General Welding & Fabricating works to restore order each and every winter with BOSS Snowplow. Born in Iron Mountain, MI, BOSS is always on the cutting edge of snow removal and ice management equipment.
What does liquid deicing mean?
When BOSS talks about liquid deicing for roadways, they are generally talking about liquid salt brine that may contain small amounts of additive to improve its effectiveness. At its core, salt brine is just granular rock salt dissolved in water. A common misconception is that the individual granules of rock salt are what cause deicing to occur, but in reality, the rock salt must first turn into salt brine, which will start at a very low salinity level and gain strength as it permeates outward.
When using a liquid salt brine, you are starting at its most potent level and covering a parking lot evenly, resulting in a faster deicing process with less salt used.
Something that often gets forgotten about is the cleanup that occurs after a storm. When there’s a rush to get roadways, sidewalks, and important traffic area up and running, the cleanup is often an afterthought during winter events. One of the benefits of liquid de-icing is the reduction in cleanup compared to salt or sand.
When rock salt is applied on sidewalks, it is often grossly overapplied in an attempt to melt quickly. This often leads to a lot of granular products loose, and often times is carried into buildings. When using a liquid deicing technique, the application rate is significantly lower for the same (or better) result. With an even coverage of the correct amount of chloride, the liquid deicer will melt the snow/ice more quickly than granular and will dry out, leaving no granular product behind! This also means that sidewalks are not covered in rock salt for days and weeks after an event.
What little tracks into the building can be easily cleaned up. We’ve seen janitorial cost savings up to $2,000 per season which can be used as a selling point when bidding on a snow removal contract. With less salt being tracked inside, businesses will also see their floors and other infrastructure lasting much longer. The image below is an example of what rock salt can do to your floors and infrastructure over time.
