All You Need to Know About Road Brine

In the past, when roads became dangerous during winter, many used rock salt to melt the snow present on the roads. However, nowadays, many individuals prefer applying road brine for roadways to melt the snow over the roads. This can be attributed to the fact that, unlike rock salt, road brine doesn’t have many drawbacks. But what exactly is road brine? Well, road brine is a mixture of salt and water that’s often mixed with other additives.

In many countries around the globe, the use of road brine has increasingly gained popularity. Here are some of the reasons why this is the case.

Works Fast

One of the main reasons road brine is popular is that it works way faster than rock salt. Before the introduction of road brine, many car owners would be forced to abandon using their cars for days as they waited for the rock salt to clear up the roads. However, that is no longer the case since road brine begins working almost instantaneously after the first snowflakes come into contact with the salt in the mixture.

Cost-Effective

It’s safe to say that road brine has become the go-to mixture to clear snow ice on roads because using road brine is more cost-effective than using rock salt. According to research results, road brine costs about 15 dollars per gallon to produce. It’s worth noting that a single gallon of this solution is enough to treat two and a half miles of a single-lane road as each mile costs roughly 6 dollars to treat. In comparison, it costs over 14 dollars to treat a mile using rock salt. This being the case, it’s more than appropriate to state that using road brine is more economical than using rock salt.

Prevents Ice from Compacting

Many individuals living in snow-ridden places have adopted road brine to clear their roads because road brine prevents snow ice from freezing/compacting. When snow ice freezes, it becomes too rigid. When the ice becomes too rigid, it becomes excessively difficult to remove. Given that road brine prevents the ice from compacting, it enables those using it to remove the snow over the roads easily.

Minimal Wastage

In the old days, when individuals still used rock salt, many complained of high wastage. This high wastage was because as much as 40% of the rock salt used would be blown away by the wind onto road shoulders and nearby ditches. However, since the introduction of road brine, the number of complaints regarding wastage has reduced. This reduction can be attributed to the fact that, unlike rock salt, road brine doesn’t bounce off. Instead, when applied, it remains on the road fully.

Saves Time

Many contractors and public work departments prefer using road brine to rock salt because road brine saves a lot of time. Unlike rock salt, road brine allows crews more than adequate time to treat roads as brining can be carried out up to 2 days before a storm. Given that brine prevents hard bonding of snow, it allows for post snowstorm cleanup to be carried out in a matter of days, if not hours.

Consumes Few Resources

Road brine’s use is highly advocated for by experts as it consumes fewer resources to produce than rock salt. It is also advocated for because it is easier to transport than rock salt. Prior to the discovery of road brine, some roads remained untouched as contractors could not transport the bulky amount of rock salt needed to clear the snow over them to their locations. However, that’s no longer the case as the minimal amount of road brine needed to clear such roads can be easily transported to the affected areas.

As the popularity of road brine has increased, it comes as no surprise that the number of companies producing this mixture has increased. To avoid purchasing low-quality brine, it’s essential to purchase brine from a reputable company. Your company-of-choice must also have a remarkable record of performance. By purchasing from a company with a good reputation, and a fantastic track record, you can rest easy. This is as such companies provide their clients with the efficient, affordable, and fast-working mixture they desire.

Jennifer Eonflux