) attached to the outer pilings nearest the ice--and long enough to conduct the "heat" upwards from the water--would be advisable.
He thought for a moment and said, "It depends on the wind. I've watched huge ice-floes traveling at speeds that simply couldn't be stopped."
He added that maybe the metal would offer a sharp surface to break up the "leading edge" trying to push the piling
out from under the dock.
I forgot to ask if my neighbor's several intact pilings lying on the lake's bottom (but now around
our dock) could be re-used.
Maybe member
John Mercer can opine.
