No one likes thinking about winter ice on slippery roads and surfaces. All we want to do as ice melt suppliers and snow contractors is ELIMINATE ice and snow. But if you’ve ever thought about just HOW ice melt chemicals melt ice, this is the article for you! Let’s take a closer look…
First, here’s what causes winter ice to form
Everyone knows that precipitation causes water and water freezes when temperatures fall below 32 degrees Fahrenheit, but there are other forms of precipitation that also cause ice in the winter. Here’s a quick list:
- Snow: I know this is obvious, but remember that even the thinnest snow cover can cause roadways and sidewalks to become slippery and dangerous.
- Freezing Rain: whether heavy or light freezing rain, even the smallest drops can form a sleek coat of ice on all surfaces.
- Sleet: these small frozen pellets form before hitting the ground, then when combined with freezing rain they can cause dangerous black ice – the nearly invisible culprit of many accidents.
- Fog: if temperatures drop below freezing, fog can be a sneaky and unsuspecting creator of ice.
- Wind: high winds cause dangerous snowdrifts that can cause unsuspecting vehicles to end up in ditches. The wind chill is another issue that creates ice when regular temps are above freezing.
If you live in an area where extreme winter weather is common every year, it’s easy to become complacent. SISCU is located in Maryland, so we get it. But when you are a snow removal contractor focusing on reducing your customer’s risk and increasing safety on their property, you must be prepared for both large and small snow events all winter long. The bottom line is that ice forms rapidly and in multiple conditions. Professional snow contractors are expected to have a proactive and precise plan for melting ice and removing risk for customers.
How Ice Melt Works
In a nutshell, ice melt products interact with water and ice to form a heat-generating slush called “liquid brine” that melts the ice. Technically, the salt itself doesn’t melt the ice, but it creates a reaction that generates heat that will melt the ice. As the liquid brine spreads out over the ice and snow, it breaks the ice bond to the road or sidewalk surface so it breaks up or loosens for easy removal.
The scientific process of how ice melts work is also why snow contractors often use de-icing products as a pre-treatment to roads and surfaces before the precipitation falls. By coating roads, sidewalks and parking lots with liquid brine pre-treatment, it will be much faster and produce better results later when snow and ice are mechanically removed from surfaces.
Common deicing and ice melt products all work in the same way, however, there is a wide variance in performance depending on the temperature. For example, if temperatures are extremely cold and down up -25 degrees, Calcium Chloride is the best product to melt the ice. Magnesium Chloride, Sodium Acetate and Calcium Magnesium Acetate are used when temps are still very cold, but with a minimum of 5 degrees. Potassium Chloride products are effective down to 12 degrees. And Sodium Chloride and most blends shouldn’t be used unless temperatures are above 20-22 degrees.
Another factor to understand is how quickly ice melt products start working. In order to be a helpful solution, ice melt chemicals should start working fast and the reaction time of creating ice-melting liquid brine also varies. For example, in their natural states, calcium chloride and magnesium chloride are liquids and tend to go back to being a liquid repeatedly. So when they are used in flake or pellet formats and they come in contact with water, they quickly become a liquid brine that releases heat. Then as the brine is created, it causes more liquid and more brine is created. It’s a very fast and effective solution for melting ice.
On the contrary, both sodium chloride and potassium chloride are solid in their natural state. They still form into a strong liquid brine solution when they come in contact with water, but they must absorb heat from the environment to continue melting snow. That’s why they aren’t as effective in lower temperatures and they don’t work quite as fast as calcium chloride and magnesium chloride products.
Since water activates the ice melt to start generating heat and breaking down into brine, it’s imperative to store ice melt products in dry areas. The last thing you want is for your ice melt chemicals to absorb moisture in the air and start breaking down before you can use them.
If you would like to stock up on ice melt products or even if you need some last-minute supplies, contact us at Snow & Ice Salt & Chemicals Unlimted, LLC – We’re open 24/7, before, during and after the storm.