Snow Salt question
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| My 1st thought is that they are both NaCl - sodium chloride. If you are going for traction, try chicken grit. It is little chunks of rock, usually granite, that chickens use in their gizzards to grind up their food...as chickens don't have teeth! It comes in 50 pound bags and one should last most of the winter. Another option is oyster shells (another chicken related product - fed to get good egg shell strength), but they are a bit dusty and can track a little white in the house. They also come in 50 pound bags. We use them both instead of salt.  |
Some other salt alternatives (we often have to make do with whats at hand  ): sawdust, ash (from your fireplace or whatever...messy, but effective), kitty litter, sand (we always keep a bucket of sand right outside our door, in case its so slick that you need a scoop of it just to exit the house  )The little bit you used shouldn't be a problem, by the way...table salt will dissolve and vanish into the ice really fast. |
| From Masterhandyman.com Quote: Even when you do shovel, you're often left with a layer of slush that turns icy and slippery. That's why it's a good idea to use ice melters as a preventative measure after or in place of shoveling. But all ice melters aren't created equal, and you need to know the pros and cons of the different types of products available. The least expensive variety of ice melter is good old-fashioned rock salt, which is made from sodium chloride. However, it can be very harmful to vegetation and concrete, and it doesn't work when temperatures fall below 22 degrees. When it comes right down to it, rock salt is great for making ice cream. Potassium-chloride-based products can melt ice down to 12 degrees and are less harmful to your vegetation and concrete. Products made from sodium acetate and calcium magnesium acetate are also less harmful to vegetation, and are effective down to 5 degrees. The most powerful and effective ice melter is calcium chloride, which melts ice the fastest and is effective down to minus 25 degrees. There are also many products that feature a blend of these ingredients. Remember that nowadays the more effective and environmentally friendly something is, the more it costs. "Our top seller is the ACE Ice Melter that is made from potassium chloride and sodium chloride and can melt ice down to minus 10 degrees," said Bob Jones, operation director at Trevarrow ACE Hardware in Troy, (248) 689-8030, www.trevarrowace.com. "But a lot of people still buy basic rock salt because it is the cheapest." At Trevarrow ACE, Bob said a 50 pound bag of rock salt costs $7.99, while a 40 pound bag of the ACE Ice Melter is $14.99. The most expensive product is the calcium chloride, which retails for $32.99 for a 50 pound bag. Pet owners face a special challenge in keeping their cats and dogs safe from harmful ice-melting ingredients. "For many people, buying ice melting products comes down to economics, but pet owners who already spend a lot on their dogs and cats and don't mind spending more for a product that is pet-safe," said John Wesolowski, senior vice president of Milazzo Industries, www.milazzoindustries.com. While Wesolowski's company makes a variety of ice melting products, the company's chloride-free Safe Pet Ice Melter is a favorite among pet owners, even though it is priced at the higher end of the spectrum. You can also have a more permanent ice-melting solution by installing snow-melting mats from HeatTrak, (866) 766-9628, www.heattrak.com. These heated snow-melting mats use a GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter) to connect the system to an outdoor 120-volt electrical outlet. The mats are available in different sizes for walkways, stairs or even as a doormat. According to Adrianne Burgher, marketing director for HeatTrak, it's best to turn the mats on about an hour before it snows. Then they will keep your walkways and steps clear of snow so you won't have to shovel. "Even if you are away from home when it snows, you can still turn them on after it snows and they will melt the snow at a rate of 2 inches per hour," Adrianne said. In addition to buying the mats direct from HeatTrak, they are also available online from Costco, Home Depot and Sears. Health experts say that shoveling snow is great exercise when performed correctly and with safety in mind. For me, I'll get my exercise at the gym. To avoid shoveling around your porch and walkways, investing in some good ice melters or snow-melting mats to ensure that you, your guests and even the mail carrier will be able to reach your front door safely with all those holiday bills. |
| We don't mind a little exercise here but the inch of ice is beyond our capablilities! I tried the pet safe melt and so far has done nothing.. It was so icing today I couldn't even walk outside and the dogs legs were slipping out from udner them. Not worth a broken bone or injury to spine with slipping...And tonight will be worse.. Dawn, I asky where would I buy some of the products you mentioned? We don't have many feed stores here.Perhaps on line???? |
| You probably have a local hardware store (Ace, etc.) which would sell a variety of ice-melting products. The best ones have a variety of salts: sodium chloride, potassium chloride, calcium chloride. The ones with calcium and potassium are less damaging to your lawn and sidewalk. They work best during daylight hours when it tends to warm up a bit and when the sun (even behind clouds) can get to it. Sand also helps for traction. |
Ashley wrote: We don't mind a little exercise here but the inch of ice is beyond our capablilities! I tried the pet safe melt and so far has done nothing.. It was so icing today I couldn't even walk outside and the dogs legs were slipping out from udner them. Not worth a broken bone or injury to spine with slipping...And tonight will be worse.. Dawn, I asky where would I buy some of the products you mentioned? We don't have many feed stores here.Perhaps on line???? Maybe online...I was thinking you really aren't in farm country....  But all our granite for the grit comes from out on the east coast....  |
Ashley wrote: We don't mind a little exercise here but the inch of ice is beyond our capablilities! I tried the pet safe melt and so far has done nothing.. It was so icing today I couldn't even walk outside and the dogs legs were slipping out from udner them. Not worth a broken bone or injury to spine with slipping...And tonight will be worse.. Dawn, I asky where would I buy some of the products you mentioned? We don't have many feed stores here.Perhaps on line???? Diane, I think our temps might be too low for salt or the safe paws stuff to work much. When it's a more reasonable temperature (with less wind) we've had good luck with it. |
| Well, I take back some of my comments. I used the Safe Paw stuff on half my deck last night before going to bed. We had major slet/ice rain later in the night and this morning, the half ZI used the Safe Paws on was okay to walk on and the other half was encapsuled in ice. So, out to buy more Safe Paws! And by the way, I was glad to see it did not leave a blue color trail behind. It melted the ice and sort of disappeared! After reading that article on the different ice melts, I might look into those mats. SOunds like an excellent idea! |
| Safe Paws is the best, I have used it for years and it is very effective. Now ,difficult to get in my area but worth the price. Better than falling and ending up in the emergency room. |
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