Liquid Deicing: Why use Liquids?

by Robert Hansen | © Dultmeier Sales

Dry salt products have been used for years in Northern climates to deal with icy road conditions. Liquid deicing products have been around for 10+ years.

So why should we embrace liquid deicers? One reason is simple: it's a mechanical thing. The deicing chemicals, dry or liquid, are basically the same. The benefit of liquids has to do with the control joints in the concrete surface. If the joints are not sealed & resealed as needed (doesn't matter if the joints are saw cut or manually troweled), they become a collection area for any dry deicing product. Look at any salt-failed sidewalk: where is the failed area? Both sides of the joint.

The dry salt collects in the joint and awaits moisture, which activates the melting process over and over again while the chloride continues to attack the concrete. Liquid deicers don't create this problem because liquid salt products dry to a powder that just blows away.

So figure out how to use liquid deicers. Beyond the concrete damage it eliminates a lot of residue mess.

What kind of products will you need? You will need a brinemaker for your own liquid deicer production if you choose to not buy the product, polyethylene tanks for storage, pumps, meters, nozzles and hoses for liquid deicer transfer / handling and spray equipment to apply.

Liquid deicing is one of Dultmeier Sales' areas of expertise, please contact us at 1-888-677-5054 for technical support and ordering assistance.

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