Affordable Deicers: Ice Melt Salt, Calcium Magnesium Acetate, and Brine

Calcium Chlorida Ice Melt

Ice melt products are a great way to protect your road surfaces and sidewalks from dangerous ice build up. Wintry ice plays a large role in both motor vehicle and pedestrian accidents, and most can be avoided by treating your roads with deicers. There are a variety of different ice melt products, including salt, Calcium Acetate, and Liquid Brine. Read more to learn about which product at SISCU is right to protect your space this winter season.

Different Types of Ice Melt Salt and Rock Salt

Rock Salt is the most popular ice melt product due to its accessibility and affordability. Rock Salt contains almost 100% Sodium Chloride, allowing it to melt large areas of ice and snow quickly and easily. Rock Salt is typically applied to pavement before a storm to prevent ice from forming. It can also be utilized to melt small groups of snow by applying it directly to the desired snowy area. While Rock Salt acts quickly, it is very damaging to any pavement and concrete beneath the surface, meaning it should mainly be used on roads that are already damaged or won’t be negatively affected from it. Additionally, Rock Salt is only effective in temperatures above 15°F, so it is not the best ice melt solution for very cold climates. With that being said, Rock Salt is a great ice melt if you are looking for a quick and affordable short-term solution, especially since it is often carried in bulk quantities.

Calcium Magnesium Acetate

Calcium Magnesium Acetate is a type of road salt that is a great alternative to Rock Salt, as it is less corrosive and damaging to the environment. If you are looking for a low cost ice melt solution that is gentler on your concrete and pavement, Calcium Magnesium Acetate is a great product. Calcium Magnesium Acetate comes in spherical balls, allowing application to be more efficient and applied evenly to a surface. Storage is also more compact, which means you will get more product per use. The pellets work best if applied after precipitation from a storm has already started, but they can be mixed with water and applied before snow to act preventatively against ice formation. This ice melt product functions by stopping the snow particles from adhering to each other or the road surface, effectively lightening the snow. Calcium Magnesium Acetate, much like Rock Salt, is also only effective in temperatures above 15°F.

Liquid Brine

Liquid Brine works similarly to Rock Salt and Calcium Magnesium Acetate, however its unique liquid form gives it a greater advantage in that less product is required to achieve the same effect. Liquid brine is best utilized as a pre-treatment, and should be applied to roadways before a storm to prevent ice and snow from freezing to the road surfaces. The best way to apply Liquid Brine is with a truck that has a tank and pumps to spray the brine onto the pavement. Thus, this ice melt product is most effectively applied by a professional ice melt service company, such as Rasevic Companies. If you do not have access to this equipment, it is much more difficult to get an even application and effectiveness will be reduced. Liquid Brine is able to withstand colder temperatures, and works in conditions up to -6°F.

Get Affordable Ice Melt Salt Products at SISCU

If you are looking for a high quality ice melt solution at an affordable rate, SISCU has all the products you could need. While ice melt salt, Calcium Magnesium Acetate, and Liquid Brine are some of the most cost effective options, SISCU has many more product varieties to suit any size ice melt job. Check out their entire list of ice melt products today and find the one that will work best with your weather conditions!