Salt Vs Sand

Type:  Articles

Sand Vs Salt Dilemma Which product is best to  use  sand or salt, or a combination of the two?  For  New Englanders this is a very controversial topic and carries cost implications that really affects the bottom line.  When it comes to snow management, or as we refer to it as risk management, one can not be too cautious when treating paved surfaces.  Slip and falls or vehicular accidents are costly and add up real fast.  Sand and salt  pro's and con's can impact your facility both environmentally and on a practical level  Below are a few things to consider when determining whether or not to use a sand or  salt mixture for your winter season and ensuring a safe environment for all.  On one hand  sand is a very inexpensive way to treat icy  surfaces.  It is best used  for traction control  on  low salt use and conservation areas and best applied on steep slopes, intersections, and sharp turns.   But sand itself will not suffice when dealing with  below freezing temperatures.  A salt mixture is needed to prevent the sand from freezing and clumping up.  While  it's intent  is used for traction control overuse creates a dangerous environment as the sand becomes a sheet over paved surfaces enabling vehicles to slide and skid.  In heavy traffic areas sand also proves ineffective as it is picked up by passing  vehicles, which in turn  requires more applications to keep an area safe.  Tracked sand can also increase vehicle damage if the wrong particle size is used you can expect more damaged windshields and accelerated vehicle corrosion.   In addition sand can have a negative impact on your landscape and facility.  It is tracked through buildings and not only unsightly but an added nuisance needing  constant clean up.    The damage it causes to turf and lawn creates an added cost in the spring as well to remove the piled sand left behind from snow banks and general paved surfaces.  Sand can also fill and clog catch basins, drainage swales and neighboring streams which creates another set of environmental issues along with added cost of clean up. Salt use has become increasingly popular and a definite trend can be seen with people using salt over sand despite costing at least double a sand mixture.  Many of the benefits include almost immediate results getting down to paved surfaces for safe travel, and zero clean up at the end of a season. Too much can harm the environment however but too little proves ineffective and prone to refreeze.  With the increased use there are some environmental issues to be aware of and making  sure the proper amount of materials are being used is key.   Over use can have some negative impact with both turf and landscape and even surrounding wildlife, streams and reservoirs.  New technologies and processes have proven to decrease the amount of material used up to 30% by pre-wetting  techniques or by adding a calcium chloride solution which not only decreasing the amount of product needed but increases the effectiveness by lowering the freezing point of salt below 20 degrees, also know as Magic Salt. As technology continues to improve methods of applying ice control agents, less and less  sand use will likely continue and perhaps eventually shift to another method for traction control.  For now there are some reasonable needs out there for  sand but when you add up the ancillary cost associated with it's use the gap closes dramatically.  The definite winner as it relates to risk management would be an appropriately applied salt or Magic salt application to ensure a safe passage for consumers, residents, or clients alike.          an objective view, which is response to a blog post of "how about some suggestions or ideas rather than complain or bash" So here is one, hopefully it will not be met by more, we can't do that, we don't have the money or my favorite, we been doing this way for years and it works. How about a new idea or thought tried to see if it actually works and saves money while still having roads that can be traveled safely, as safe as can be considering how most people drive these days. Jeff Bennett