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De-Icing? Anti-Icing? The Future Of Snow

Gelderman Landscape Services is excited to announce that we will be using anti-icing in the Mississauga area this coming winter.

Winter snow & ice control can be classified into 3 different categories. Each of these controls is beneficial in a snow & ice management strategy, and by monitoring weather conditions closely and being aware of the strengths of each method, we are able to use each control effectively.

Snow Removal
Snow removal includes the manual removal of snow and ice buildup from walkways and throughways. This is done using a shovel, snow blower, plow, etc. This is likely one of the first things you think of when you consider winter property maintenance and is a huge part of Gelderman’s snow management strategy.

De-icing
De-icing is the most common approach to ice control. It is applied once snow or ice has bonded to the surface of the road or walkway. The material works from the top down to penetrate through the ice and snow and remove its bond to the pavement to allow for shoveling or plowing. Most often applies during or after an event, the hard salt also creates friction on icy areas when applied to make for safer passage.

Anti-Icing
By monitoring the forecast, radar, current air temperature and pavement temperature we will apply this liquid salt brine approximately 48 hours prior to a snow event. This solution is applied directly to the pavement and works from the bottom up to prevent ice and snow from bonding to throughways and walkways. By adding this more environmentally friendly tool to Gelderman’s snow removal toolbox, we will be able to reduce salt related damage to our customer’s properties.

We chose to use the SnowEx Liqui-Maxx sprayer for our purposes. Check out their website for details!

De-icing and anti-icing both have their place in a successful snow management strategy, and we won’t see one replace the other anytime soon. We seek to be proactive in our communication throughout the winter, and adding a liquid brine sprayer to our fleet also gives the opportunity to be even more proactive in our service.