Rock Salt & De-Icing Products

Keep your business premises slip-free with rock salt

Snow and ice can appear without notice and when they do you'll want to be prepared. The choice of products to clear ice from car parks and paths is quite wide and takes a certain amount of consideration. What might be practical for a single entrance business is not going to work where there is a large car park to clear.

What causes ice to form in the first place? Ice forms when water comes into contact with a surface temperature which is below 0 degrees centigrade, or 32 degrees fahrenheit. The freezing point of water is 0 degrees, combine this with a bracing north wind which lowers the air temperature and you've got yourself a super-chilly day! Ice is basically just frozen water, with a few particles included for good measure, both can cause trouble, with snow and probably considered the most troublesome.

So how to we deal with snow-laden roads and icy pavements during the winter months?

There are a number of ways to help to prevent and remove snow and ice from road surfaces, car parks and paths. The way you deal with these slippery matters depends on the size of the area you need to cover. The same de-icing products can be used in both large and small areas, but the way in which you deploy them can differ.

Lets start with the biggest task, clearing the UK road network. You're probably familiar with gritting lorries, or trucks if you prefer. If you see one coming towards you as you're driving, or walking, they can make you duck for cover as the little pellets of road salt are fired out of the back of the gritter. Gritters are great, but only cover public roads, so how can you tackle snow and ice on your business premises?

Road salt is available in a wide range of quantities so you don't have to buy tonnes of salt. There are two main types of salt to choose from, a bit like bread, brown or white. Both work equally as well at melting ice, with white salt being cleaner. Brown salt is mostly used on public roads as the added grit in the mix helps to provide traction for vehicle tyres. The only downside of brown salt is that it can leave behind an unsightly residue, you may have noticed a browny-pink slush at the side of roads. But this dirty, salty water soon washes away following a good rainfall.

The best way to remove snow and ice from your car park or pavement is to remove the bulk of snow with a snow shovel or plough before covering the area with road grit. Once the snow is piled to one side, spread salt evenly over the area you need to clear.

Road salt, also known as sodium chloride, is best stored in a grit bin. They are designed to keep your salt supplies clean and dry, if your salt gets damp it can clump and become difficult to spread. You can choose to simply serve your salt with a flick of a spade, but it is tricky to give an even spread and more to the point, exhausting!

The ideal way to deposit rock salt is using a salt spreader. There are a wide range of types of spreaders available from hand-held devices to push along spreaders with vehicle towed or tractor mounted options also available. They're all suitable for use with both brown and white rock salts and ice melts. It's worth looking for high quality salt that meets British Standard 3247.

So when water freezes, be sure that you are fully stocked up on all your de-icing supplies to ensure traffic flows. We have been a salt supplier for over 40 years, so for any advice you may need we are here to help you with your winter servicing.