9 Things You Should Know About Liquid Deicers

Using the right anti-icing materials can help ice and snow experts to save money and time. The following points are what they should know about using liquid de-icer.

1. Liquid anti-icing needs few materials

Rock salts usually settle on pavement surfaces, though vehicle traffic can knock them off the pavement. Contrastingly, liquid deicers penetrate road surface pores making them inaccessible to vehicle traffic. Consequently, the material required to melt ice is less which results in lower operating costs for the contractor. It is even more useful to apply ice-melting materials before a storm hits rather than after because it saves time too. Even if the storm does not hit, the liquid ice-melting material remains intact awaiting the next storm.

2. What matters is the cost incurred, not the price

Buying rock salt is cheaper than purchasing liquid-ice melting materials. However, in the long run, due to storage requirements, service level and vehicle drive time as well as related costs, a liquid ice-fighting material can end up being cheaper than rock salts.

3. Handling liquid deicer materials needs experience and knowledge

Having the liquid de-icer used by an inexperienced person results in draining all the benefits accruing from the product. For the materials to be most effective, they require a particular window of performance depending on temperature and concentration. Therefore, once the performance window elapses, the results you obtain after using the product will be poor implying wastage of resources. Contractors can get a performance table from the manufactures if the product so they are aware of the exact concentrations and temperatures. With knowledge of how materials adapt to changes, contractors can respond appropriately.

4. Educate your customer

Customers require anti-icing education since most see contractors apply the materials when a storm hits. Consequently, a customer will judge how much to pay depending on the quantity of rock salt used. Others can be suspicious if a contractor applies deicers before even the storm hits. Contractors, therefore, need to explain what anti-icing is all about and the changes the customers should expect.

5. Adjust your contract to fit

Some contractors charge their customers on an hourly basis or depending on the amount of rock salt they use. However, a contractor can be more efficient and find time to serve more clients, resulting in more profits. Contractors should, therefore, adjust their contracts to accommodate anti-icing efforts.

6. Know ground temperature

The pavement’s temperature, and not the air temperature, determines the kind of material to use. A contractor should, therefore, utilize a hand-held thermometer, or an infra-red truck mounted thermometer to measure ground temperature.

7. Liquids do not work magically

Anti-icing liquid materials are effective, but they do not work magic. What you can use on one pavement is not the same as what you need for another sidewalk.

8. Use anti-icing to save plowing time

Applying deicers before a storm hits prevents chemicals from bonding between the snow and pavement. Consequently, you can plow the snow easily and faster. Matter of fact, snow plowing reduces by up to five times.

9. Take it slowly by documenting and learning

A contractor gains experience on the best liquid deicer by experimenting on a small scale then learning from the applications that follow. It would be best if you documented the ground and air temperature, the rate of application you are using, the product used and the results of each product.