NILES HYSELL:September 19, 2011
How does one know which ice melt products to use, when to use it, and how much to apply? Morton Salt and Michigan Technological University conducted an experiment to answer these questions. They analyzed and measured the effectiveness of the most commonly used ice melters in both the laboratory and in the real world and discovered several key findings that can be found in the below article.
In order to comprehend the results; however, one almost needs to be an expert. Luckily, Midwest Salt is comprised of experts. By utilizing a scientific approach to snow removal we can help you improve safety and efficiency, increase your profits, and reduce your environmental impact.
Key findings:
In the Lab research bore the following results:
- At -5F, salt and calcium chloride/salt blends were not sufficient to melt significant amounts of ice; however, calcium chloride did produce some melting at this temperature.
- At 5F, calcium chloride melted faster; however, the melting action of the salt/calcium blend and salt caught up over time.
- At 15F, salt and salt/calcium blend resulted in the most melting over time (magnesium chloride demonstrates the least melting capacity despite hydrate levels).
- At 25F salt became the most effective melter and all melters – except magnesium chloride – performed fairly consistently.
This shows that at 25F, using anything besides rock salt or liquids is the least cost effective approach, which will cut in to your business’ profits.
