Ice on the Walkway

[metalheart]

How do you deal with ice on your sidewalks/walkways? We recently moved from a climate without snow to one with snow and cold weather. Our new to us home has a roof valley adjacent tot he front door. Snow melt drips onto the walkway and creates a layer of ice at the front door. I guess I can put calcium chloride down, but that is going to come into the house on shoes and boots and my wife isn't happy about that solution. I see there are heat mats that can be used, but is there is a specific brand that is preferable or are there other solutions?

 

[MossRoad]

Pretty much only way to eliminate the ice is to redirect the water to somewhere else. If that cannot be done, then you are correct, some brand of ice melter has to be put down as often as needed. Or, you can chop the ice and scrape most of it away by hand.

As for brands, that's kind of a personal preference. Look at the ingredients on the brands. Some are the same, but cost more. Some are different. Some only work down to a certain temperature. Some work colder.

I like the Prestone brand and the Morton brands. Don't know why. But they work, so I use them.

 

[Torvy]

Maybe try to address the tracking into the house in another way?

I would agree with above, if your ice is coming from roof runoff, you need to redirect it. Anything to melt the ice or reduce/prevent slips will have a potential to be tracked in.

 

[Doofy]

Agree with redirecting the roof run off away from the sidewalk. I replaced my slate walkway with pressure treated walkway and used a quality indoor/outdoor carpet runner that is less slick and easily shoveled. No more glaciering on the walkway.

 

[ning]

As far as tracking in, I'd suggest leaving the shoes at the front of the house.
We enclosed our front porch to make a vestibule; it's got pegs for coats and hats, and lots of space for shoes and boots, and benches to sit on to put them on and off.
Shoes stay out of the house and the house stays a lot cleaner.

 

[Deere Dude]

Calcium Chloride works fast but screws concrete up by popping up little divots. Might take a year or so but I have seen it on my driveway. Find a safe commercial ice melter for spreading on and put a throw rug down for wiping the feet.

 

[LouNY]

The electric heat mats will work.
I'd just be sure it was UL listed and plugged into a GFI receptacle.
Also it you install any guttering to try and direct the water away it will likely need a heating element in it,
and the down spout.
Good Luck

 

[Jstpssng]

Rake or shovel the snow off that portion of the roof which leaks onto the walkway

 

[2LaneCruzer]

I've used fertilizer in the past; at least it doesn't kill your grass.

 

[metalheart]

Thanks for the replies. I don't see a way at present to redirect the water coming off the roof since the roof valley connects at a 90 degree corner of the gutter system. I have a roofing guy coming over tomorrow to check it out and offer his opinion about a long term solution. He also does snow removal in the winter and maybe having him remove the snow from that valley regularly is an option. The that builds up at the front door is thick and I used some salt that previous home owner left behind to melt some of it, but it did not do the job well enough to be safe to walk in the front door safely.

I'm thinking that long term I'll investigate removing the existing concrete in this are and then install some heating system that can melt the ice. For this winter the heat mats might be the best option to keep the front door area clear safe enough.

 

[Doofy]

Some type of drainage sump could also help immensely. My 3x16' wooden walkway has 6-8" of space under the planks and it is plenty enough to absorb and drain away all our snow, ice and rain.

 

[MossRoad]

Do you have a gutter corner guard installed?

 

[Doofy]

Gutter and downspout heat tapes should help alleviate that valley problem. Move that water to a less dangerous area.

 

[jyoutz]

Pretty much only way to eliminate the ice is to redirect the water to somewhere else. If that cannot be done, then you are correct, some brand of ice melter has to be put down as often as needed. Or, you can chop the ice and scrape most of it away by hand.

As for brands, that's kind of a personal preference. Look at the ingredients on the brands. Some are the same, but cost more. Some are different. Some only work down to a certain temperature. Some work colder.

I like the Prestone brand and the Morton brands. Don't know why. But they work, so I use them.

I use garden fertilizer. It thaws ice but doesn’t kill the grass (in moderation).

 

[Torvy]

A possible solution, depending on the specific layout...move the walkway a little further from the building. It could be just a bow out away from the icy area or just installing a new walkway a few feet away.

Another option would be to extend an overhang from the roof beyond the walkway... again, it really depends on the layout.

These would be more permanent solutions if you cannot redirect. Melting and removing, whether on the ground or the roof are time consuming and/or costly over the long haul.

 

[Rockbadchild]

I am also wondering where the water come from ? is it due to rain\freezing rain or is the snow melting on the roof ? ... if its below freezing and the snow still melt on the roof you need to add insulation in your attic. it could be worth checking it out you would save in heating and reduce the water problem.

 

[oosik]

It's not the snow/water off my roof that is the problems. It's the snow lying on the steps/walkway/ground that turns to ice. So - after I get up the energy and shovel everything - I get sawdust from my work shed and spread where needed.

I would much rather have sawdust tracked into the house - not some type of ice melt product.

 

[ljjhouser]

Just wondering - is the entrance to the house totally flat. Might be better if it was tapered enough to run off water before it freezes. Maybe.

 

[metalheart]

A couple of images might clarify my post, and yes checking the insulation is on the list of things to do as a long term solution. You can see there is a diverter at the 90 degree corner where the gutters meet, but it is not as larger as the one in the imager above. The ground is pretty flat at the entrance. And, the snow melts from the top and sides of the valley and comes over the edge at the diverter as well as along the edge of the gutters. I'm thinking for this winter that heat mats in the area where the water drips is my best solution. Longer term, I still need to investigate the options, including getting a larger diverter. Up until the past two days thee was about 8" of snow on the roof, but temperatures in the 40s and 50s melted most of the snow and high winds too care of the rest. It is snowing again today.

 

[shooterdon]

I use Ice Melt. Broke an ankle two years ago and that made my choice easy. Shoes come off when entering the house and enter through the garage.

One bad fall and your wife will not be as upset about a little bit of stuff getting tracked into the first couple of feet on your doorway.

We do not wear shoes in the house anyway....so... Slippers are cheap.