Salt For Melting Ice On Concrete

Most road crews use rock salt halite sodium chloride to melt ice on public roads.

Salt for melting ice on concrete.

This is because it is the cheapest solution. Because sodium chloride will begin to freeze at 25 degrees fahrenheit the water will re freeze in the cracks on especially cold days or nights. Potassium chloride is seen as an environmentally safe alternative to rock salt but his too is corrosive making it unsafe for concrete. This solution generates heat which in turn melts the ice.

Some of this liquid will find its way into pores or fissures. The following are the best ice melt products for concrete surfaces. While potassium chloride is good for the environment it damages the concrete and typically costs 3 5 times more. Salt on concrete or pavement can causes it to pit and once pitted it can eventually crack and break.

Ice melt works by attracting moisture thus forming a salt water solution known as brine. When rock salt is applied to concrete any existing snow or ice will melt. Earthborn elements snow ice melt pellets 1 gallon pet plant safe ice melter concrete safe 90 pure calcium chloride fast acting exothermic heat more effective than rock salt 3 8 out of 5 stars 60. Another good de icer is cma or calcium magnesium acetate which doesn t wash away as easily as the others and has a lower environmental impact.