Today in the bright sunshine , clear, dry roads of east brunswick around 2 pm  the salt trucks were out in force putting down so much salt it looked like snow covered roads. Now how much of this salt is getting into the ground killing it. and why are we salting dry roads?

Not sure how it was for the Brunswick’s but I am assuming it would be because during the day the snow and sleet were melting.... and would undoubtedly turn to black ice. 

North of 78 has tons of ice...

but in either case, it was damned if you do damned if you don’t. 

the line posted was pretty correct, central nj was all rain sat into this morning. All the nasty stuff was well north.

Vt was like 3 feet in spots

Salting dry roads has a benefit not only for severe icing conditions but for plowing snow as well.  The first I remember some doing this is about 45 years ago.  The melt it creates enables a plow to clear the snow down to the pavement. PA has been using brine on the PA Turnpike for maybe 20 years.  It has the same effect.

8 hours ago, GRIZ said:

Salting dry roads has a benefit not only for severe icing conditions but for plowing snow as well.  The first I remember some doing this is about 45 years ago.  The melt it creates enables a plow to clear the snow down to the pavement. PA has been using brine on the PA Turnpike for maybe 20 years.  It has the same effect.

The salt separates the lock between the ice and ground. When we get snow and rain and ice, i have to snow blow my driveway, drop salt, and wait about an hour... i can then get the thin layer of ice up with a snow shovel pretty easily... with out the salt, no way... and it would take way too much salt to just melt it all. 

31 minutes ago, JackDaWack said:

The salt separates the lock between the ice and ground. When we get snow and rain and ice, i have to snow blow my driveway, drop salt, and wait about an hour... i can then get the thin layer of ice up with a snow shovel pretty easily... with out the salt, no way... and it would take way too much salt to just melt it all. 

Out of brine. @10X isn’t brine jus Sodium or magnesium , or calcium ; chloride in aqueous? 

 

8 minutes ago, Zeke said:

Out of brine. @10X isn’t brine jus Sodium or magnesium , or calcium ; chloride in aqueous? 

 

20%+ sodium chloride in aqueous. They basically just dissolve road  rock salt so it spreads evenly on the roads and doesn't get kicked off. 

1 minute ago, JackDaWack said:

20%+ sodium chloride in aqueous. They basically just dissolve road  rock salt so it spreads evenly on the roads and doesn't get kicked off. 

Nacl only goes so far in temps.

i think magnesium gets ya -25

1 hour ago, Zeke said:

Nacl only goes so far in temps.

i think magnesium gets ya -25

I know salt is ineffective at lower temperatures.  I never want to be anywhere too cold for salt to work.

We can't afford magnesium in this broke-ass state. 

Last week I saw highway workers stealing salt packets out of McDonalds and dumping them into their truck.

Just now, GRIZ said:

I know salt is ineffective at lower temperatures.  I never want to be anywhere too cold for salt to work.

I think.... table salt works to about 24 f. Still to cold for no pants uncle 

Just now, Handyman said:

We can't afford magnesium in this broke-ass state. 

Last week I saw highway workers stealing salt packets out of McDonalds and dumping them into their truck.

At the kiosk?

1 hour ago, Zeke said:

Out of brine. @10X isn’t brine jus Sodium or magnesium , or calcium ; chloride in aqueous? 

 

Yep, as noted by others, in this context it means NaCl in water.  It could also refer to other salts in water though, or mixtures of salts.

3 minutes ago, 10X said:

Yep, as noted by others, in this context it means NaCl in water.  It could also refer to other salts in water though, or mixtures of salts.

Ppm soluble dependent on temperature.... of course 

Since you're talking alternatives -- I know a guy who swears by Beet juice as an ice melt

Use it straight or mix it with your salt pile to make the salt work in much lower temps

expensive but much safer for the environment and our vehicles -- Go ahead, look it up

1 hour ago, Heavyopp said:

Since you're talking alternatives -- I know a guy who swears by Beet juice as an ice melt

Use it straight or mix it with your salt pile to make the salt work in much lower temps

expensive but much safer for the environment and our vehicles -- Go ahead, look it up

I have heard of this before 

Salt is not for snow, but for ice.

1 hour ago, Ray Ray said:

Salt is not for snow, but for ice.

And French Fries.

1 hour ago, Ray Ray said:

Salt is not for snow, but for ice.

And Pretzel's

15 hours ago, Heavyopp said:

Since you're talking alternatives -- I know a guy who swears by Beet juice as an ice melt

Use it straight or mix it with your salt pile to make the salt work in much lower temps

expensive but much safer for the environment and our vehicles -- Go ahead, look it up

It’s a thing, pretty effective thanks to the sugar, and also the fact that it provides a way to dispose of waste beet juice left over from sugar beet processing 

Adding anything to water lowers its freezing point (and also raises its boiling point-that’s why antifreeze does both), so it’s just a matter of picking what is most effective (or least damaging) for the price.