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Alternatives to salt - de-ice the driveway

Aimee Grimmel

Posts: 18

Location: Western Mountains Maine Zone 5a - 4b

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posted 11 years ago

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We have been using that expensive pet safe salt free Saf-T-Pet ice melt stuff, as well as ashes from the wood stove and pellet stove to try keeping our steep driveway fairly safe. Unfortunately all of the dirt I meant to store for the driveway is under a foot of snow and ice, up a slippery hill, you get the idea. With the ice storm that just rolled through, we're looking for some more alternatives to salt. . So, do I (cringe) buy some dirt, spend a fortune on Saf-T-Pet, or does anyone have some further ideas? Please note that we did scrape the ice up some yesterday but we are both disabled making it very difficult.

Warmly,
Aimee

Warmest Blessings,
Aimee
http://greengoddessecofarm.blogspot.com/

S Bengi

pollinator

Posts: 3828

Location: Massachusetts, Zone:6/7 AHS:4 GDD:3000 Rainfall:48in even Soil:SandyLoam pH6 Flat

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posted 11 years ago

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How about a snow blower, follower by a shovel then pet safe salt or black tarp for solar heating

Iterations are fine, we don't have to be perfect
My 2nd Location:Florida HardinessZone:10 AHS:10 GDD:8500 Rainfall:2in/mth winter, 8in/mth summer, Soil:Sand pH8 Flat

Dale Hodgins

Posts: 9002

Location: Victoria British Columbia-Canada

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posted 11 years ago

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Gravel and sand give nice grip. Mix it with 5% biochar and the blackness will promote melting. A nice big box of this placed at the top of the slope can be easily broadcast. Use lots of it. It can be gathered up in spring for future use.

R Scott

pollinator

Posts: 4142

Location: Kansas Zone 6a

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posted 11 years ago

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My suggestion (for next year anyway) is to order a truckload of sand and put a tarp over it (so it doesn't freeze into a giant block of ice itself). Use it on the driveway and steps and then mix any extra into the garden or compost pile in the spring, or save it for the next year.

Sand is fairly cheap most places. If not, crusher fines should be.

Potassium chloride softener salt is not cheap, but may be cheaper than saf t melt. Or granulated lawn fertilizer.

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Dale Hodgins

Posts: 9002

Location: Victoria British Columbia-Canada

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posted 11 years ago

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An added benefit of crusher fines is that they can contain a wide array of plant nutrients. They crush glacial till here, so the fines come from many different parent rocks. Salt poisons the roadside. Stone dust fertilizes the farm.

Aimee Grimmel

Posts: 18

Location: Western Mountains Maine Zone 5a - 4b

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posted 11 years ago

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Thanks to everyone for all the ideas! I was able to find the crusher fines locally for the same price as plain ole dirt. We've been using that extensively, and the ducks are loving it as well. They appreciate being allowed free reign of the place. It's nice to feel like I am helping the surrounding area, rather than harming it, every time it gets slippery. Especially considering that most of the runoff from our street ends up in a brook! Next year I will definitely get our sand pile moved closer and covered.

Warmest Blessings,
Aimee
http://greengoddessecofarm.blogspot.com/

John Polk

steward

Posts: 7926

Location: Currently in Lake Stevens, WA. Home in Spokane

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posted 11 years ago

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Do you have a surplus of beets?

http://grist.org/list/canadian-town-is-using-beet-juice-to-de-ice-the-roads/

I have also read that some places are experimenting with diced up sugar beets.

Steve Hoskins

Posts: 65

Location: NW lower Michigan

posted 11 years ago

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Sand and wood ash is what we use. Can you stand to walk on top of the ice? You can make it grip, but melting will take salt.
So far my dog's paws don't mind ash. I worry a lot when she walks on the salts.
I agree that getting it shoveled ahead of time is the best option for "melting".

And yeah, the leftover biochar from my overnight burns definitely helps when the sun comes out.

Timothy Norton

Steward of piddlers

Posts: 6088

Location: Upstate NY, Zone 5, 43 inch Avg. Rainfall

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posted 9 months ago

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Sand and ash are a pretty solid combination. Try to keep the ice from building up as best as you can and clear the snow as you can. Good tread on shoes is a must.

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Douglas Alpenstock

pollinator

Posts: 5520

Location: Canadian Prairies - Zone 3b

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posted 9 months ago

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The neighbours watched me spreading fine sand on my steep concrete driveway while it was completely dry and snow-free. No doubt they got a laugh. It's silty sand from my subsoil that I dried out and keep in closed garbage cans (scrounged of course). Two days later we got 8" of snow. I scraped off the snow, but the fine sand is in all the little pores of the concrete providing traction. Timing is everything.

Eric Hanson

Steward and Man of Many Mushrooms

Posts: 5707

Location: Southern Illinois

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posted 9 months ago

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Sand

Ashes

A good shovel, probably a flat-bladed shovel for cleaning right down to pavement (if that’s what you have)

Best though—learning how to drive on snow and ice!!

Some places need to be wild

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