What is the best deicer to choose?
When winter comes, ice always starts to appear on the roads. This causes trouble for both pedestrians and motorists. To combat this problem, there are de-icers like rock salt in bags. This is the fastest and easiest way to avoid ice. The production of reagents must be carried out in accordance with established standards. It is necessary that their composition is easily removed from the soil, and also does not have a negative impact on nature and car tires.
With the development of modern technology, the method of producing means for destroying ice is being improved. Therefore, today they are mostly safe for nature, cars and humans. Previously, sand with salt was used as the main de-icer. It was abandoned because it had a significant drawback: after it got warmer and spring came, sand remained on the roads. He interfered with the movement of cars and clogged drains. Therefore, it was decided to use ordinary technical salt, which melted ice perfectly and was resistant to frost. But it also had certain side effects. For example, salt corroded car bodies, pedestrians’ shoes and had a negative impact on the soil. Therefore, today more and more advanced reagents are being used more and more often.
Most de-icers aim to lower the temperature of the snow. The active substance begins to release heat, which subsequently melts the ice, and the road becomes less slippery and safer.
Basically, deicers consist of chlorides, hydrochlorides and chlorates. These substances instantly react at low temperatures. To improve the effect, anti-corrosion additives, accelerating additives, biophilic components and baking powder can be added to the reagents.
Let’s look at the main types of de-icers:
- Calcium chloride. This reagent reacts with snow and releases heat. It also does not harm the environment. Its other benefits include:
– Ability to quickly and deeply penetrate into layers of ice
– Rapid ice melting
– Decreased adhesion of ice to the road
– High activity of the reagent, due to which it can be used in small quantities
– Efficiency at low temperatures. However, the reagent has certain disadvantages:
– Short-term impact. Because of this, road maintenance must be carried out constantly.
– Negative impact on the car body
– Failure to comply with environmental requirements
– Decreased grip of car tires with the road
– High price
- Sodium chloride or rock salt. It is the most popular de-icer. Its main advantage is that it has a low price and is easily available for purchase. But it also has certain disadvantages:
– Not effective at very low temperatures
– Bad for the soil
– Corrodes car bodies and pedestrian shoes
– Causes corrosion of concrete
– Leaves a white residue
- Magnesium chloride. Similar in properties to calcium chloride. Effective at low temperatures and safe for soil, concrete and vehicles. Well prevents repeated freezing of water. Minuses:
– Leaves slush
– Has a high cost
– Has a small coverage area
– High levels of phosphorus, which can lead to contamination of water into which the reagent enters
- Liquid de-icers. Today, liquid reagents are becoming more and more popular. The main active ingredient in them is calcium chloride. And they are usually used on roads with very heavy traffic. The meaning of liquid products is that dry salt is mixed with solutions based on calcium chloride. This mixing enhances its effectiveness. Advantages:
– There is a uniform distribution of the reagent on the road surface
– Provides safe driving on the road and sidewalks
– Effectively affects the ice crust
– Quickly spreads over the surface
– Easy to transport
– Salt load on the environment is reduced
– This de-icer remains on the surface and is not carried away by vehicles or pedestrians.
But such a reagent is quite expensive, so it is not used everywhere.
In general, if you are thinking about which deicer to choose, you need to carefully look at the features of each and then make a decision. Magnesium-based reagents are the most effective. They have a long duration of exposure and almost do not harm metal, concrete, shoes, soil and plants. Magnesium-based de-icers are also very beneficial to use, as they react well with ice. As a result, a smaller amount of such a substance is needed in order to melt the ice compared to other reagents. Another plus is that they are effective at very low temperatures. Liquid de-icers are also very effective. They are safe enough for transport, people and the environment, however, they have a high price. It is recommended to buy deicers and rock salt especially from trusted bulk rock salt suppliers.
It is worth saying that reagents have become an integral part of our lives and carry a high value for society, so we will have to get along with their shortcomings. And all of them have flaws. Whether it’s white stains on shoes, sand on the soles of boots or a negative impact on the road surface and car body. But still it is better to use more modern means to combat the ice crust, because they have the least side effects.
It must be said that the ideal reagent does not exist. The effectiveness of any of them depends on the ambient temperature, the place of application, the material of the road surface and some other factors.
So, before choosing a de-icer, you must definitely study the properties of each of them. If you approach this issue carefully and choose a reagent based on your requirements for its application and your budget, then you can find the most effective option for you. But it is best to contact a specialized company that will tell you in detail about the pros and cons of all the de-icers presented in the assortment.