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what to use on gravel driveway to clear ice?

54K views 38 replies 25 participants last post by  deuce228 
#1 ·
No, I will not get out the flame thrower :)

I will not set it on fire, although it would be fun to pour gas and light it up.

Using salt will make me go broke. I was thinking dirt, but that will make the driveway muddy whenever it rains. Sand?

If you have a gravel driveway, what do you use?
 
#3 ·
if you want to clear ice like the title says salt is the only way to go.
its the only thing that will "clear" it.

sand is OK. but you also need to find some that isnt froze. plain old play sand has alot of moisture in it and it will turn into a brick. you can bring it inside and let it thaw out though.

other that that, all the norm. oil dry, kitty litter, oyster shells.


IMHO the potassium chloride is the best to go with. it doesnt stain like salt or kill vegetation. but its $$$
 
#4 ·
salt and potasium chloride work best on pavement because when they melt they are retained on the surface and pool because they do not penetrate the hard concrete or blacktop material. i think salt looses effectiveness on a pourous surface live a gravel or dirt drive. before i got our drive paved i'd set up the snowblower so it skimmed the snow down to about a 1/2 inch in depth then spread sand or kitty litter for traction. would spread fireplace ashes on the incline for added traction plus it's dark color absorbed sunlight and melted the snow a bit faster.
 
#10 ·
The problem I'm having this year after putting down new gravel is that the salt just melts a pinhole through the ice then disappears into the gravel never to be heard from again. It really doesn't do much. It worked better when it would melt through the ice, then sit on the hard ground and keep melting. I haven't come up with a good plan either for our driveway.
 
#12 ·
I'm not sure what it's called, but I had to bring in some gravel before winter and bought some of that black gravel and spread it through 2/3 of the driveway to where it starts going up to the house. The nice thing about it is that when the sun comes out, it melted all the snow and ice out of it. I should have put that on the circle drive by the house (which is also on an incline), that would probably clear most, if not all the ice away. I will get some in the spring.
 
#15 ·
water softner salt actually works really good, it melts the ice really fast, it only took about 5 minutes for a pebble to melt it's way through 4" of solid ice, and they do stay there for a while, the only problem with them is you have to use a ton of it, or crush it up (but that would defeat the purpose of using them) the salt pebbles don't have much of a working area around themselves like normal salt does
 
#14 ·
Salt is the worse thing to me, cause in the warm days it turns it to mud. My drive is mostly gravel and I find the best thing to do is just plow it when it snows and let the sun do its thing. Its a catch 22 slippery some times or muddy shoes in the house. If you do put thin layer of gravel on top (which really hurts when you do fall on it) you need to use crushed stone like 9 or 12a with no fines (it is a washed crushed stone), not something round like pea stone or 6a.
 
#16 ·
go to the farm supply and get nitrogen pellets. that way they just wash into the grass. they work good and they are cheap. on the flip side of those who don't want salt I use black oiled sunflower seed. the birds clean it up and then it just washes the shells into the grass. excellent for side walks and stairs where you don't want to ruin iron rails with salt.
 
#20 ·
calcium chloride liquid sprayed onto the surface will melt the ice fast and will simply wash away or drain away. you can buy it or make it. either way it works good. we use it at work for the parking lot and will usually melt ice in an hour or less.
 
#33 ·
If you're just looking for traction, ash works best and really doesn't leave much of a mess behind. I have a steep drive and wood ash out of my stove is the only thing that lets my 2WD F250 make it out when there's ice.

Does not make a mess, and it is good for the lawn when it runs off the driveway.
 
#36 ·
I've got the same issues as you. Gravel driveway, ice, not everyone that rolls into my drive has 4x4, or balance. I also don't want anyone slipping on my driveway. In the summer months, I scrape off some gravel and stock pile it in my garage in 5 gallon buckets. Then in the winter I spread it over the ice. Once driven on, the gravel will be crushed into the ice providing traction. As for the kids slipping on it, my "kids" have four feet and wear collars...

I also take a few buckets of sand and spead that over the ice too. Gravel gets the broad areas, while the sand causes the sun to melt the ice underneath it.
This year I (hand) mixed the sand and salt together in 5 gallon buckets and kept it in my basement to keep it warm. Worked good so far. Melted the ice. But, I also just shovel as soon as I can, and if that doesn't happen, I just fire up the mud truck and take it up and down the driveway a few times. Swampers leave a nice traction pattern for lesser tires....
 
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