I should open an ice-skating rink in my driveway (Raleigh: house, garden)

[RDUBiker]

I don't have pics right now, but there is still a very thick, solid sheet of ice in my driveway. We get no sun there AT ALL this time of year and with the storm earlier this week, it's nasty. I finally broke down and bought a 500,000 BTU propane torch from Amazon that should be here tomorrow and plan to go out there and see if I can make some progress, but sheesh!

I'm about done with this sub-freezing weather.

[saucystargazer]

Hahah! We do too. Its a pain to try and turn into the drive way. I think all of us have spun out or over shot the turn at least once.

[JQ Public]

Glad I listened to my family and bought a south facing house!

[RaleighLass]

yep, west facing my back deck is the same and the ice on my east facing front stairs just went away Wednesday. Everytime my dog goes out she slides around. She's learned to take it slow. I asked a Lowe's staffer what I could use, he suggested Prestone Driveway Heat, the stuff that looks like fake beads of snow. When you put it down it crackles, but good Lord it took days for it to work! Basically the ice laughed at this stuff! I tried salt...no luck. So this stuff works better than salt but not the awesome product the Lowe's guy said it was.

I'd like to hear what stuff really works to rid the ice within a couple of hrs - anyone know of anything? Or, is it that at some point the temps are too cold for anything to work?

[TabbyCats]

Just brainstorming here..........it's above freezing today, so what about pulling out the garden hose and spraying water on it until it melts the ice? Then use a wide broom (or squeegee) to push off the excess water so it doesn't re-freeze tonight? I use cold water on our windshields to melt the ice when I have to. Just a thought.........

[CHTransplant]

Originally Posted by RaleighLass

I'd like to hear what stuff really works to rid the ice within a couple of hrs - anyone know of anything? Or, is it that at some point the temps are too cold for anything to work?

You've got to get salt down before the stuff starts to hit. It doesn't stop the ice buildup, but it does lessen its bonding to the concrete, making it much easier to remove with an ice scraper. Once the ice bonds to your driveway, it's very difficult to remove.

Our driveway suffers from this same problem - but with a pre-application of salt, removing the ice was a relatively simple 20-minute job.

[frankpc]

The different "salts" sold for deicing (Sodium, Calcium, Magnesium and Potassium) all work somewhat differently. As an example, sodium loses its effectiveness below about 20F whereas calcium will work down to 0F. Some salts tend to attack concrete surfaces - especially concrete not properly placed. Vegetation can also be killed. Often in the spring after salting you'll see small roadside scrub pines with their needles turning brown which is likely due to road salt. Potassium is most vegetation friendly and works to about 15F.
So be careful ...
Water is effective, especially if warmed a bit. If you get any sun at all you could lay a sheet of black poly on top - the sun will heat the poly and help melt the ice.

Frank

[saucystargazer]

The other problem with salt is that is really doesn't work below 20 degrees. EDIT:frank posted seconds before me with some really good advice about all that crazy jazz.

Careful with pets aroundd all that crap, Raleighlass. It can cause irritations and even cause them to get sick if they lick too much off their paws. Best to not use that kinda stuff around them and just shovel/scrap what you can.

[GarnerMama]

Part of our driveway, our front steps and walkways are also a sheet of ice. We keep snow in those areas for days. Our next house will not face north!

[twingles]

When it gets above freezing break it up with a shovel. Our back deck gets no sun and my DS went out and "skated" on it yesterday, all he did was break it up and then you can chuck the pieces onto your lawn or something. Not that I did that with the deck, I really don't care that much but a driveway is another story. It's been above freezing all week during the day so it shouldn't be too hard.