Winter is great, but when the snow starts to fall, the ground becomes slick, dirt turns to mud, puddles become sleet, which means accidents are just waiting to happen. Any project can be delayed, or put on hold completely, because of a car that can't pull out of the mud, or someone slips and injures themselves because they couldn't find traction. The best solution to these problems is a proactive one. Salt, sand, and gravel each play important roles in helping you protect yourself, your loved ones, and your property from the elements.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), nearly a quarter of weather-related car accidents happen on snowy, slushy, icy, or sleet-covered roads. You certainly don’t want to increase that statistic, and you want your loved-ones to be safe from it as well.
Thankfully, there are simple and cost-effective ways of giving you and those around you a better chance of staying safe this winter. That way you can give yourself peace of mind knowing that you’re doing everything you can to prevent damage, accidents, and possibly injury.
What You Should Know About Rock Salt
If you're looking for an effective, and relatively inexpensive, tool for combating the ice, then rock salt is a great option. But before you use, it’s important to know if you’re using the right tool for the right job:
- Rock salt has long been used to melt thin layers of ice on concrete and roads, which helps prevent slipping, meaning that you can avoid injury and expense.
- Being relatively cheap, rock salt is a popular choice, which helps you save money for when you need it.
- Rock salt is also preventative as well as reactive, keeping ice from growing as well as melting it where it exists, which means that you can have peace of mind knowing that you are not constantly outside in the cold shoveling salt onto your sidewalk.
Remember to take this into consideration, though:
- Rock salt can corrode concrete and metal if used for extended periods of time, which can lead to greater expenses in the future.
- Rock salt also has negative effects on grass and plants if used too closely, which means that while it keeps you safe in the winter, your plants will struggle in the spring.
- If it is an especially cold winter, you will want to find alternative options, as rock salt becomes ineffective when temperatures dip below 12 degrees Fahrenheit.
So while it is never a bad idea to have rock salt on hand (in fact, it’s more than recommended to keep some nearby during the winter), it is good to explore your options depending on the size of your projects and what you need done.
Making Use Of Sand And Gravel
We could all use a little tropical sand when the snow gets too deep, right? But until then, sand or gravel are popular alternatives to rock salt, though with different effects:
- Neither sand nor gravel melts ice like rock salt does, but both are effective tools for giving you and your vehicles traction so that neither slip and cause expensive injury or costly damages
- Keeping bags of sand in the trunk of your car or the tail bed of your truck adds a layer of weight which can help you keep from fishtailing or sliding on icy roads and potentially getting into accidents
- Be prepared, though, because neither sand nor gravel dissolves like salt does, which means that you will have to clean it up come springtime (but that’s a small price to pay for added safety and protection against accident during the winter)
When it comes to sand and gravel, though, the benefits outweigh the cost. Both are an easy to use option for giving you the “firm footing” you need to stay safe when the snow starts to fall. Because when that temperature drops, that ice becomes so slick that one false step can send you slipping. Using sand or gravel not only help you get better traction, they also help you gain some peace of mind.
Check out Haul-4-U’s selection of sand products here. If you’re in the market for gravel, you can find it here. You can receive your shipment within 1-3 days of placing your order, which means you can prepare against snow and ice before it hits.
An Effective Patch For Those Winter Potholes
When it comes to driveways, highways, sidewalks, and parking lots, a mixture of sand and gravel has proven to give vehicles better traction, preventing accidents that could otherwise be caused by ice and slush.
Sand and gravel can also provide a temporary patch to potholes appearing during winter months. Fill individual layers at a time, making sure that the gravel and sand are compact enough that it won’t sink as the car drives over it
If you have a gravel driveway, it’s important that you replenish it regularly (usually around every 2-4 years). Gravel that is angular (such as our Construction Gravel 1” Minus) is preferred for driveways because it comes together like a makeshift jigsaw puzzle which will hold longer, meaning you don’t have to buy more gravel as often in order to replenish it.
Combat The Ice With Haul-4-U
Don’t wait to give yourself the sure-footing you need to stay safe this winter. If you’re looking for a great value on rock salt, gravel, and sand, then you’ve got it with Haul-4-U.
You can access our wide selection of materials to find what you need to give yourself traction, melt that ice, and go out confidently knowing that you’ve given yourself defense against the slush and ice.
Whether you’re looking for salt, sand, or gravel, you can find what you need and have it delivered directly to you, meaning that you don’t have to risk losing traction in your car as you’re leaving to get something to give traction to your car.
Get started on combating slick ice and slush today with materials you can find at Haul-4-U!
