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Frequently Asked Questions Cope Company Salt

AutoBrine® System
1. How long has the company been installing AutoBrine® Systems? Since 1989, over 200 systems have been installed and over 98% are still in operation today.
2.
What volume of salt use warrants a system? Annual usage above 24 tons provides the best justification to install a system. However, some customers with less volume have installed the system for safety and environmental reasons. If you are interested in what size system you would need, see www.AutoBrine.com/systemsize.html
3. Do you need a permit to install an AutoBrine® System? No municipality has ever required a permit. If a permit was required, the Cope Company Salt would handle the submissions.
4. How long does it take to install a system? Typically it takes 3-7 business days to install a system. It could take longer if there are multiple systems to connect or a long distance of piping required.
5. Does an AutoBrine® System change the operation of the water softeners? A water softener has a day tank where salt is combined with water before it is drawn into the water softener. The AutoBrine® System connects with your existing day tank, not the water softener, so there is no impact on your water softener.
6. Is the scale on your truck registered with the state? The scale is a patented scale that is registered with DOT and is calibrated by a third party every six months.
7. How often does the AutoBrine® tank need to be cleaned? The Cope Company Salt will take care of cleaning the tank when needed. The frequency is based on salt usage. Based on a typical use of salt, the tank will need to be cleaned every 2-3 years.
8. Has an AutoBrine® tank ever leaked? We have never had a tank leak. We have had a pipe break due to an unrelated sinkhole that developed. Brine is a non-hazardous material, so recovery of material is not needed or required.
9. How does the price for loose salt/brine compare to the price of bagged salt? Price will depend on your volume and location. Some customers achieve a cost savings in salt, and all customers achieve a cost savings in labor and waste as well as improved safety and environmental impact.
10. What is brine? Brine is water saturated with a salt, usually sodium chloride. It can be used in the water-softening process or pre-wetting process to prevent ice and snow from adhering to a sidewalk or roadway.
11. Is brine considered a hazardous material? Sodium is found naturally in the earth and oceans, and is not considered a hazardous material.
12. Will brine freeze in my outside tank? Brine in thin layers will start to freeze at 15° F, but due to the volume of brine in the tank and the movement created from drawing into the day tank, much colder temperatures for a long period of time would be required. Since 2007, when we started installing the above-ground liquid system, we have not had any system freeze. If this a concern, heat wraps can be installed.

Ice Melt Product
13. Which product is the most environmentally safe ice melt? Magnesium chloride is the most environmentally safe ice melt and is often a component of agricultural products.
14. Which product is the most pet-friendly ice melt? All products will typically not be harmful if a pet were to ingest . The biggest issue is frostbite and irritation on a pets paws. Both magnesium chloride and calcium chloride are pet-friendly since they create heat (exothermic) to melt ice, thereby reducing the chance of frostbite. Magnesium chloride is less irritating than calcium chloride, therefore magnesium chloride is less damaging to pets' paws. Rock salt lowers the freezing point (endothermic) of water, thus the melted ice can be at very low temperatures causing frostbite on paws.
15. Do you have enough ice melt products for the whole winter? The Cope Company Salt purchases over 100 trucks of ice melt products in the fall. If more is needed, we have access to additional supplies. However, product purchased later in the season usually costs more and results in a price increase.
16. Will the price go up mid-season? If so when? We purchase over 100 trucks of ice melt product in the fall at a fixed cost so that we can provide stable prices throughout the winter. However, if we are required to purchase additional product, the price is usually higher. This causes us to raise our price. When or if this occurs depends on the winter conditions.
17. What is the minimum delivery? We will deliver one pallet, although there is a delivery charge for single-pallet delivery. There is no delivery charge for two or more pallets.
18. What's the difference between magnesium, calcium, rock salt (halite), and a blend? We have created a chart to explain the differences in ice melt products which you can find at www.copecompany/icemelt.html. Magnesium is best near vegetation, Calcium is best for melting ice in less than an hour, Cope Performance Blend™ is best for consistent melting over time, and rock salt/halite is best for large areas not near vegetation with time to melt.
19. How many bags are on a skid? The number of bags on a skid depends on the size of the bag. There are (100) 25lb. bags on a skid, (63) 40lb. bags, and (49) 50lb bags, or in the case of magnesium and calcium there are (48) 50lb. bags per skid.
20. What's CMA? CMA is very effective product to start the melting process. It is a very expensive product, so it is not typically used routinely. Cope Performance Blend™ is coated with CMA to achieve the benefits while minimizing the cost.

Water Softeners
21. What is the difference in solar salt crystals and pellets? Solar salt is salt from the sea that is separated by evaporation. Salt pellets are mined salt that is pressed into pellets and is typically referred to as “cleaner salt”. Both solar salt crystals and pellets are over 99% salt, but salt crystals will have some impurities. The amount of impurities in solar salt crystals depends on the source of the product and how it is handled. The Cope Company Salt chooses to only purchase solar salt from reliable vendors that provide a clean product.
22. What kind of salt is best for extending the life of my water softener? Salt pellets are the cleanest product and leave less residue in the brine tank of the water softener. Since both pellets and crystals are only producing brine for the softener, one product is not better that the other for the softener. Some water softener manufactures recommend only salt pellets to be used in their water softeners (i.e. Sears/Kenmore). Pellets tend to have less bridging (salt clumping) in these systems.
23. How big an effect on my health does using sodium chloride in my water softener have over using potassium chloride? For the general public, the research shows there is no effect with normal usage. For some people and certain health conditions, there could be an impact. We recommend you discuss with your doctor if you have questions in reference to low sodium diets. Typically, an 8oz glass of softened water contains about the same amount of sodium as one slice of white bread.
24. What makes salt bridge in my water softener tank? The water level may have gotten too high in the brine tank. This usually indicates a problem with the venturi jets in the control module. Having the unit serviced is the best solution. Other than that, break up the salt as best you can and remove it. Then put new salt in the unit.
25. Why is K-Life so expensive? K-Life is 100% potassium chloride. There are limited sources of the material and the process of mining is more expensive than sodium. Potassium is thought by some to be better for the environment and is recommended for people with restricted sodium intake diets or other sodium-related health concerns.

General
26. Will you be able to deliver if I have no forklift? No dock? No room for a trailer? Most of our trucks have lift gates and pallet jacks that allow us to deliver to any commercial location. Any restrictions should be communicated to your sales representative so that we can document it in your account records. We do need to be able to access the unloading location with a truck.
27. What is the delivery fee? We only have an additional fee for single-pallet delivers.
28. What is Cope's delivery range? For less than truckload orders, we will deliver to the Mid-Atlantic Region. For truckload orders, we will deliver to most locations east of the Mississippi.
29. Do you arrange drop shipments? We will arrange the shipping for all deliveries or use your carrier if that is more practical.
30. Can you deliver to my home? Due to size of our trucks, we typically cannot deliver to residential addresses.
31. What is the grade of your salt? Most salt has over 98% salt content. The difference is the cleanliness. We purchase salt that is at or above industry standards for cleanliness.
32. Where does The Cope Company Salt get its salt? Solar salt comes from the sea, typically from Central and South America.
33. How long will salt last? What is the "shelf life"? As long as the product is kept dry, there is no degradation of the product.
34. Do you bag your own salt? We do not bag our own salt. We have contracts with various vendors to assure a consistent supply of salt.
35. Can I pay with a credit card? We accept all major credit cards.
 
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