What ice melt for virgin concrete?

[GeorgeKaplan]

Had a new concrete driveway poured a couple months ago. We are now receiving lots of snow. The drive is long and relatively steep. Need ice melt to help with traction.

What ice melt can i use and not harm the new concrete?

 

[kschachn]

Well this is what the Morton company says:

Quote:
Ice melters can be harmful to poor quality concrete or new concrete less than a year old, and may cause future cracks or other damage because all deicers increase the number of freeze-thaw cycles that can stress the concrete. Morton® Safe-T-Plus® can help reduce the harmful effects of ice on concrete surfaces, but all sidewalks and driveways are susceptible to deicer damage and should be promptly cleared following ice break-up to reduce the risk of damage. So if your concrete surface is less than a year old, it’s best to use a good, old fashioned shovel or snow blower to clear the ice and snow.

 

[Bgallagher]

From everything I know there isn't anything for fresh concrete besides sand which makes a mess. My advice is to get as close to bare pavement as you can and break up any ice patches. Hopefully the sun will help anything else.

Edit: SafePaw brand said that it is good to use on new concrete but I have never used it nor can I recommend it.

 

[larryinnewyork]

Shovel or Snow Blow, then;

First SUNNY day, use a long handled scraper and the packed snow will break up.
Then, shovel again. Do small areas at a time.
SUN MUST BE SHINNING.

90% of the time, my Driveway is bare concrete in Winter (Buffalo NY area).

 

[volk06]

I had a new drive way 3 years ago that is also on an include. This is what I did.
1. Immediately remove snow with a snowblower before and thing was driven on it.
2. After snowblowing, go over it with a leaf blower... seriously it works great
3. I never used any ice melt, use only sand. It will melt through the ice in direct sunlight on a decent day even when below 32f.

I just bought 70lb tubes of sand. I still don't use any ice melt to this day, just sand and it has worked great.

 

[Balrog006]

All ice melters have the potential to cause problems by virtue of how they work...

That said (although too late in your case if you didn't) a good concrete mix design with proper additives is the best defense against damage from them. The mix should have been proportioned to include enough cement to make it dense enough and mostly impermeable to the melted salt water mixture from the salt, 5 'bags' of cement per cubic yard of concrete is a starting point for this, 5.5 or 6 is much better. The concrete should have also contained an additive to entrap micro air bubbles within the matrix making the hardened concrete resistant to harm when freezing and thawing.

Without these two considerations your drive may not last even if you do not use any salt on it....

 

[GenesisGuy70]

My grandparents made the mistake of ruining a good portion of their new $10,000 cement driveway about 10 years ago. My cousin had just been born and grandma baby sat and they were concerned about her mom falling.

I agree with everyone above. Absolutely do not put salt on that driveway. This winter will require some elbow grease to keep things safe but by next winter you should be good to go for using salt...sparingly.

 

[ChiTDI]

Leaf blower is a great idea.

 

[Danno]

Sand it - only.

 

[137_Trenton]

I would use something along the lines of sand or cat litter for traction. Next year I would highly recommend putting a good concrete sealer on your driveway though. It really helps to protect from the salt, and also makes the removal of snow and ice easier. I had a new driveway poured about 7 or 8 years ago and it still looks like new (I reapply a good quality solvent based top seal every couple of years). Between the salt that gets on the driveway from the plow truck, and the salt which drips off the vehicles that are parked on it, I am well protected and have no worries. If you do use a top seal instead of a penetrating sealer, just make sure you mix in the anti-slip additive (don't ask me how I know

).

 

[Brybo86]

I would do sand and then when it gets to 30 and sunny get off your bum and clean it properly.
I never use salt on driveway. I would rather shovel immediately and often

 

[DriveHard]

I never use salt as I hate having it tracked into the house. Just spend the extra time with a shovel/snow blower/broom...although the leaf blower idea I might have to give a try to.

 

[Doc8404]

Let's just hope it's not on the north side of your house like mine is

 

[MNgopher]

Good shoveling and scraping first, then sand. No salt period for at least the first winter.

 

[Triple_Se7en]

Don;t use any deicer and sand makes a mess, tracking it in the house.

Keep it bare-butt this winter.