Salt Brine… what is it? Do you need it? If conditions are right, salt brine might be an important process to keeping your parking lots, sidewalks, and entrances safe for your customers, employees, and tenants. How can it benefit and make a difference for your property and snow management program? Read on!
What Is Brine?
Brine is a liquid mixture of water and salt that’s sprayed on roads, parking lots and walkways, usually before a snow or ice storm to prevent snow and ice from sticking. When used correctly, it can become a powerful tool in your snow and ice management program. Did you know we make our own brine at Beverly Companies? We do! And we have seen great results, including a delay in sticking snow at the onset of a storm, and also improved results of plowing pavements when the brine pretreatment is applied.
When is the right time to use Brine?
It’s all about keeping an eye on the weather and knowing the conditions. If there’s at least 24 hours’ notice and the temperature is between 20 and 35 degrees, brine can be used to pre-treat pavement up to 48 hours before a storm arrives. If the temperature is below 20 degrees, additives can be added to reduce the freezing point. The temperature of the pavement also needs to be taken into consideration, to make sure the brine will not freeze when applied or if additives are needed. Our crews use handheld infrared thermometers to measure ground temperature to make sure the conditions are ideal.
How do we apply Brine?
We have trucks that are equipped with brine tanks and nozzles that spray brine behind the trucks onto the roadways. We also have hand-held hoses and spraying systems on our sidewalk machines, so that crews can spray sidewalks too. When brine is applied, it penetrates the pores of the pavement and prevents a bond from forming between the falling snow or ice on the pavement.
Benefits of Brine?
There’s a time and place for both brine and salt in an effective snow management program. Brine, being in solution form, starts working as soon as crews spray it on the pavement and jumpstarts the melting process. It works great at melting up to the first inch of snow and prevent ice from forming, which can have a huge impact on keeping your walkways and parking lots safe. Brine doesn’t stick to shoes and get tracked into buildings either. And in regard to the environment, brine is gentler on plant materials, and uses a quarter the amount of traditional salt while covering a larger area, so overall there is less of an impact on the environment.
Is adding salt brine to your snow management services right for your property? It just might be! Call us today to speak with one of our Account Managers to learn more about the benefits of brine and how it can help protect your property.