Some ice melting products provide the recommended application rates on the box/bag, so this would be the first place to look for the ice melt Buy dot online cheap that will be used. If a user has yet to purchase a product, contacting a potential vendor would be the next best approach to get the recommended application rates. The writer of this article has received many such phone calls and emails, which is why this article is being published:
There are five salts and two non-salts most commonly used to melt ice and snow. The salts are calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, potassium chloride, sodium chloride and calcium magnesium acetate (CMA). The non-salts are urea and glycol. The writer of this article has published many articles describing in detail the advantages/disadvantages of the different salts/non-salts. You may want to Google the word “ice melt products” along with the author’s name to learn more.
For products primarily containing calcium chloride and magnesium chloride such as the brand names “Excel” and “Road Runner”, respectively, it is recommended to use 2 – 4 ounces per square yard. For the more economical blended products using both sodium chloride and magnesium chloride, such as the brand names “Green Scapes” and “Traction Melt”, it is recommended to use 4 – 5 ounces per square yard. For rock salt which is 100% uncoated sodium chloride, it is recommended to use 6 – 7 ounces per square yard. CMA is an expensive organic salt used primarily at airports. Liquid CMA is replacing glycol as the product of choice for de-icing airplanes because it is better for the environment. Many ice melting blends use small amounts of CMA to coat the salt crystals. The use of CMA coatings does not change the recommended application rates.
For ice melting products which primarily contain urea and/or potassium chloride, the recommended application rates vary considerably and are often based more on marketing than real world experiences. These products can easily be over applied in an effort to melt the ice since they have a +25 F “effective melting temperature” meaning the solution will become re-frozen when the air temperatures drop below +25 F. Over applications of urea and potassium chloride products are known to cause fish kill in our water ways.
It is very important to note that the above recommended application rates are best used for planning purposes to estimate the user’s costs for an overall job. When it comes to the actual application of the ice melt product, the user needs to also consider the following best practices.