If you’re a business owner, chances are that when the snow falls, you look outside and heave a sigh of frustration. Snow, while beautiful, can be a real nuisance, and for businesses, it usually represents additional expense and potential loss of income when employees and/or customers can’t reach your establishment. And then there’s the icy stuff that comes down from the sky when it sleets and the frozen layer that often appears on the ground even after you’ve shoveled or plowed. That’s even worse!
Snow and ice are why it’s super important for commercial, retail, and industrial businesses to hire a full-service snow removal company that not only takes care of the basics of plowing and shoveling but is also diligent about addressing ice and the need for salting. Salting services should go hand and hand with snow removal and are an all-important piece of the puzzle when it comes to keeping your staff and customers safe and your business open.
How does salt work?
Ever wonder why ice melts when you throw rock salt or some other sort of melting agent on top of it? Well, it’s all about chemical reactions! Salt works by lowering the freezing or melting point of water. The salt, therefore, makes it more difficult for the water to freeze. It’s called “freezing point depression”. And more particles mean more melting power, so consistent and thorough salting is important for businesses who need driveways, pathways, and parking lots to be clean and clear and to remain that way.
Rock salt does have its limitations in really cold temperatures (around -9C and below), so that’s why most snow removal companies offer different kinds of de-icing solutions for your property as well. We can discuss that during our initial consultation about your de-icing needs.
How often do you salt?
At Fraser Valley Snow Removal, we constantly watch the conditions via our 24-hour weather monitoring service, so we know the temperature, what’s going to fall soon, and – of course – what’s already on the ground. Our team of experts understand the ins and outs of snow and ice removal and all that goes with it, and can gauge when plowing and salting is needed or when a melting agent needs to be re-applied.
In addition, our fleet of salting vehicles and our team are available 24/7 to provide salting services, so we’ll work to have your property ready for business during regular hours, with few exceptions.
Of course, spreading de-icers correctly is what it’s all about. That’s an art and a science in which our team of experts are well-trained. We reach not only the wide open spaces but all the nooks and crannies as well, making sure that the smallest pathways as well as the largest parking lots are all safe for your personnel to traverse.
Why is salting essential?
No one likes to walk on icy surfaces, but it happens. How many times have you worried about keeping your balance on a slippery pavement? And how many times have you fallen? It’s scary and it’s dangerous. And it’s even scarier when a customer or employee slips and tumbles and is hurt on your property due to the presence of snow or ice that was not removed. YOU, the owner, will be responsible for their injuries, and even if you are insured, being the responsible party can be a very scary proposition, especially when someone is seriously hurt. The same is true for car accidents on untreated roads or lots on your property. Accidents caused by the failure to remove ice is blamed on those in charge.
Furthermore, de-icing means you’ll be able to carry on with business as usual. During winters when it’s particularly snowy, businesses can lose substantial amounts of money when they find themselves having to close because their building or property is inaccessible. Keeping snow away from essential areas – like entrances, driveways, and parking lots – means little or no income is lost, which benefits everyone from employees to executives.
