Do you manage a snow removal company? Then you will come across the need to use the best deicers during winter. You won’t find a single ice melt product, which you can use for all your applications. This is where it helps to have a clear idea about the different deicers available. Based on that, you can pick the right ice melt product as per your needs and get the best results coming on your way. From this article, we will be sharing a list of the best deicers available out there to consider.
Magnesium Chloride Pellets
Magnesium chloride pellets are a quality ice melt and de-icing product that offers great effectiveness while also being safer than conventional deicers for the environment, concrete, and humans. The spherical form of magnesium chloride pellets makes them ideal for use with ice melt spreaders. They do have the propensity to roll like tiny balls, which may be advantageous or detrimental depending on the application area size. Pellets may not be the best solution for smaller areas where you need the ice melt product to fall out of the spreader and stay in place. Instead, pellets are better for larger areas where the product can roll a bit before settling. You can expect magnesium chloride pellets to deliver effective results with ice melting down to 13 degrees below zero.
Magnesium Chloride Flakes
Mag flakes have the same chemical makeup and effectiveness as the magnesium chloride pellets detailed above. Due to rivers and drainage, environmental damage is a significant problem throughout the whole East Coast – making magnesium chloride products popular ice melt solutions. You may wish to use a product containing magnesium chloride if your consumers live close to rivers, lakes, or the ocean since it is less harmful to the environment. The fact that magnesium chloride flakes have a big flat surface area and don’t roll off the surface when applied is one of its benefits.
ComboTherm Calcium Chloride
One of the least expensive ice melt alternatives is ComboTherm, which also performs well under difficult circumstances. Together with sodium chloride & potassium chloride, it has the greatest concentration of calcium chloride of any mix in the industry. This causes it to produce heat when it dissolves into the brine solution, which enables it to start melting snow and ice more quickly than other deicers.
The deicing chemicals used in ComboTherm are combined onto a single chip in a special “processed mix.” A section of the chips includes a greenish tint additive that aids in identifying the coverage area and enables you to see it in action.
Dowflake Extra Calcium Chloride Flakes
The flat shape of Dowflake enables them to rest on sloped or wind-exposed surfaces where a pellet-style deicer would generally “roll off.” When used, they spread evenly and consistently and flow through melting ice spreaders or equipment without difficulty. At low temperatures of -25F, calcium chloride flakes, such as DowFlaketm Xtra, are quite effective. If you are looking forward to purchasing an ice-melting solution that can deliver effective results at very low temperatures, this would be a great option to consider as of now.
Peladow Calcium Chloride Pellets
Peladow calcium chloride pellets are a fantastic solution if your clients value effectiveness in very low temperatures. Compared to other ice melt products, these Peladow pellets can melt the ice three times more quickly. 90% of the calcium chloride in Peladow makes it possible to melt ice more quickly and at a broader temperature range. Peladow calcium chloride pellets are quite effective at -25F temperatures. The only deicer that will really keep melting ice dams and hard packs in severely cold settings is Peladow calcium chloride pellets. This is another highly effective ice-melting product that we can recommend when you are trying to melt ice under considerably low temperatures.
Safe ‘n Sure Ice Melt Blend
Safe ‘n Sure can be the ideal solution for your consumers if your company is located in an unusually chilly location. The product works in conditions as cold as -25 degrees F. This item is useful in the northeastern region of the United States. When you are not getting sufficient results with other ice-melting products, you may think about giving this option a try.
Hot Melt De-icer Blend
In comparison to other de-icers, Hot Melt pink blended ice melt dissolves ice more rapidly and at lower temperatures. It contains a blend of sodium chloride & magnesium chloride. Hot Melt also works longer than other deicers due to its residual action. It is effective in extreme temperatures as low as -25 degrees, so Hot Melt is a great solution to melting ice in frigid temperatures.
Bulk Rock Salt
The most economical substance for melting ice and keeping snow from piling up is bulk salt. It is the cornerstone of most snow removal operations because of its simplicity in low costs, effectiveness and ease of storing it. You will be hard-pressed to find a more cost-effective solution for maintaining clean roads, parking lots and walkways. Bulk rock salt is the number one ice melt product used by municipalities for that reason. They often have hundreds, if not thousands of miles of roads to treat and bulk rock salt is really the only option on a budget. Depending on the weather, it may be used either alone or in conjunction with an additive. The finest bulk salts have a high calcium chloride content and are exceptionally dry for quick ice melting.
Sodium Acetate
Sodium acetate operates quickly, similar to calcium chloride, but without the corrosion-causing chloride. It disintegrates and emits heat, melting ice more quickly than typical deicers and operating at lower temperatures of 0°F. It’s also a good idea to be aware that sodium acetate has FAA approval for usage on airport runways. It is one of the most environmentally-friendly ice melt products available, along with calcium magnesium acetate.
Calcium Magnesium Acetate or CMS
Numerous ice-removal chemicals may harm concrete, but calcium magnesium acetate is not one of them. Even if your clients like having access to their driveway and sidewalk throughout the winter, they won’t like having to fix their concrete in the spring. If that’s a concern, CMA would be a good product to consider. Concrete is not significantly affected by calcium magnesium acetate.
Final words
These are the most prominent deicers that you can find out there. Pick the right product as per your needs and you will be able to continue to use it for your applications without any problem. Have questions or ready to place an order for delivery or pick up at our Maryland facility? Contact our team today by calling 301-986-6900 or by filling out the email form below.