How to know which salt product to use to help melt snow on your sidewalk
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- With a snowstorm having just recently hit the Pittsburgh area, how do you know which salt product is the best to use to treat your sidewalk?
If you've been left with a layer of ice, it can make for a difficult approach, so KDKA's John Shumway is here with some suggestions.
There's the leave-it-alone philosophy, knowing that it will eventually melt, but that can be risky because the more it's walked on or driven on, the more it's packed into very dangerous ice.
A more proactive approach can be considered, instead.
Shoveling off a top layer of snow is one thing, but when it comes to the underlying ice, there are basically three ways to go.
"If you have a dog or a cat that goes outside, you definitely want to use the magnesium chloride rather than the calcium chloride," said Laura Lukehart with ACE Hardware in Wexford.
The magnesium chloride product that sometime comes in a pet-safe formula, is the most expensive, and you may need to use more of it.
"You know, the dogs, the cats are not going to get their paws burned," Lukehart said.
The next step down in price is calcium chloride, and you won't have to worry if you have pets.
"Definitely, that's the way to go," Lukehart said. "It doesn't hurt your concrete at all. Maybe a little to the vegetation around your driveway. You may want to pay attention to that."
The cheapest but also the most damaging to your concrete and vegetation is traditional rock salt.
"It melts the salt, really, or the the snow, you know, the ice really, really well," Lukehart said. "So it's probably the top of the line."
The rock salt is the most damaging, but it really does cut through the ice and you don't need to use as much of it.
However, rock salt isn't as effective as temperatures go down. Once the temperature drops below five degrees. you'll need to use a lot more of it, while the chemical compounds with magnesium and calcium chloride are more effective in really cold temperatures.
The cost comparison can depend on where you shop, but magnesium chloride can be close to double the cost of calcium chloride, which is around twice the price of rock salt.
