Effective Snow & Ice Melting

There are many factors that affect how well salt/calcium chloride melts snow and ice.

A number of combinations of weather and pavement surface conditions make the effective applications of salt/calcium chloride almost an art form. To make snow and ice melting operations more of a science, consider these issues:

CONCENTATION
Salt or calcium chloride should be spread thinly, but not too thinly. If you apply too much of any deicing agent, not all of it will come in contact with the ice or snow. That which is touching only other deicing agent will be wasted and will not add to the melting process.
As well, just the opposite is true. If too little is used, the agent will dissolve, melting only a small area around it. In this case the deicing agent/water solution will be too thin, leading to dissipation and refreezing. Again, you have wasted your deicing product.

SPREADING PATTERN
Snow melts faster when salt is spread in narrow strips. This exposes a portion of the surface more quickly. The surface then can absorb heat and increase the melting rate.

TIMING
Whether you apply salt or calcium chloride, timing can make a difference. Spreading a small amount on snow when it is loose and unpacked turns snow into slush. Traffic cannot pack down this slushy snow and plows can remove it easily.

TEMPERATURE
As temperatures go down, the amount of salt needed increases significantly. For example, salt can melt five times more ice at 30 degrees than at 20 degrees. Below 20 degrees, the amount of ice melt needed goes up even more dramatically.
The temperature of the pavement surface is just as important as the temperature in the air. If the air temperature recently turned warmer but the ground had been frozen hard, you will need to use more deicing agent.

TIME
The longer a deicing agent is down, the more it will melt. Both salt and calcium chloride melt in a reasonable time in temperatures above 20 degrees. Below 20 degrees, salt takes much longer to work.

WEATHER
On a cold, windy day, snow may blow right over the pavement. Use of snow melt can make it stick to the road.
Of course, the sun speeds melting, and can boost pavement temperatures to 10 degrees over the air temperature.

PAVEMENT TYPE
The dark color of asphalt absorbs the sun's heat better than concrete and melts snow and ice faster.

TRAFFIC
Traffic improves melting by creating tire heat friction, spreading and mixing deicing agents and throwing slush off the surface.

*I hope the above information has given you insight regarding the snow melting process. If you would like an estimate regarding your property, please give me a call at (616) 698-2700. I look forward to hearing from you and working with you.