Are you a snow contractor looking for the best quality ice melt products to prevent ice build-up for your clients? There are many different types of ice melt products, and not all are created equally. SISCU offers a wide variety of products to help you stock up this winter and cut through any type of snow and ice in every type of condition. Continue reading to learn about the different ice melt products SISCU has to offer and decide which products are best for you.
Anti-icing Ice Melt Products
There are two types of ice melt products available for snow contractors. The first is anti-icing products. Anti-icing is applied as a pretreatment before a storm hits. The pretreatment acts as a barrier across the pavement, preventing snow and ice from bonding firmly to the ground surface. The most popular and effective anti-icing product is Liquid Brine. Liquid Brine is a solution of water and either sodium chloride, magnesium chloride, or calcium chloride. The solution has a lower freezing point than water, which allows it to prevent ice from forming. Anti-icing treatments are only effective with the right combination of pavement, humidity, and weather conditions, which is why a customer would need to consult with a snow contractor in order to determine if liquid brine anti-icing would be beneficial. Liquid Brine is effective in temperatures as low as -6°F. An application of liquid brine can help make clean-up after a storm easier and more efficient, as treated pavements would be able to be cleared with only a quick sweep. Liquid Brine is most effective on large busy roadways that receive a lot of traffic. Roads are still safe to drive on before a storm even if they have been treated with an anti-icing solution. You want to ensure you have the proper equipment as a snow contractor to apply liquid brine, including a tank truck and pump to spray the product across pavement surfaces. If you are looking to purchase Liquid Brine, click here to check out SISCU’s products.
De-icing Ice Melt Products
The other type of ice melt products you’ll need to stock up on as a snow contractor are deicing products. These are applied to pavement surfaces after a storm to melt the remaining snow and ice. There are a wide variety of deicers available including Calcium Chloride, Magnesium Chloride, Rock Salt, and more.
Calcium Chloride
Calcium Chloride is one of the most effective deicers available and it is a hygroscopic salt that absorbs moisture from the air to lower the freezing point of water and melt ice build-up. Calcium Chloride products are available in both pellet and flake form depending on the type of pavement conditions you are treating as a snow contractor. SISCU carries Peladow Pellets which contain 90% calcium chloride, making them the most concentrated and strongest chloride product available. Peladow pellets have a round shape that allows them to be mobile upon application and spread around to the necessary spot to activate. SISCU also offers Dowflake Calcium Chloride flakes which contain 83-87% calcium chloride. These flakes have a hard, flat shape which makes them adhere to the ground surface upon application. Flakes can allow for a more precise application but can also lead to product waste if not applied evenly. If you are treating a large open space, Peladow pellets may allow for an easier application and product to be spread across far corners. A smaller or irregularly shaped space may prefer Dowflake flakes to ensure a precise smaller application. No matter which product you choose, you’ll want to handle Calcium Chloride carefully, as it can be irritating to the skin. Calcium Chloride is best applied with a sprayer or spreader truck across larger surface areas and with a handheld manual spreader on smaller sidewalks. If you are looking to buy Calcium Chloride from SISCU, click here to purchase.
Magnesium Chloride
Magnesium Chloride is another type of hygroscopic salt deicer that melts snow and ice by lowering the freezing point of water. Magnesium Chloride is less concentrated than Calcium Chloride, meaning slightly more product application is typically necessary to achieve the same results. Magnesium Chloride is available in both pellet and flake form as well, with rounded pellets allowing for a mobile application and flat flakes offering a firm adhesion upon application. Both Magnesium Chloride pellets and flakes are a more environmentally friendly deicer product option compared to Calcium Chloride due to the lower chloride concentrations. Magnesium Chloride is safer for people, plants, and animals, and you should consider this product if you treat lots of pavement surfaces that receive frequent animal traffic. Similar to Calcium Chloride, this product should also be applied with a spreader or sprayer truck for a more precise application, but it is safer for handheld application and not irritating to the skin. If you are looking to buy Magnesium Chloride from SISCU, click here to purchase.
Rock Salt
Another type of deicer that is the most affordable product is Rock Salt. Rock salt is nearly 100% sodium chloride, allowing it to quickly melt large piles of snow and ice. Rock Salt lowers the freezing point of water to effectively eliminate ice build-up. While rock salt is more affordable than the above chloride products, it can be very damaging to the concrete and pavement it’s applied on. You should only consider Rock Salt as a snow contractor if the roads you are treating are already damaged or can take more damage. Residential customers may not enjoy this product or be willing to risk the damages compared to commercial or government clients. Rock Salt is also available in bulk at lower costs, which can be helpful if you are treating many different roads at once and need to be prepared for large jobs quickly. Rock Salt is only effective in temperatures above 15°F, so it may not be the best option if you treat very cold regions. Rock Salt is not as environmentally friendly as Magnesium Chloride, and it can damage surrounding plant life. Rock Salt is a great product to have on hand as a snow contractor, as it is inexpensive and can be purchased in bulk. Click here to purchase Rock Salt from SISCU.
Ice Melt Products at SISCU
If you are a snow contractor looking for the best quality ice melt products to treat your customers’ pavement surfaces, SISCU offers a wide range of top-quality products. To browse the complete list of ice melt products available at SISCU, click here, or fill out the form below to get a free quote for your next order today!