Deicing Driveways with Tank Water?

[Hugh Mann]

I almost slipped on my icy as heck driveway, and had a thought. Instead of buying overpriced salt, how good or bad of an idea would it be to dump buckets of saltwater from water changes on it instead? Waste not and all that.

I imagine it would work and melt the ice, but I don't know if the water would just refreeze and make it worse, or if the salt would stick around long enough.

 

[homer1475]

Interesting idea! They do put a "brine" on the roads now.

I think it would just refreeze. Not enough salt in it to make a difference.

 

[Hugh Mann]

You know what, I'm going to try it on a patch I don't walk on, and see what happens. For science!

 

[Murica]

I’ve tried it before just for kicks.. doesn’t work :( just re freezes

 

[tankstudy]

I’ve tried it before just for kicks.. doesn’t work :( just re freezes

Sounds like it melts for a quick moment. ;)

 

[Murica]

Sounds like it melts for a quick moment. ;)

I think that’s the warm water ha

 

[Fiesty]

Put a glass of tank water in freezer and see what happens? Just dont forget and accidently drink it! Lol

 

[andrewkw]

I think it will probably work for you okay in BC. For me in northern Ontario it will freeze. If it's just below freezing I occasionally still throw some out. Also throwing saltwater on my concrete steps may have contributed to them crumbling...

 

[Breadman03]

Over 28, it would probably help as saltwater freezer at 28.4. I made a saturated solution of saltwater in my ice cream maker and got the water under the slurry down to 0 F, but that was with a pile of undissolved salt at the bottom and about 2" of ice slurry at the top.

 

[Jeeperz]

Using any kind of salt deicer product on concrete will cause it to start popping chunks out during the freeze thaw cycle, mag chloride made the problem worse. There have been studies done, one specifically I read in Idaho caused massive amounts of road damage when they switched to mag chloride

 

[Auto-pilot]

You know what, I'm going to try it on a patch I don't walk on, and see what happens. For science!

I'm curious if it worked as I live in Minneapolis and can use some deicing from time to time