ice melt

Snow and Ice Removal – Pros & Cons of Ice Melt

Snow and Ice Clearing- Pros & Cons of Ice Melt

Providing winter services like snow and ice clearing can be a slippery slope. Landscape Plus owner Kerry Malakoff explains the pros and cons of ice melt and what alternatives might be better on your property.

What is Ice Melt and when should you use it?

ice melt and pets use with caution
Ice melt can be harmful to pets! Use with caution.

Technically, ice melt is just another word for salt. Also known as deicer, ice melt is designed to lower the freezing point of water, preventing the buildup of ice or breaking up pre-formed ice into liquid slush. It can also break or prevent a bond between the pavement or concrete and the ice.

Deicers should only be used on ice NOT snow. It does not get rid of the problem, however, it changes the snow into a liquid, which freezes and you have an even worse situation with the ice. Snow you can clear but ice is much harder to address and can often stay all winter.

The way we approach it is to PREVENT ice from forming in the first place. Our snow clearing services are triggered on a trace amounts of snow. If we can get to your walkways, drive pads and sidewalks when there is a light dusting, we can tackle the job quickly and easily.

When we clear on trace amounts of snow, we eliminate the chance of it packing and hardening into a slippery mess. We also reduce the risk of it melting and freezing into a layer of black ice.

Years ago we would wait for a couple of centimeters to accumulate before going, but we found it took more effort as we were often dealing with ice. Our approach allows us to use blowers and shovels on walkways, which is where ice melt is most often used.

For parking lots and roadways, we use sanding chips or a plow truck. When it gets too cold, deicers don’t work very well.  When the mercury plummets to -20 Celsius or colder,  a better alternative is to use sand for traction on the ice.

We work all of this into a contract pricing strategy that translates to peace of mind for our customers.

 

Is it safe?

In our experience, all ice melt can have a negative impact on humans, animals, plant life and infrastructure. Especially if it’s used too much.

There are currently no labeling laws when it comes to deicers, so take the labels with a “grain of salt” when they make claims like “pet safe”! If it has a notice that it’s harmful if ingested by humans, there is a good chance it’s not great for your pet’s either. Overuse of deicing products on cement can cause it to deteriorate prematurely.

A better way

Although we have deicing products in our tool chest, we use them as a last resort. Our goal is to clear any snow before it ices up.

Our winter service crew goes out on a trace amount trigger. This doesn’t always work, like when it snows while the roadways and walks are warm in spring and fall, but it’s a great approach when the temps stabilize below zero.

If we do encounter an ice problem that requires us to use ice melt, we use it minimally with a finer granular and an even spread. This results in a faster and more efficient melt.

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Busy Days at Landscape Plus!

Despite these unusual times we want to let everyone know that we are open and ready to go with our Spring Services. If we are not in the office when you call to make an appointment, please leave a message then Kerry or Debbie will get back to you as soon as they can.

We also want to assure everyone that we take the health & safety of our staff, customers & the public seriously. Landscape companies have been deemed an essential service and we will provide our services to you in the safest way that we can.

When we come to your place of business or residence there will be only one person per truck (unless they are from the same household). Each truck is equipped with hand sanitizer and disposable gloves. Trucks will be sanitized regularly. Onsite physical distancing will be observed and for bigger projects, the number of employees will not exceed fifteen. And of course, our staff is monitoring their health daily.

Happily, greenhouses were also allowed to open so you can get out of the house and be outside in your gardens! From this difficult time has come a renewed desire to plant vegetables and herbs. Once called Victory Gardens people want to plant ‘living pantries’ in order to feel that they have what is needed to provide healthy foods for their families.

To help here is a list of Easy Vegetables to Grow in Calgary and area and Five Herbs That Can Survive Alberta Winters

Continue reading “Busy Days at Landscape Plus!”

Fall & Winter Maintenance for Your Commercial Property

Fall & Winter Maintenance for Your Commercial Property

Commercial Property should be functional and attractive. Well-designed landscaping and hardscaping add value to your investment and your property looks appealing to customers/clients, tenants and visitors.  The work needed is year round but the return is a good impression which starts the moment your customer drives into your parking lot.

When parking lots and sidewalks are clean this also ensures the safety of visitors and employees as hazards like broken glass or ice can result in injury. Continue reading “Fall & Winter Maintenance for Your Commercial Property”