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How Much Rock Salt Should You Stock Up On for Your Home?
As winter slowly creep forward behind Autumn, households across the UK are gearing up to brace for the chilly months ahead. While insulating your home against the biting cold is crucial, ensuring safety in outdoor areas to prevent hazardous slips on ice or compacted snow is also important. The past winter marked the second consecutive year the UK was blanketed in snow, and it is better to prepare now before the rush. Mainland Aggregates offers a fantastic range of Rock Salt, which is also known as gritting salt. Rock salt is a cost-effective remedy to the challenges of snow and ice, but how do you know how much rock salt to purchase to make sure you have enough for the whole winter season?
1. Identify
Make a list of areas which pose potential ice-related hazards to people and vehicles. The most common areas to keep free of ice are driveways, steps, pathways, and porches. For well-worn driveways and roads we recommend Brown Gritting/Rock Salt as it gives superior grip and has a distinctive appearance, and for public pedestrian areas like pathways, pavements and playgrounds we recommend our White Gritting/Rock Salt as it does not leave a residue behind making it ideal for areas where cleanliness is important. To determine the amount you'll need, calculate the square footage by measuring the length and width of each zone and multiplying them together (Length x Breadth = Area2). The general rule is 1 lb or 0.45kg of rock salt per 20 square feet.
2. Frequency
The frequency of rock salt application depends on the severity and persistence of icy conditions, which is why it is an important part of calculating how much rock salt you need as you will only have so many applications in your rock salt supply. While occasional and light snowfalls only require a single application of gritting salt, intense snow and icy conditions could require daily applications or even several times within a day.
3. Calculating your Usage
To see get a rough number on how much rock salt you will need, all you have to do is some easy calculations.
Total Area: The driveway, pathways, steps, and porch area adds up to 100 square feet.
Usage: 100 sq. ft divided by 20 sq. ft/lb = 5 lbs /2.2kg per application.
Frequency: For a region with regular snowfall, let's assume you'll salt every other day during a 3-month winter = approximately 45 days.
Total for Season: 5 lbs x 45 applications = 225 lbs/102kg for the entire winter.
For the second consecutive year, the UK experienced the effects of a stratospheric polar vortex and the snow and ice that it brings. That is why it is important when estimating the quantity of gritting salt to have more than your rough calculation, especially if the weather worsens suddenly. Rock salt from Mainland Aggregates does not expire when stored correctly, so there is no waste if not all of the rock salt is used in one season. As winter approaches, trust the expertise of Mainland Aggregates to ensure you have plenty gritting salt to see you and your loved ones through the season.
