Equipment
Materials
Training
FAQ and Common
Misconceptions
About Liquids
FAQ SHEET
Brine Making
Deicer Performance
When the snow flies, I can’t waste time mixing cocktails.
Salt brine is made in advance of the storm and stored
for use. It is not only much more effective to do it this way, but it is
more efficient and costs less. Be prepared in advance. Make the
salt brine during non-storm-event weather conditions and be ready
to go when the storm arrives.
L iquids work too slowly, rock salt is faster and the use of liquids is
too complicated.
Liquids actually work faster. When using any solid deicer, melting
can not occur till it turns into a brine. By starting out with a liquid
there is no waiting for the brining process to occur, accelerating
performance not slowing it down. In fact, no one has ever melted
anything with any deicer chemical in the solid form. As with any
tool, one must learn when and how to apply a liquid to maximize its
benefits. Quality training shortens the learning time and pays for
itself quickly.
ow much should I dilute my salt brine when the temperatures
H
warm up?
Always make high quality salt brine (23.3 percent) and use it at
that strength. When weather warms and conditions are better, less
material is needed. Never dilute a liquid deicer.
Equipment - Nozzles
I tried the brown stuff and it clogged up my nozzles. I can’t afford
the hassle.
Correct, no one can afford “the hassle” during a storm event.
However, if there are nozzle plugging problems, there are two
things to look at. First, are the nozzles being used really the best,
or are they even the right ones for the material being put down?
Perhaps a simple nozzle change will fix this. Secondly, have you
considered straining the product when it is delivered for use, or
when it is loaded into the applicator?
Property Owner/Client Contracts
roperty owners won’t understand why I am applying
P
material if it isn’t snowing.
Regular communication with your customers is always important. If
they don’t understand what you are doing or why, talk to them. Many
of your competitors are discussing the use of liquid deicers and antiicing with their customers and have growing, profitable businesses.
My contract pays me to use salt. Why would I go to liquids?
Other private sector snow and ice control professionals are using
liquid deicers very successfully. As property owners observe the
benefits of these methods, especially those who protect their
property, customer demand for these products will continue
to grow.
FAQs and Common
Misconceptions About Liquids
Equipment
Materials
Training
Liquid Deicer Use
Liquid Deicers and Return on Investment
Liquids will never be more cost effective and reliable than salt.
Salt brine is often more efficient than the solid material due to
control of the product during application and its versatility in use.
As for effectiveness, pound for pound the active ingredients in
salt brine are just as effective and typically more efficient in use,
thus reducing cost.
It doesn’t snow enough here to justify investment.
Without quantifying average annual snowfall and other
winter events that would create the need for the use of deicer
liquids, it is hard to say what the annual return on investment
(ROI) would be. However, liquids show a very high rate of return
when utilized appropriately.
L iquids will never replace the proven practices of plowing and
spreading salt.
Liquids are not intended to replace plowing and the spreading
of salt in the solid form, but to enhance and supplement their
performance. Liquids are another tool for the toolbox. They
have many benefits, be it for anti-icing, treating stockpiles,
or pre-wetting solids as applied. Liquid deicers simply increase
the performance of plows and solid deicer products when
used correctly.
Can I use liquids for everything?
No. They will not replace the plow, just as a plow cannot replace
deicers. However, liquid deicer chemicals are the most versatile
tool in the winter operations toolbox. They can be used before,
during and after the storm event. The use of liquids includes antiicing, pre-wetting of solids, and the pretreatment of stockpiles.
When used regularly in a planned approach, liquids will reduce
overall deicer use while providing equal or better results for a
given storm event.
Liquid Deicer Use and Weather Patterns
here I live and work, there are too many rain-to-snow and
W
snow-to-rain events that inhibit their effectiveness.
No matter what geographic area one lives in, other areas
have similar weather events at times. Deicers (liquids, solids
or pre-wet solids) are used according to their abilities with
considerations to the current and expected weather conditions,
not geographic location. Snow professionals in locations with
weather patterns similar to yours have learned to use liquid
strategies successfully by obtaining training on how to use
them appropriately and by planning their use with reasonable
expectations and specific goals in mind.
Safety and Liquid Deicer Use
ou have to be nuts to spray liquids on pavement before it
Y
snows. It’s an accident waiting to happen.
It is the responsibility of highway agencies to provide safe driving
surfaces and to prevent accidents. If this statement wasn’t true,
the use of liquids in these agencies and in the private sector
would not be growing. Like any tool, correct use and reasonable
expectations are always key to success. Misuse of any tool does
not make the tool bad. Ask any person who has hit their thumb
with a hammer.
Temperatures
I hear all kinds of things about the different temperatures to use
for snow and ice control, what to use, what not to, and so on.
What are the facts?
There are multiple temperatures associated with winter
operations. Some are more important than others, and the
terminology is often confused and misused. In order
of importance:
Pavement Surface Temperature
The temperature of the surface where ice bonding occurs, this
is regardless if it has ice or snow on it. This is ultimately where
snow and ice control takes place, and is the primary data point
for determining what ice control strategies and materials to
employ.
Surface Temperature
he temperature of the surface of whatever you are looking at,
T
be it ice or the asphalt or concrete surface.
Air Temperature
Changes in ambient air temperature are important to track
throughout a storm event and factor into strategic decision
making after pavement surface temperature.
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