Anti-icing

[Quik Turf]

Does anybody out there use their hydroseeder for anti-icing,and de-icing. I have a couple seeders and a water truck,that I would like to use.Instead of using salt, I would like to use calcium chloride,my problem is that instead of odering in liquid form, I would like to order in powdered form and mix it in a seeder, transfer it to my water truck and spray. Am, I way off base? Thanks BillQT

[SimplyGreen]

ice in florida?
We use Magic salt. by far the best product out there, use it with bulk salt..
In my opinion you will never beable to repalce bulk salt. atleast not at a comparable price.

[Quik Turf]

Messiers, I have relocated for the winter. My question was, that I want to use calcium chloride ,as mostly an anti-icing agent. From what I have read,calcium chloride comes in pellet, or liquid. I want to mix powder in a hydroseeder,and spray it, out of my water truck,is that possible. I have not been able to locate a product that.fits my needs. Thanks for answering BillQT

[Turboguy]

I have had lots of guys using hydro seeders for anti-icing sprayers but most all that I know of bought the liquid.  I guess CC flakes desolve pretty easily so as long as you don't add it too fast it has a chance of working.  I doubt that you would hurt anything on your unit trying it.   I guess one concern is if the flakes would desolve as fast when the water starts to get saturated with CC.

I will agree with Zach that Magic is a great product.   I think most of the guys doing anti-icing in New England are using it.   The biggest drawback is that it is expensive.   I see liquids taking off much slower in New England than in places like Michigan where most of the guys are spraying CC or well brine.   They are paying 40-60 cents a gallon for their liquid and can save a lot of money over using granular products.   Maybe not as much as last year when salt was scarce and high priced but still a good savings.   I will agree with Zach also that if you are spraying Magic you probably are not much if any cheaper than salt but pretreating salt with it can be very cost effective.

[Quik Turf]

Ray, I am trying not to have to buy a salt spreader,just use my equiptment,how do you use a salt brine generator

[SimplyGreen]

quick.
 I do not know of a company that is able to get good enough results with just liquids.
 

[Turboguy]

I have seen some guys doing fine with just liquids.  One of our early machines was to a guy not too far from you and when I last talked to him which was Mid Feb of the year he bought it he had done just fine with 100 percent liquids and loved using liquids.  I do see a lot of guys doing the same

BUT.......for most it is a tool in their arsenal and has times when it can save time and money and there are times that granular will work better.   Light snows, particularly light dry snows, anti-icing before a storm and the run of the mill snows are when it seems to work best.   Freezing rain seems to be when granular works better. 

[Turboguy]

Ray, I am trying not to have to buy a salt spreader,just use my equiptment,how do you use a salt brine generator

I am not sure what you are asking Bill.   To use a salt brine generator you add salt and water and get brine out.   Last year ones that worked were in the $ 60,000 range.   I think GVM may have one out for $ 9,000 now.  We had a cheap one out for a while but it was very slow.   There is a chance we may make one in the $ 2000.00 range if I ever get time to build it.

[hydroservice]

We never used our hydroseeder for de icing but I am learning threw repair wok on customers machines that it is very important to rinse the machine frequently or at least at the end of a days work. I am not familiar with the different types of anti icing products but on one machine it was allowed to sit overnight in the pump and it solidified. The next morning they went back to the job, reloaded and when they engaged the clutch, which is air operated of the remote and they were 200' away, it not only blew the clutch but bent the pump shaft as well. There was no way that pump could move that product was so hard we had to chisel it of the impeller. Next time I talk to them I will try to find out what it was they were using. Rinsing it out only takes a minute, took all day to fix that t-170.

[SimplyGreen]

thats why i like the magic salt. its already liquid form, does not freeze, and can sit in your machine ALL winter. we spray about 2500 gals during the winter on our salt piles.

I like it beacause it winterizes my small machine , i dont have to worry about anything.

[Quik Turf]

I was just trying to avoid buying a dump truck,adding a salt spreader,pre-wetting tanks etc... I was under the assumption that just using liquids would do the trick. now, back to my original question, is anybody aware of a powdered ice melting product, that I can mix in my seeder,transfer to my water truck, and spray. Thanks BillQT

[hydroservice]

Bill

    I believe the product I was refering to was some type of powdered product mixed with water. I will try to find out more and let you know.

[hydroservice]

BILL

     I talked to the owner of the machine we repaired here last year. He says that it was calcium chloride that was granular and ment to be mixed with water then sprayed out.

[Quik Turf]

Ralph,thanks for replying. I think granular can cause the problems you were describing, in your earlier post. I would think that a powder would eliminate that,at least I hope so. My goal is to mx it in one of my seeders,transfer it to my water truck and spray it on the parking lots. BillQT

[Quik Turf]

I have been looking for totes of magic-O, but every site , I go to ,is a snow removal contractor, and they want to apply the product,and are not able to sell it. Does anybody know of a distributor close to North Carolina. BillQT