Tried searching for a thread that covered this and no dice, so here goes.
As the northeast is looking at snow this weekend I realized I need to buy some ice melt stuff for my steps and sidewalk. However, I got the steps replaced a year ago and was told not to use ice melt on them by the contractor as it would cause the concrete to pit and possibly crack.
I used sand last winter and it was ok, but not great, for traction. Can people here tell me if it’s safe to use ice melt this winter as the concrete is no longer brand new? Is there a particular brand (or specific chemical to look for as an ingredient) that’s effective but less likely to damage the concrete?
I was thinking about the brands that they sell in pet stores that are less harsh to protect a dog’s paws - would they be a good compromise? I mean if it’s gentle enough not to harm a dog’s skin it would be ok for the concrete, right? But do they work or am I just as well off using up the remaining sand I have?
I’m imagining it’s the salt that would harm uncured concrete? I’m pretty sure your concrete steps are cured now.
I use the dog-paw ice melt, no salt, environmentally friendly, and I have three dogs. It works really well, if anything better than the salty stuff.
I think pet safe stuff is just biologically inert. I could be wrong, but I think anything that melts snow (even sand) isn’t great for concrete, because the temperature is raising and lowering faster than usual which causes thermal expansion and contraction. It’s not a chemical reaction with the concrete itself.
You could probably get away with rough pebbles if you’re just looking for traction.
Our rule of thumb (when I was still in the construction biz) was to tell the maintenance guys not to put ice melt on concrete for a year after placement, for the reasons stated in the OP. You may still get some pitting, but it shouldn’t be as severe after that amount of time. You might want to go talk to somebody at a local company to get the straight info.
Hmm. So it’s not the chemicals, its the expansion/contraction. So the pet safe stuff is no better or worse in that aspect (although being environmentally safe is important).
Thanks all. Now to hope one of the big branches of a tree in my backyard doesn’t crack due to the weight of the wet snow on the leaves. It’s already bending quite a bit, but there’s nothing underneath it that can be crushed so what will be, will be.