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Check the [https://www.pca.state.mn.us/water/road-salt-and-water-quality MPCA website] to find out about upcoming training opportunities. | Check the [https://www.pca.state.mn.us/water/road-salt-and-water-quality MPCA website] to find out about upcoming training opportunities. | ||
− | ===Getting prepared for winter=== | + | ===Initial preparation=== |
+ | |||
+ | ====Getting prepared for winter==== | ||
*Calculate the area of the parking lots, service roads, and sidewalks. | *Calculate the area of the parking lots, service roads, and sidewalks. | ||
*Understand the environmental problems caused by snow, salt, and sand storage. Determine where and how to best store each item. | *Understand the environmental problems caused by snow, salt, and sand storage. Determine where and how to best store each item. | ||
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*Note or mark all catch basins, manholes, sidewalk segments that may cause a hazard to the plow and the operator. | *Note or mark all catch basins, manholes, sidewalk segments that may cause a hazard to the plow and the operator. | ||
− | ===Drainage=== | + | ====Drainage==== |
Inspect storm drains in the fall. Remove obstructions such as leaves, sticks, and trash to prepare for the spring melt. Because storm drains lead to lakes, rivers, ponds, and wetlands, never use salt to open frozen storm drains. Salt used to thaw frozen drains harms aquatic life. Use non-chemical methods such as heat to open drains. | Inspect storm drains in the fall. Remove obstructions such as leaves, sticks, and trash to prepare for the spring melt. Because storm drains lead to lakes, rivers, ponds, and wetlands, never use salt to open frozen storm drains. Salt used to thaw frozen drains harms aquatic life. Use non-chemical methods such as heat to open drains. | ||
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{{alert|[[File:Fish logo.png|50px|alt=dollar symbol]] '''Storm drains lead to the nearest lake, river, pond, or wetland. They do not go to a treatment plant. '''|alert-info}} | {{alert|[[File:Fish logo.png|50px|alt=dollar symbol]] '''Storm drains lead to the nearest lake, river, pond, or wetland. They do not go to a treatment plant. '''|alert-info}} | ||
− | ===Equipment=== | + | ====Equipment==== |
+ | |||
The trend in winter maintenance is to use less material to accomplish the same results. Following this trend will reduce environmental impacts and save money. Below are listed a few tips, but there are many other innovations in the equipment area that can help to reduce application rates. | The trend in winter maintenance is to use less material to accomplish the same results. Following this trend will reduce environmental impacts and save money. Below are listed a few tips, but there are many other innovations in the equipment area that can help to reduce application rates. | ||
*Purchase a pavement sensor (Figure 8) | *Purchase a pavement sensor (Figure 8) | ||
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*Obtain a tank for liquid storage or find a near-by source of liquids to fill up trucks. | *Obtain a tank for liquid storage or find a near-by source of liquids to fill up trucks. | ||
− | ===Calibration=== | + | ====Calibration==== |
Calibration is an essential procedure to understand how much material will be discharged at a given setting. No matter how sophisticated or simple the operation, calibrate each piece of equipment in the fall of the year. | Calibration is an essential procedure to understand how much material will be discharged at a given setting. No matter how sophisticated or simple the operation, calibrate each piece of equipment in the fall of the year. | ||
'''Calibration tells how much material will be applied at each setting.''' | '''Calibration tells how much material will be applied at each setting.''' | ||
− | ====Simple Calibration for Salt Spreaders===== | + | =====Simple Calibration for Salt Spreaders====== |
+ | |||
If the equipment has different settings, it must be calibrated for each setting and for each product, as they all flow differently. It generally takes a team of two or three people to calibrate equipment efficiently. | If the equipment has different settings, it must be calibrated for each setting and for each product, as they all flow differently. It generally takes a team of two or three people to calibrate equipment efficiently. | ||
− | ====Ground Speed Controlled Spreaders==== | + | =====Ground Speed Controlled Spreaders===== |
+ | |||
Ground speed controlled spreaders are run by a computer in the cab and are tied to the speedometer and an auger or conveyor sensor in the rear of the truck. The application rate is set and the computer regulates the amount of salt discharged (regardless of the speed traveled) consistently. Most equipment used for winter maintenance of roads have ground speed controls. These are more effective and efficient systems than the manually controlled systems. | Ground speed controlled spreaders are run by a computer in the cab and are tied to the speedometer and an auger or conveyor sensor in the rear of the truck. The application rate is set and the computer regulates the amount of salt discharged (regardless of the speed traveled) consistently. Most equipment used for winter maintenance of roads have ground speed controls. These are more effective and efficient systems than the manually controlled systems. | ||
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{{alert|[[File:Dollar logo.jpg|25px|alt=dollar symbol]] '''Surfaces such as pervious asphalt, pervious concrete, and pervious pavers do not experience refreeze. All melted snow and ice travel to the storage layer below the surface. Salt is generally not needed on these surfaces and sand should be avoided.''' | {{alert|[[File:Dollar logo.jpg|25px|alt=dollar symbol]] '''Surfaces such as pervious asphalt, pervious concrete, and pervious pavers do not experience refreeze. All melted snow and ice travel to the storage layer below the surface. Salt is generally not needed on these surfaces and sand should be avoided.''' | ||
|alert-info}} | |alert-info}} | ||
+ | |||
[[File:Steps for Calebrating an auger or conveyor system.png|right|thumb|300 px|alt=This graph of Steps for Celebrating an auger or conveyor system|<font size=3>Steps for Celebrating an auger or conveyor system</font size>]] | [[File:Steps for Calebrating an auger or conveyor system.png|right|thumb|300 px|alt=This graph of Steps for Celebrating an auger or conveyor system|<font size=3>Steps for Celebrating an auger or conveyor system</font size>]] | ||
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{{:Calibration Chart for auger or conveyor systems}} | {{:Calibration Chart for auger or conveyor systems}} | ||
− | + | ====Example: Step #2, calibration form filled out during calibration==== | |
Fill in the header information and column 2, the discharge weight per setting. | Fill in the header information and column 2, the discharge weight per setting. | ||
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{{:Step 2 Calibration Chart for auger or conveyor systems}} | {{:Step 2 Calibration Chart for auger or conveyor systems}} | ||
− | + | ====Example: Step #3, calibration form ready to put in truck for road application==== | |
Back in the shop, do the calculations to fill in the rest of the blanks. Multiply the weight in column 2 with the multiplier in the top row. This provides the pounds per mile that needed to fill in the table. | Back in the shop, do the calculations to fill in the rest of the blanks. Multiply the weight in column 2 with the multiplier in the top row. This provides the pounds per mile that needed to fill in the table. | ||
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{{alert|[[File:Fish logo.png|50px|alt=dollar symbol]] '''Some fish species are affected by concentrations of less than 1000 ppm NaCl, about 1 to 1.5 tablespoons of salt in 5 gallons of water.'''|alert-info}} | {{alert|[[File:Fish logo.png|50px|alt=dollar symbol]] '''Some fish species are affected by concentrations of less than 1000 ppm NaCl, about 1 to 1.5 tablespoons of salt in 5 gallons of water.'''|alert-info}} | ||
− | + | ====Example: Step #4, calibration form ready to zip tie to hand spreader or put in truck for parking lot application.==== | |
+ | Divide by 63 to convert pounds per lane mile to pounds per 1,000 square feet. This is very useful for parking lot and sidewalk applications. | ||
+ | {{:Step 4 Calibration Chart for auger or conveyor systems}} | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | ====Gravity Flow Equipment==== | ||
+ | |||
+ | This is applicable for equipment that does not have a motorized delivery system such as an auger. This type of equipment might be a pickup mounted spreader, gator mounted spreader or a hand push spreader. Gravity flow equipment is typically controlled by gate opening and speed of application. | ||
− | + | =====Step 1: Calculate discharge rate===== | |
+ | *Mark out a 10-foot stretch of pavement. (By increasing the size of the test area i.e., the longer the test area, the more accurate the results will be). | ||
+ | *Sweep it clean of sand or any other material. | ||
+ | *Using a constant speed, apply one pass of material to the test area. | ||
+ | *Measure the width the material is spread or bounces, in feet. | ||
+ | *Sweep up and weigh the material that is within the marked 10-foot stretch. | ||
+ | *Record the lever position/setting for the gate/chute. If there are no numbers for the positions, make permanent marks on the equipment to identify the positions. | ||
+ | *To improve accuracy, repeat this two more times and calculate the average weight of material applied. | ||
+ | *Record results in columns A, B, C, and D (Figure 14). | ||
+ | |||
+ | ====Step 2: Repeat step #1 for various settings.==== | ||
+ | |||
+ | =====Step 3: Fill out chart.==== | ||
+ | *Fill out columns E, F, and G (Figure 14). | ||
+ | *If using more than one type of material, repeat the test for each material. | ||
+ | *Place the completed calibration chart with the equipment. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ====Shortcuts: ==== | ||
+ | |||
+ | *Put down a tarp over the application area; this makes it quicker to recover and weigh material. | ||
+ | *After the first pass, put a bag around spreader to catch discharge material. The first pass is needed to determine the spread width. | ||
+ | |||
+ | [[Calculate application rate]] | ||
+ | |||
+ | ====What if calibration is not a practice? ==== | ||
+ | |||
+ | Even without calibrating the equipment, the amount of material to use can be determined but will take more time to calculate. Know the material, the size of the area to be treated, and the pavement temperature, then consult the application rate chart (application rate section) and do the math. Without calibration, the way to evenly distribute the recommended amount across the maintenance area must be determined by the professional. This approach may work well for treating sidewalks using the “chicken feed” method. For example: | ||
+ | *20oF degrees pavement temperature and rising | ||
+ | *Using dry salt | ||
+ | *Sidewalk is 2,000 square feet | ||
+ | *Table recommends 2.25 lbs. per 1,000 square feet (for this situation) | ||
+ | *Measure about 4.5 lbs. of salt | ||
+ | *Figure out a way to spread it evenly over the 2,000 sq. ft. surface | ||
+ | |||
+ | {{alert|[[File:Fish logo.png|50px|alt=dollar symbol]] ''' Sand fills in lake bottoms, accelerating the aging process of lakes. Lakes get shallower as they age, some eventually becoming wetlands.'''|alert-info}} | ||
+ | |||
+ | [[Calibration chart for gravity flow equipment]] | ||
+ | |||
+ | [[Calibration chart for augured or conveyed manual controlled spreaders]] | ||
− | |||
===Calculating Parking Lot or Sidewalk Area === | ===Calculating Parking Lot or Sidewalk Area === | ||
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{{alert|[[File:Fish logo.png|50px|alt=dollar symbol]] '''Measuring the area, along with knowing the pavement temperature, will allow the use of the application rate charts. This will help to reduce the amount of chemicals applied'''|alert-info}} | {{alert|[[File:Fish logo.png|50px|alt=dollar symbol]] '''Measuring the area, along with knowing the pavement temperature, will allow the use of the application rate charts. This will help to reduce the amount of chemicals applied'''|alert-info}} | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===Practices=== | ||
===Storage=== | ===Storage=== | ||
− | Snow Piles: | + | ====Snow Piles:==== |
*Store in an area where the solids can be recovered after the snow melts. | *Store in an area where the solids can be recovered after the snow melts. | ||
*Locate snow piles down-slope from salt and sand storage to prevent snow melt from flowing through salt or sand storage areas. | *Locate snow piles down-slope from salt and sand storage to prevent snow melt from flowing through salt or sand storage areas. | ||
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'''Improper storage of salts can lead to groundwater cantamination''' | '''Improper storage of salts can lead to groundwater cantamination''' | ||
− | Salt and Salt/Sand Piles: | + | ====Salt and Salt/Sand Piles:===== |
*Storage areas often cause groundwater or surface water contamination. These problems can be easily tracked back to the source. Do not skimp on proper storage. When locating new storage for liquid or granular products investigate local visual screening ordinances. | *Storage areas often cause groundwater or surface water contamination. These problems can be easily tracked back to the source. Do not skimp on proper storage. When locating new storage for liquid or granular products investigate local visual screening ordinances. | ||
*Indoor storage is recommended. | *Indoor storage is recommended. | ||
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====Sand piles:==== | ====Sand piles:==== | ||
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*Winter sand is typically mixed with some deicer to prevent freeze-up of the pile; therefore, sand pile storage should be the same as salt pile storage. | *Winter sand is typically mixed with some deicer to prevent freeze-up of the pile; therefore, sand pile storage should be the same as salt pile storage. | ||
*Store leftover winter sand for next year. Do not use it for other purposes. | *Store leftover winter sand for next year. Do not use it for other purposes. | ||
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{{alert|[[File:Dollar logo.jpg|25px|alt=dollar symbol]] '''Using 50/50 salt/sand mix is generally half right or half wrong. Using a salt/sand mix leads to over application of both materials.'''|alert-info}} | {{alert|[[File:Dollar logo.jpg|25px|alt=dollar symbol]] '''Using 50/50 salt/sand mix is generally half right or half wrong. Using a salt/sand mix leads to over application of both materials.'''|alert-info}} | ||
+ | |||
===Weather === | ===Weather === | ||
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Will the road salt used have time to work or is it better to switch to a different deicer? This chart will aid in making that decision. | Will the road salt used have time to work or is it better to switch to a different deicer? This chart will aid in making that decision. | ||
− | [[ | + | [[Speed of melting]] |
+ | |||
{{alert|[[File:Dollar logo.jpg|25px|alt=dollar symbol]] '''Do not use dry road salt below 15º F. This wastes money and time.'''|alert-info}} | {{alert|[[File:Dollar logo.jpg|25px|alt=dollar symbol]] '''Do not use dry road salt below 15º F. This wastes money and time.'''|alert-info}} | ||
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Use care when reading the melting temperature on bags of deicers. The package often lists the eutectic temperature, which is the lowest possible melting temperature. At this temperature, it would take a very long time to melt ice. Instead, use the lowest practical melting temperatures in the chart below or ask the supplier for the practical melting temperature and the time it takes to melt ice at that temperature. It should be noted that there is not a standard measure for determining the lowest practical melting temperature. Across the literature there are a range of values. In the References and Resources section there are lists of several websites to learn more about the lowest practical melting temperature. | Use care when reading the melting temperature on bags of deicers. The package often lists the eutectic temperature, which is the lowest possible melting temperature. At this temperature, it would take a very long time to melt ice. Instead, use the lowest practical melting temperatures in the chart below or ask the supplier for the practical melting temperature and the time it takes to melt ice at that temperature. It should be noted that there is not a standard measure for determining the lowest practical melting temperature. Across the literature there are a range of values. In the References and Resources section there are lists of several websites to learn more about the lowest practical melting temperature. | ||
− | [[ | + | [[Lowest practical melting temperature]] |
Start now—develop a maintenance policy or plan that guides winter operations. A little planning and communication up-front can help achieve better results throughout the season.
Reduce risk by having a solid written winter maintenance policy and training program that utilizes best management practices. Schedule training for supervisors, staff, and customers.
The MPCA has three Smart Salting training classes available:
Check the MPCA website to find out about upcoming training opportunities.
Inspect storm drains in the fall. Remove obstructions such as leaves, sticks, and trash to prepare for the spring melt. Because storm drains lead to lakes, rivers, ponds, and wetlands, never use salt to open frozen storm drains. Salt used to thaw frozen drains harms aquatic life. Use non-chemical methods such as heat to open drains.
Poor drainage on the maintenance surfaces will result in icy surfaces and will increase the risk of safety problems. These areas cause the application of salt on non-snow event days in the winter. To remedy this, inventory the site and note drainage problems. Make a checklist so the professional or client can fix these drainage problems in the summer.
Examples of drainage problems:
The trend in winter maintenance is to use less material to accomplish the same results. Following this trend will reduce environmental impacts and save money. Below are listed a few tips, but there are many other innovations in the equipment area that can help to reduce application rates.
Calibration is an essential procedure to understand how much material will be discharged at a given setting. No matter how sophisticated or simple the operation, calibrate each piece of equipment in the fall of the year.
Calibration tells how much material will be applied at each setting.
If the equipment has different settings, it must be calibrated for each setting and for each product, as they all flow differently. It generally takes a team of two or three people to calibrate equipment efficiently.
Ground speed controlled spreaders are run by a computer in the cab and are tied to the speedometer and an auger or conveyor sensor in the rear of the truck. The application rate is set and the computer regulates the amount of salt discharged (regardless of the speed traveled) consistently. Most equipment used for winter maintenance of roads have ground speed controls. These are more effective and efficient systems than the manually controlled systems.
The equipment vendor will have specific calibration instructions for the operation based the type and brand of equipment. Contact them; it is in their best interest to provide instructions to calibrate and correct product use. This is the basic principle behind calibrating a ground speed controlled spreader:
Best bet: Contact manufacturer for calibration instructions.
Manual controlled spreaders fall into two categories. Those that have an auger or conveyor and those that are gravity fed. They operate by selecting a setting that changes the size of the discharge opening and/or the auger or conveyor speed. More or less salt may be discharged depending on the speed of application. Most parking lot and sidewalk spreaders fit into one of these two categories.
All good programs are based on calibration of equipment.
The basic principle behind calibrating an auger/conveyor spreader is to choose a setting, run the spreader for a timed interval, and weigh the discharge. Record the discharge and repeat for all settings. In the end, there will be data that tells the operator how much material will be delivered at each setting. With this information, the operator can choose the proper setting. Without this information, they have no guidance on which setting to use. Calibration is different for gravity fed spreaders..
See the References and Resources section for a full size form to copy for calibration. This is how the empty form looks.(Keep a stack of these on a clipboard when ready to begin the calibration.)
Calibration Chart for auger or conveyor systems
Link to this table
Date: | |||||
Spreader #: | |||||
Material: | |||||
Setting | Pounds per minute | 5 mph (X12) | 10 mph (X6) | 15 mph (X4) | 20 mph (X3) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | |||||
2 | |||||
3 | |||||
Fill in the header information and column 2, the discharge weight per setting.
Step 2 Calibration Chart for auger or conveyor systems
Link to this table
Date: August 8, 2015 | |||||
Spreader #: A4219 | |||||
Material: Rock salt | |||||
Setting | Pounds per minute | 5 mph (X12) | 10 mph (X6) | 15 mph (X4) | 20 mph (X3) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 10 | ||||
2 | 22 | ||||
3 | 34 | ||||
Back in the shop, do the calculations to fill in the rest of the blanks. Multiply the weight in column 2 with the multiplier in the top row. This provides the pounds per mile that needed to fill in the table.
Step 3 Calibration chart for auger or conveyor systems
Link to this table
Date: August 8, 2015 | |||||
Spreader #: A4219 | |||||
Material: Rock salt | |||||
Setting | Pounds per minute | 5 mph (X12) | 10 mph (X6) | 15 mph (X4) | 20 mph (X3) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 10 | 1201 | 60 | 40 | 30 |
2 | |||||
2 | 22 | 264 | 132 | 88 | 66 |
3 | 34 | 408 | 204 | 136 | 102 |
1 top half of each row = lbs/lane mile. To get this number, multiply lbs/min by the factor shown for each speed
2 bottom half of each row = lbs/1000 sq ft. To find this, divide the number in the top half by 63
Divide by 63 to convert pounds per lane mile to pounds per 1,000 square feet. This is very useful for parking lot and sidewalk applications.
Step 4 Calibration Chart for auger or conveyor systems
Link to this table
Date: August 8, 2015 | |||||
Spreader #: A4219 | |||||
Material: Rock salt | |||||
Setting | Pounds per minute | 5 mph (X12) | 10 mph (X6) | 15 mph (X4) | 20 mph (X3) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 10 | 1201 | 60 | 40 | 30 |
1.92 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.5 | ||
2 | 22 | 264 | 132 | 88 | 66 |
4.2 | 2.1 | 1.4 | 1.0 | ||
3 | 34 | 408 | 204 | 136 | 102 |
6.5 | 3.2 | 2.2 | 1.6 |
1 Top half of each row = lbs/lane mile. To get this number, multiply lbs/min by the factor shown for each speed
2bottom half of each row = lbs/1000 sq ft. To find this, divide the number in the top half by 63
This is applicable for equipment that does not have a motorized delivery system such as an auger. This type of equipment might be a pickup mounted spreader, gator mounted spreader or a hand push spreader. Gravity flow equipment is typically controlled by gate opening and speed of application.
Even without calibrating the equipment, the amount of material to use can be determined but will take more time to calculate. Know the material, the size of the area to be treated, and the pavement temperature, then consult the application rate chart (application rate section) and do the math. Without calibration, the way to evenly distribute the recommended amount across the maintenance area must be determined by the professional. This approach may work well for treating sidewalks using the “chicken feed” method. For example:
Calibration chart for gravity flow equipment
Calibration chart for augured or conveyed manual controlled spreaders
The amount of deicer needed is based on the size of the parking lot. Here are simple ways to calculate the area of the parking lot.
The area, or square feet, of a square or rectangle is:
The area, or square feet, of a circle is:
The area, or square feet, of a right triangle is:
Improper storage of salts can lead to groundwater cantamination
A common mistake is storing a salt pile downhill from a snow pile
Always remove snow prior to applying deicers. Plow, blow, or sweep first; the chances of refreeze diminish and slush build-up is minimized.
Steps are often the most over-salted area in all of winter maintenance. This overabundance of deicer causes damage to floors inside the building as salt and/or sand is tracked in. It causes problems outside of the building with deterioration of concrete and metal structures. Over applying deicer costs more money than necessary, pollutes the water, and does not provide any additional safety. The right amount of deicer and proper mechanical removal of snow and ice will yield better results.
A free short video for small site winter maintenance is available. It is designed for those that do winter maintenance of small sites such as stairs, curb cuts, and handicap ramps. The video is a visual instruction tool useful for those who apply granular deicer to small areas outside building entrances. It recommends:
To determine the amount of deicer needed for steps, stairs, and small sites:
All products have pros and cons. No one material is suitable for every condition. It is best to have a variety to choose from to select the one that works the best, with the least amount applied, in a specific situation. Understand the melting properties of the deicers; do not use the product without understanding how it works.
The best way to reduce impacts, save money and maintain customer satisfaction is to:
Corn, beet, molasses, or other organic additives are added to salt or salt brine to change its performance, though how they function as an ice melting agent is not well understood. Clear Roads (2015), a national resource consortium of state agencies, is studying this issue.
When ordering a liquid product in bulk, test it. If it is NaCl brine it should be 23.3%. If it is another liquid, use the vendor recommended density and test to confirm. Hydrometers are the tools for testing the density of liquids. They are inexpensive and look similar to a thermometer. Research the product, understand the practical melting temperature, and know the list of ingredients. Take time to test the materials to ensure that they perform as expected. Product labeling can be confusing; some list the eutectic temperature while others list the lowest practical melting temperature.
The list of ingredients may or may not be included. Often, the percentage of each ingredient is not included. Do not rely solely on the bag or on the manufacturer’s literature. There are no labeling requirements; manufacturers can choose to label products in their own way.
Of the deicers, NaCl is typically the cheapest and easiest to find. Because of this, it is widely used and overused. Sodium chloride is only effective at pavement temperatures above 15oF. Because it doesn’t work well at colder temperatures, it is often over-applied in attempts to increase its effectiveness. At temperatures lower than 15oF degrees, switch to a different deicer.
Non-chloride deicers are more difficult to find and often cost more. Take the time to source and try non-chloride products if there are concerns from the professionals or customers about the long-term effects of chlorides on the lakes and rivers. All deicers have environmental impacts but the impacts of chlorides are very long-term.
Salt and sand mixes are commonly used to stretch the salt budget. This is an ineffective practice. Salt and sand work against each other. To save money, use deicers when melting is needed and sand for temporary traction to buy time at temperatures too low for deicers to be effective. Pre-wetted sand has shown to be effective in keeping sand in place longer on icy surfaces.
Know existing and potential weather conditions for a successful snow and ice control operation. Monitor the weather closely to prepare to act early in storm situations. Check the National Weather Service, local TV stations, or website weather. A Road Weather Information System (RWIS) is available for free on-line at. The RWIS provides real time pavement temperatures and other information from locations around the state.
Pavement and air temperature are different. Know the pavement temperature to determine the proper amount and type of material to apply. Weather stations report air temperature which is measured at least 6 ft. in the air. The air temperature is not helpful when trying to determine what to apply to surfaces on the ground.
Air temperature measurements are generally the same in a given area, but pavement temperatures in the same general location can vary greatly. Pavement temperatures are influenced by exposure to sun, pavement type, and subsurface materials.
The same air temperature in November and January will often accompany very different pavement temperatures.
The hand-held temperature sensors can be purchased from auto part stores for less than $100. Some temperature sensors only accurately monitor in the warm temperature range, confirm the one purchased measures in the cold temperature range. Mirror-mounted temperature sensors are also available; they are less likely to be lost or stolen, but do cost more and are generally not available at an auto parts store. RoadWatch by Commercial Vehicle Group, Inc. is one example of this type of sensor. A small investment in equipment will improve performance.
Will the road salt used have time to work or is it better to switch to a different deicer? This chart will aid in making that decision.
Use care when reading the melting temperature on bags of deicers. The package often lists the eutectic temperature, which is the lowest possible melting temperature. At this temperature, it would take a very long time to melt ice. Instead, use the lowest practical melting temperatures in the chart below or ask the supplier for the practical melting temperature and the time it takes to melt ice at that temperature. It should be noted that there is not a standard measure for determining the lowest practical melting temperature. Across the literature there are a range of values. In the References and Resources section there are lists of several websites to learn more about the lowest practical melting temperature.