Capitalizing on Sidewalk Snow Removal

Snow professionals are always looking for ways to improve their sidewalk service operations. It's a complex challenge, but the right combination of tools and tactics leads to an increase in profit, a decrease in time on the job, safer properties and a reduction in the damaging effects of deicers on concretes and landscapes. Having the right plan to guide crews in doing their work quickly, correctly and in a cost-effective manner is key to success in this industry. Some snow contractors use the traditional approach of sending out crews in the middle of the night, armed with snow shovels and buckets of cheap ice melt, to clear sidewalks before the start of business. This "tried-and-true" method has been somewhat effective, but it often results in complaints and frustration by tenants, property managers and owners, and less profit for contractors. There is another way. Snow can be efficiently removed from sidewalks by the same method used to clear snow from streets and parking lots, combining the use of high performance liquid deicers with dependable and effective mechanical spray systems. Mounting liquid deicing systems on ATVs and UTVs with plows, blowers or power brooms is a relatively new approach. This combination provides great benefits; one worker is able to simultaneously remove snow and apply deicer product. Furthermore, since a liquid rather than granular deicer is used, there is no wait time. Engineered liquids also melt ice in colder temperatures than granular products do and have a greater melting capacity, resulting in less product being used. Consider the potential cost savings for your operation. In terms of labor-saving costs, as many as 10 hours of shoveling and dispersing granular ice melt are needed to do the same job that could be done in one hour using an ATV and a plow with a liquid sprayer. When considering product costs, consider that 25 gallons of quality liquid deicer can cover as much as 25,000 square feet. To melt the same area, about 200 lbs. of granular magnesium chloride is required. Costs vary throughout the country, but in Colorado, that is a 33 percent savings in product cost. Another advantage of high-performance liquid deicers is the decreased environmental impact on concrete and the surrounding landscape. Cycles of freezing and thawing are the key culprits causing the most damage to concrete and paved surfaces. Deicers are absorbed into concrete, then expand and contract between a liquid and solid state as temperatures fluctuate. This causes expansion and cracking in poorly air-entrained concrete, ultimately resulting in complaint calls from property managers. Properly engineered high-performance liquid deicers cause less damage since they stay in a liquid state much longer than granular products, decreasing the number of freeze/thaw cycles and, therefore, the stress put on the concrete. If you're a snow contractor distributing granular ice melt by hand and shovel, take a good look at your labor and product costs, wasted material and unintended damage to client properties, time and money spent dealing with unhappy property managers and paying for repairs, and then consider switching to a new method. Written by: Randy Goings - ESI Commercial

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