During the winter, deicing sidewalks and roadways is imperative for the safety of everyone from pedestrians to drivers. Although there are many different types of deicing products, rock salt and liquid deicer are some of the most frequently used. Neither of these products is definitively better than the other; each has its own pros and cons and is best suited for different situations. Having both options on hand allows you to use each one where appropriate, getting the most effective results! Here’s what you need to know about liquid deicing versus traditional salt.
Pre-Treating
There are two ways to cope with icy sidewalks and roads: either treat beforehand or treat after the fact. The ideal option is to do both! Surfaces can be pre-treated with rock salt or liquid deicer to help stop ice from forming on a road or sidewalk in the first place. Liquid deicers work far better and provide more coverage than rock salt for this application. So, if you decide to pre-treat your surfaces, liquid deicer is going to be your best bet.
Treating Current Ice
While liquid products tend to provide the best coverage and results when you’re pre-treating, solid salt will work better and begin melting ice more rapidly than liquid deicing agents when applied to ice that has already formed on sidewalks and roadways, giving you shorter melting times. When you’re dealing with ice right now as opposed to preparing for ice in the future, using rock salt is the best option!
Expense Factors
One important factor to take into account when choosing which deicing products to use, when to use them, and how to utilize them is the cost of the product. Large-scale use of rock salt tends to be more economical because it is typically less expensive than brine or other liquid deicing products. Because rock salt is less expensive than a liquid product, it can make more sense to utilize it if you have a large municipal contract or just have a lot of territory to cover for a certain storm. However, because of liquid deicer’s usefulness for pretreating, it can help to reduce how much product you’ll need to use overall by preventing ice instead of addressing it after the fact. What options you choose to take will depend on the area you need to cover, and the amount of time you have to work before a storm or cold snap begins!
Damage Factors
For a variety of surfaces and materials, rock salt can be quite corrosive. As it spreads and is moved around and kicked up by tires and shoes, it can eat through the exterior materials of buildings, damage cars and vehicles, kill plants and grass, and create cracks in pavement and sidewalks. On the other hand, liquid deicer is more diluted, and frequently contains additives that reduce its abrasive qualities. A liquid deicer would be a preferable option if you’re going to be deicing an area with a lot of potential for damage, such as residential areas. In areas that already take serious punishment and undergo frequent repairs, like municipal roads and big highways, rock salt might be the ideal product to use.
Doubling Up
You don’t have to limit yourself to using only one kind of deicing product. It pays to have several different kinds in your arsenal, and combining them can maximize their efficacy! Prewetting, or mixing liquid deicer into your rock salt before spreading it, can be a useful tactic, particularly when working with pre-existing ice at very low temperatures. Rock salt won’t do anything to the ice if it’s below 15°F out. So, to counteract the effects of the intense cold, prewetting the salt with a liquid deicer can be the best solution.
As you can see, both liquid deicer and rock salt are important items to keep on hand all winter long. With our inventory of snow and ice management equipment, such as plows, spreaders, and BOSS VSI Liquid Deicing products, Levan Machine and Truck Equipment can help you get through the cold months ahead. If you’re interested in learning more, click here to contact our team today!