Keeping surfaces clear for winter parking lot and sidewalk maintenance
Contents
Keep Surfaces Clear=
Winter Maintenance Basics=
- Anti-ice before the storm.
- Remove snow from surfaces as quickly as possible to reduce compaction.
- Plow before applying deicers to avoid dilution of the salt.
- Minimize deicer use during the storm.
- Never plow or blow snow into bodies of water, wetlands, traffic or into streets.
- Minimize back-up maneuvers to reduce chance of accidents.
- Limit use of salt and sand during the storm; use only to reduce bonding.
- Do not use salt to burn off snow.
- Use application rate chart to determine how much salt to use.
- Don’t apply dry salt (sodium chloride) below 15º F pavement temperature. It will not melt fast enough to help.
- Below 15° F, use a wetted salt.
- For extreme cold, skip melting and use sand.
- Clean up spills.
- Accurately record the material used at each site.
- Pay attention to its effectiveness and record observations.
- Use only what is needed based on proper application rates for the conditions.
- Put extra back in salt pile or return extra bags.
Because it uses less materials, mechanical snow and ice removal is the best strategy for protecting the water.
Loading/hauling
- Don’t overfill the truck or spreader: material will spill out as it is driven or pushed. This is a common practice and wastes salt.
- Large snow piles may need to be hauled to another site.
- Schedule this work when the mall or facility is closed to minimize conflicts with vehicles and pedestrians.
- Clean up loading area, sweep extra back into the pile.
Deicing/Anti-Icing Information
Anti-icing=
Anti-icing is the most cost-effective and environmentally safe practice in winter maintenance. This is the direction to pursue.
Anti-icing is a proactive approach. It should be first in a series of strategies for each winter storm. Applying a small and strategic amount of liquid on the pavement before a storm will prevent snow and ice from bonding to the pavement. This buys time for the clean-up efforts.