frontline defense and plan of attack

How to Effectively Clear Hazardous Ice

Sorry to say but snow and ice removal, regardless of what products you apply will require work and multiple approaches to make your surfaces safe. We recommend a three pronged approach to snow fighting: pre-application, re-application, and if necessary, removal. Removal is what most of us try to avoid however in heavy precipitation events and/or really cold + high humidity situations, physical removal of snow and ice may be necessary no matter what products you apply.

Step 1

Your first course of action occurs prior to a storm: pre-treat your property (driveway, side walk, parking lot, street) with preferable a liquid agent or granular (liquids work best as a pre treatment). An application of ice melt prior to a storm event will do two things. First, if the storm produces a light snow fall and if temperatures are not super low (+10 F or below) the pre treatment may very well melt the snow and no further work will be required. The second benefit from pre treatment occurs as the falling precipitation reacts with the snow/ice melt product. The chemical reaction will work to form a liquid barrier between the fallen snow or ice and the surface. This barrier will allow for easier snow removal by plow, snow blower, or if you are like me, by snow shovel.

Step 2:

The second course of action occurs as the snow accumulates. Here you have to choose two courses of actions; either apply liquids/granular and wait or remove the snow then apply liquids or granular product. The decision to remove the snow first will depend upon how rapidly the snow is falling or accumulating and temperature plus humidity. Products (all products) have limitations on how much snow and ice can be changed from solid to liquid. As the products go to work there is a natural dilution of product concentration. Our snow/ice melt products (and all snow/ice melt products) work to depress the freezing point of ice and or snow however they will also reach a saturation point and re-freezing will then occur.

Step 3:

If you laid down a pre-storm application and there is a build up of 3”, we recommend removal of the snow and then reapplication of product. If you did not pre-apply then with 3” of snow accumulation you may be able to apply product and allow the product to go to work. Our 3” rule is not set in stone and is not a guarantee. There are many, many factors that will impact effectiveness of strait product application onto a snow covered surface: temperature and water content is primary. How many gallons or pounds of product is applied, humidity, surface temperature, outside temperature, and size of the storm system will also play into the chemistry of effective snow fighting.

Frequently Asked Questions

What temperature will products work down to?

Our first disclaimer is that all products take time to work. All products work slower as the temperatures get lower and lower (both surface temperature and outside air temperature). Calcium Chloride, depending upon percentage level/specific gravity could have a freezing point as low as -60 Fahrenheit. Typically, due to pricing, Calcium Chloride for snow/ice applications is formulated at a specific gravity between 1.251 and 1.275 that results in a freezing point of -31 down to -46 Fahrenheit. This is the point the product itself will freeze and should not be construed as the working temperature of the product.. The lowest freezing point of Sodium Chloride occurs at 23.3% saturation that produces a freezing temperature of -6 Fahrenheit. For snow/ice applications salt brine is processed to not exceed 23.3% saturation.

The reality is that from freezing down to the teens, salt based products are effective. At single digit temperatures salt alone stops working and calcium chloride continues working however it is a slow process – it will take a long time to melt snow/ice (longer if it is ice only or a snow pack you are attempting to dissolve). In this situation you most likely will need to increase the application quantity to effectively dissolve the ice/snow pack.

Are we environmentally / pet friendly?

Our second disclaimer is we have not found any effective ice melt/snow melt product that is 100% environmentally friendly. Our products contain both calcium chloride and/or sodium chloride. In large quantities both products can be harmful to vegetation and pets. Our recommendation is to follow the logic that a little goes a long way and a little does a lot! We also recommend removal of residue when possible – scoop up and throw away undissolved ice melt products once the ice melts. For pets, we recommend wiping off their paws to prevent them from licking and ingesting ice melt products. Our line of Geomelt and Biomelt products are better for the environment simply because we reduce the amount of chlorides and salts in the formula to provide a more environmentally friendly product.

What about concrete damage?

We do not use Magnesium Chloride products that are harmful to concrete. Our third disclaimer is we do include salt brine (sodium chloride) and calcium chloride brines in our products. These products are designed to weaken the bond between snow/ice and surface material (asphalt/concrete). They may or may not melt away all the snow/ice. Salts and chlorides are not always the cause for concrete damage. Surfaces are damaged by the freeze thaw cycle of water and not necessarily by chemical reactions of deicers. Sodium chloride and calcium chloride will turn ice to water and water may penetrate into pores of concrete or asphalt surfaces. We recommend that you do not apply our products to new concrete. We also recommend you apply small quantities to get the job done. We recommend you remove excess materials.