Brine: Ice's Worst Enemy
Rob Thibault
When asking people what they think is the most concerning aspect of winter the answer is always “ice”. We are all aware that ice has the ability to make any surface unusable and dangerous. The biggest challenge with ice is that it cannot simply be shoveled to the side or scraped up. Rather it has to be treated with a granular or liquid solution and those products require time to activate.
Ice needs to be eliminated quickly and efficiently, and whenever possible, before it forms. That is exactly what brine does, making it an “anti-ice” product. What most people don’t know is that road brine is actually stick/tacky and can last for several days depending on the road conditions and traffic volume.
Our brine solution is an amazingly “green” product because it is made from local GVRD sources and practices such as rainwater harvesting (from our truck yard in Surrey) and Fraser River water, with an absolute last resort of using our old fashion hose! Our 23.3% mixture of salt water brine solution is the absolute optimal concentration.
This concentration dramatically reduces the road freezing point to -17.8 and effectively stops layers of ice from forming and binding to the road. Our trained technicians service areas from Chilliwack to North Vancouver and know exactly how much to use and where to spray it, ensuring pedestrians and vehicles have supreme traction—in even the worst winter conditions!