Liquid salt brine applications improve icy conditions.
Lancaster, February 3, 2014: With this winter making its entrance known with snow storms and squalls many townships have already dug into their winter road maintenance budget, leaving decisions to be made for the rest of the winter. Salt shortages on the East Coast as well as the mid-West have also posed a problem for keeping the roads safe and free of ice. Many states across the region are pre-treating their roads in preparation for storms. Pre-treating has helped soften the impact of the storms, improved driving conditions and has also proven to help budget conscious road crews.
Pre-treatment is a form of anti-icing where chemicals are applied to the road, parking lots or sidewalks up to 48 hours before a winter storm to prevent a bond from forming between the pavement and the snow and ice when the storm starts.
Sodium chloride (salt) brine has been selected as the pre-treatment agent of choice, primarily because of its low cost and ready availability.
In the correct mixture, sodium chloride brine sprayed on the dry surface prior to a storm will leave a coating of salt that will aid in the prevention of ice bond to the surface. This pre-treatment enhances the ease of removal of ice and snow after the precipitation fall. The AUTOBrine® System, a patented automated brine maker, by The Cope Company Salt gives you access to sodium chloride brine 24/7. A tap is installed onto the storage tank which allows access to fill spray equipment with brine and pre-treat work areas, parking lots, sidewalks and other critical access points.
Mark Allison, Facilities Director for Lancaster Laboratories has been using the AUTOBrine® System for 3 years for pre-treatment purposes and has already used this method about 15 times just this winter. In his experience the brine treatment is much more cost effective and can melt up to 2” of snow, “it is easier to remove the snow and ice because it makes a barrier that doesn’t freeze”. Allison stated, “We are very impressed with the entire brine system. We don’t waste time filling salt tanks and with our outside brine faucets, it makes filling the tanks for pre-treatment a breeze.”
For more information contact Jeneatte Aksu at 717-390-8580 x226 or visit www.AUTOBrine.com.