Paving slabs on the stairs freeze in winter. Paths without snow and ice
Winter in central Russia does not give up its positions for a long time. One of the main problems associated with cold and snowfalls is ice. We will look at the main ways to deal with icing garden paths.
Previously, they fought against ice “cheaply and cheerfully”, sprinkling the paths with salt. But today even municipal services refuse this barbaric method. Salt is too caustic, damaging not only pedestrian shoes, but also pavement. And in the country, the use of salt can lead to even more sad consequences. In the spring, together with melt water, it will penetrate into the soil, from which the roots of plants growing along the paths will inevitably suffer.
There is another good reason to ditch regular salt: it is only effective in relatively warm weather. In severe frost, the benefits of it are almost imperceptible.
But other salts (chlorides), such as calcium or magnesium, can be used as a topping. These drugs are sold in gardening stores as plant food. Using them, the summer resident kills two birds with one stone - he gets rid of ice and preemptively fertilizes the soil.
On the basis of salts, special anti-slip agents for tracks are also produced. The principle of their operation is as follows: getting on the ice, the reagent crystals begin to absorb moisture and pass from the solid phase to the liquid. The process is accompanied by an active release of heat, which ensures the melting of the ice crust.
When selecting anti-icing agents, it is important to pay attention to their environmental safety. In spring, they inevitably fall into the soil along with melt water.
Unfortunately, all anti-slip chemicals have one limitation. They are effective only at temperatures close to zero. When the thermometer drops below -22°C, you have to resort to other measures. What? First of all - to abrasive powders. And the most common option is sand. It is best to stock up on them in the summer or autumn, picking up a few buckets on the banks of the nearest river. Buying sand in small quantities is more than problematic. Usually it is sold by the cubic meter, so you have to cooperate with neighbors or incur losses.
In Switzerland, there is another curious way of dealing with ice. Fine sand is mixed with hot water in a ratio of 7:3 and fed to roads under pressure. The hot mixture melts into the ice and it becomes rough. There is only one disadvantage of this method - the need for special equipment
In any case, when sprinkling the path with sand, it is worth remembering that this is a temporary measure. The wind quickly blows it away, and during thaws and subsequent cold snaps, it freezes into ice and becomes completely useless. So, the abrasive will have to be applied again.
If the house has a stove or fireplace, ash can also be used.But the stone chips of fraction 2-6 mm are more effective. Most often it is granite or marble. It holds better than sand and breaks ice better. Of course, such an abrasive is not cheap, but it can be used repeatedly, and in European countries this is a common practice. With the onset of spring, the crumb is swept off the roads, washed and stored until it is needed again.
Marble chips have a higher heat capacity than granite chips, and therefore it destroys ice faster.
If there is too much ice on the paths, and the problem can no longer be solved with the help of sprinkles, you will have to do manual cleaning. It is important not to damage the road surface. So, you need to use not iron crowbars and ice axes, but wooden shovels and plastic scoops.
Unfortunately, the work with "sparing" tools drags on for many hours. To facilitate the work, the ice can be melted a little. The easiest way is to pour it with hot water, but it will soon cool and freeze. It is better to use a mixture prepared according to a simple recipe: 2 l. water, 150-250 ml. vodka and 100 ml. any detergent. This solution works just as well as salt.
At the end of the topic, we note that There are preventive measures to deal with frost. We are talking about water repellents - organosilicon-based compounds that push moisture out of the pores of paving slabs. Thanks to this, the adhesion of ice to the road surface becomes much weaker, and its cleaning is not difficult.
In winter, seeing tons of snow is not unusual. In urban conditions, in order not to slip on the ice, they are sprinkled with anti-icing reagents. But what about the private sector: a porch, an entrance to the garage, paving slabs, paving stones and garden paths that you have to walk on daily? How can you melt the ice or minimize the effect of "flight"?
How to get rid of ice
There are various means by which garden paths and paving slabs are sprinkled: salt, sand, bischofite, marble and granite chips, earth and ash.
- The most common reagent is salt. Available, cheap, but harmful! The strongest substance, chloride, really effectively corrodes snow and ice. At the same time, shoes, clothes suffer from it, pipes are corroded, any coating of the track is destroyed, and sticking to the paws of animals causes allergies.
As a precautionary measure, the dosage must be observed. With a slight frost, 20 g of salt is distributed per 1 sq.m. It is unlikely that any of us will be able to distribute a tablespoon of the substance over this area! To have an effect, the layer should be 3-5 mm.
Table salt is best used in mild frosts, down to -7 ° C.
So that after a powerful ice fight the next day ice does not form again, as a preventive measure, garden paths are sprinkled with reagent in small portions. It is better to use extra salt. Small grains will not allow frost to turn into a skating rink.
If an ice crust has already appeared, salt should be used in larger granules.
- The next, well-known bulk substance, but a little more expensive than the previous version, is sand. It is well scattered on the porch and paths, the ice underfoot becomes less slippery and everything seems to be fine. Do not forget that the sand is light and in a strong wind it will quickly scatter. Too thick a layer solves this problem, of course, but then another one arises - all the dirt will be brought into the house with shoes.
- An effective and quick way to clear garden paths from ice is to mix warm water with dish detergent and alcohol in a ratio of 2 liters of water, 6-10 drops of detergent, 60-100g of alcohol. Pour into a bottle and water the area. This mixture melts ice very quickly. This will prevent ice and dirt.
- Breaking ice with a shovel, crowbar or rake is a bad idea, as this can damage tiles, paving stones and even ordinary concrete pouring. Although, as they say, “There is no reception against scrap,” and not a single composition will work better and cleaner.
- Magnesium chloride (bischofite) is best used for sprinkling ice on ceramic tiles or wood. Not suitable for concrete areas and near foundations. It destroys the cement.
- Marble chips sprinkled on the ice paths look very beautiful. She will not let you slip, but white marks remain from her. At the end of winter, it does not need to be removed, it is enough to sweep it to the ground. Over time, the marble will dissolve.
Granite crumb leaves no traces in the house, but it needs to be collected (sweep) from the paths.
- Sprinkling garden paths from ice with earth and ash is also effective. They will not melt the ice, the snowy mood will be “stained”, dirt on the shoes, but they will not let you slip and fall.
How to remove ice from paving slabs
Often the foreground of the house is paved with paving slabs. Neat shapes in multiple colors are a great alternative to simple concrete pouring. In winter, the tile absorbs water, due to the porous base, and freezes in frost. Ice water leads to rupture of internal pores and cracks appear over time.
It will not work to remove ice from paving slabs with a crowbar, because. it is quite difficult to calculate the force of impact, and it is easy to break a tile. Metal scrapers and brushes can scratch it, and hard abrasive materials make it unstable to external natural phenomena.
To reduce the icing of paving slabs, a water repellent is used. The water-repellent composition gets into the pores, frost resistance increases, repelling the ice crust from the surface. From salt and saline solutions, the top layer of concrete gradually changes inside, while reducing the service life.
As improvised tools, use only wooden or plastic brushes, brooms, scrapers, shovels, crowbars. It will be appropriate to apply anti-icing reagents. But rather than removing ice, it is better to prevent its formation. after every snowfall. From caking and trampling, a dense layer is formed, which is difficult to clean in the future.
Snowy winter is beautiful and pleasant. In addition, it is useful: the snow that melted in the spring will turn into water, which will water the earth, and through it the plants. But if the temperature "jumps" from plus to minus - the snow either melts or freezes - this does not seem to be so positive.
The roads are covered with a crust of ice, it is difficult and even dangerous to walk along them. Of course, it is unrealistic to change the situation on all the roads that you have to walk on, but you simply must make the area around your own house safe.
What to put on ice? In winter, this is really one of the most basic problems for those who live in a private house. But those who live in apartments often walk on ice that is not processed in any way. However, this is already a problem that directly concerns the utilities, which are responsible for solving it. Quite another matter is the private sector, along the paths of which you walk every day. And not taking care of their own safety is very stupid.
There are several ways to help walk on ice without fear. If you leave it unattended, then there is a huge chance that you will slip. It is for this reason that it is simply necessary to sprinkle it.
Boiling water
Just imagine this ice. What is the easiest way to deal with it? Of course, this is just boiling water! But, this can only solve the problem during a thaw. Yes, the ice will melt after some time, and if the path has a slope, then the water will drain from it, and after the next frost it will not freeze for some time. This method can be adopted.
Salt
Many sprinkle the paths with salt. Of course, it quickly “eats up” ice, but only the path itself is destroyed just as quickly from salt. Whether it's pavers, paving slabs, or just a concrete path that you poured with your own hands. In addition, you will drag salt on your shoes home. Shoes will suffer from this, and at the same time something else already in the house. And salt has a negative effect on animals - it also corrodes the delicate paws of our pets. Sprinkling salt on ice is an interesting and effective activity, but it is highly undesirable. This also includes any mixtures against ice, which contain salt or other reagents similar in effect.
Sand
Another option, which is also often used, as is the treatment of paths with salt, is the use of sand. Here, it seems to us, everything is very simple. The sand will lie on the ice, and we will no longer fall off the porch, or any other surface on which ice has formed. In principle, everything is correct. But, the sand is very often simply blown away by the wind from the ice. And, if he is on it and lingers in a small amount, then the problem no longer solves. If we pour a lot of sand, then again we will “drag” it all on shoes home, which we also don’t need.
Universal remedy
There is a very simple tool that will help you quickly remove ice from any surface without damaging it. Whether it's a path with any surface (paving stones, paving slabs, asphalt), steps or a porch. Often, ice freezes there and it is impossible to remove it with a shovel, and chiseling with a crowbar is also not an option. In the meantime, you can melt the ice with a fairly simple tool.
To prepare it, we need warm water. In this case, we will take 2 liters of water. We add any liquid detergent with which you wash the dishes. Just 6 drops are enough (you can, of course, more, there will be no harm). And in this amount of water, you will need to pour another 60 grams of alcohol. If you don’t feel sorry for 100 grams, then pour 100. That’s all the components of our ice melter. Next, mix everything well, and you can use it. It is convenient to pour it into a plastic bottle, for example, and then pour ice from it. As they say, if you pour ice on the track with this product, it melts very quickly. You will not need any salt, sand or other reagents for this.
By the way, all over the world they fight against ice in different ways. In some countries of Northern Europe, marble and granite chips are used. At the same time, in Finland they approach this economically: in the spring, the crumbs scattered on the roads are collected by special equipment, after which the crumbs are washed in order to be used again next winter.
In Norway, the ice problem is solved by “heating” the sidewalks. Heat communications are laid exactly under the footpaths and the roadway, and, accordingly, the snow, falling to the ground, immediately melts. In addition to this, the roads are poured with hot water and sand: the resulting ice crust becomes similar to sandpaper.
In some European countries, the roads themselves already have an anti-icing effect: asphalt contains a special component that prevents the formation of ice and makes it easier to clean roads.
One of the main problems of public utilities is always considered to be the removal of snow and ice, and despite the constant introduction of new ways to save from ice, salt is still in use. The Village collected 5 street cleaning technologies in countries where snow falls in winter, learned about their pros and cons, and took comments from environmentalists, shoemakers and ordinary residents.
SALT (NaCl)
PETERSBURG, MOSCOW, Kyiv
Cheapness
Harm. Salt is chloride, a very active substance. For example, a few years ago, it led to an accident at the South Substation (Petersburg), breaking the wires laid underground. Salt corrodes pipes, bridges, cars, causes allergies, damages shoes, clothes, animal paws and historical monuments. Not to mention the environment, as it gets into groundwater, soil and rivers.
Sidewalks are sprinkled with industrial salt or salt mixtures based on it.
Snow removal in Kyiv
MOSCOW
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In cleaning up the territories, the capital has advanced further than other regions. Moscow road workers are proud of their system of preventive measures: even before snow falls, roads are treated with liquid reagents - a 28% solution of calcium chloride and sodium chloride (edible salt). Processing is done on the basis of data from the weather service and a radar system capable of predicting the amount of precipitation with an accuracy of 1 mm of water or 1 cm of snow. Moscow utility companies love reagents - this year they decided to sprinkle their yards with them for the first time and sharply increased the volume of purchases of solid chemicals. |
270,000 tons of salt cover an area of 88 million square meters. m. In winter, 2.1 billion rubles a month is spent on cleaning Moscow roads. |
KYIV
PETERSBURG
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Also on the streets you can find sand and traces of the action of the special mixture "Bionord", which is used to clean the sidewalks. It includes three types of salt: calcium chloride, magnesium chloride and sodium chloride. For the winter, the city purchased 92,000 tons of Bionord. For snow porridge, which is obtained as a result of the action of salt, there is even a special name - sludge. Salt is capable of melting ice up to a temperature of minus 21 °C, however, when the thermometer drops below minus 9–10 °C, its efficiency drops sharply. In Finland, salt is no longer used as soon as the temperature drops below minus 5 °C. Finnish meteorologists claim that roads become less slippery at very low temperatures. |
Opinion: Chemical reagents on the roads |
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FRICTION METHOD:
SAND AND STONE GRIND
AUSTRIA, FINLAND, GERMANY, SWEDEN AND OTHERS
environmentally friendly, reusable
lingers on the road for no more than half an hour:
it is blown away by the wind, the wheels of cars and the feet of pedestrians.
In Helsinki, the snow is compacted and sprinkled with crushed stone
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After much trial, error and scientific research, Europe has almost completely abandoned the use of chemicals to melt snow and ice. In Berlin, for example, the law only allows the use of salt on dangerous stretches of road. Chemicals cause too obvious damage to the environment and the city economy. Fine sand is also not the best option. It is dusty, enters the lungs and is not suitable for recycling. Whereas gravel and stone chips are environmentally friendly and economical, although initially they cost more than salt. |
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The method of spreading sand and other abrasive (hard and fine-grained) materials is called friction: ice cannot be completely eliminated by this method, but traction improves. The main condition for using this technology is that the roads must be cleaned almost to asphalt immediately after or during a snowfall. In some cities in Europe there are even special gravel boxes placed for pedestrians so that residents can scatter the sand themselves if it is very slippery. By the way, such boxes can sometimes be found in St. Petersburg, for example, on Bolshoy Sampsonievsky Prospekt and near the Staraya Derevnya metro station. |
In 2010, 22 million euros were allocated for road maintenance in Finland in winter, but due to heavy snowfalls, the budget was exceeded by 17 million euros. |
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THORGEIR VAA METHOD
SWEDEN
efficiency, environmental friendliness, long-term result
need special expensive equipment
Torgeir Waa's method is being piloted in Sweden
In 2004, a new method of dealing with ice was introduced in Sweden, which was invented by the Swedish scientist Thorgeir Vaa. Fine sand in a ratio of 7 to 3 is mixed with hot water 90-95 ° C and sprinkled on the streets. Hot sand melts into the snow and makes the surface rough. Such processing is enough for 3-7 days with a daily traffic of about 1,500 vehicles. Or until a new snowfall passes.
ALTERNATIVE CHEMICALS
USA, CANADA, NEW ZEALAND
magnesium chloride
high efficiency
more expensive than technical salt, and causes
even more severe corrosion of metals
Great Salt Lakes in Utah
Americans and Canadians use mainly magnesium chloride, which is mined in the Great Salt Lakes in Utah, to clean streets and sidewalks. MgCl2 contains less chlorine than other chlorides, and its efficiency at a lower consumption is much higher. In the winter of 2010, Maryland spent $50 million to clean up roads, while Virginia spent $79 million. Canada spends $1 billion annually on winter road maintenance.
Calcium magnesium acetate
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NO FUNDS
JAPAN AND OTHER 230 COUNTRIES
After a snowfall in Aomori Prefecture
In the mountains of Japan, up to several meters of snow falls during the winter, and in cities - 15–20 cm per night. As a result, by the end of winter, sidewalks and intercity roads turn into narrow snowy canyons with walls 2 people tall and higher. However, roads in Japan are not processed in any way, they only clean off the snow. Therefore, in cities, ice is not such a rare occurrence. At the same time, studded tires are prohibited in the country. By the way, snow removal near houses and on sidewalks is the task of the residents themselves.
OPINION OF THE ENVIRONMENTALIST
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Winter has not yet arrived (at least on a calendar basis), and its first signs have already appeared. Although there are regions of our country, and there are quite a lot of them, where the snow has already fallen, and serious frosts have set in.
We have, for example, so far only frosts, however, not to say that they are strong, but so far there is no snow at all. But even with frost and without snow, it often happens that ice forms on the paths near the house.
It needs to be handled with something. don't slip . If you do not pay attention to it and wait until it melts by itself, then there is a high probability that you yourself will slip on it. And it will lie for a long time, and greatly complicate your movement along the paths near the house. So, you still have to process it with something.
What to put on ice? Path, steps, porch or paving stones
This is really a problem for those who live in their own home. Although we all walk the streets, which very often are simply not treated with anything on ice. But this is already a problem for utilities.
After all, you will not process the entire street from ice on your own. Another thing is your house and the paths you walk on every day. There is no one to rely on and you will have to look for a tool that will help you melt the ice, or at least make it porous and not slippery.
Basic ways
What do we usually sprinkle on the paths, porch or paving slabs near the house? The first option is to simply pour boiling water over the path. But this can only solve the problem during a thaw.
Yes, the ice will melt after some time, and if the path has a slope, then the water will drain from it, and after the next frost it will not freeze for some time. This method can be adopted.
Many sprinkle the paths with salt. Of course, she quickly “eats up” the ice, but only the path itself is destroyed just as quickly from salt. Whether it's pavers, paving slabs, or just a concrete path that you poured with your own hands.
In addition, you will drag salt on your shoes home. From this, and at the same time something else already in the house. Sprinkling salt on ice is an interesting and effective activity, but highly undesirable. This also includes any mixtures against ice, which contain salt or other reagents similar in effect.
Another option, which is also often used, as is the treatment of paths with salt, is the use of sand. Here, it seems to us, everything is very simple. The sand will lie on the ice and we will no longer fall off the porch, or any other surface on which ice has formed.
In principle, everything is correct. But the sand is very often simply blown away by the wind from the ice. And if he is on it and lingers in a small amount, then the problem no longer solves. If we pour a lot of sand, then again we will “drag” it all on shoes home, which we also don’t need.
Simple and versatile ice treatment
There is a very simple tool that will help you quickly remove ice from any surface without damaging it. Whether it's a path with any surface (paving stones, paving slabs, asphalt), steps or a porch.
Often, ice freezes there and it is impossible to remove it with a shovel, and chiseling with a crowbar is also not an option. In the meantime, you can melt the ice with a fairly simple tool.
To prepare it, we need warm water. In this case, we will take 2 liters of water. We add any liquid detergent with which you wash the dishes.
Just 6 drops are enough (you can, of course, have more, there will be no harm). And in this amount of water, you will need to pour another 60 grams of alcohol.
If you don’t feel sorry for 100 grams, then pour 100. That’s all the components of our ice melter. Then mix everything well and you can use it. It is convenient to pour it into a plastic bottle, for example, and then pour ice from it.
As they say, if you pour ice on the track with this remedy, it will melt very quickly. You will not need any salt, sand or other reagents for this.