DIY poor man gravel road dust control

[Klitch]

Hey guys, would like a few moments of your time. I'm the only person on my gravel road that gives a crap about taking care of the road, so I'm trying to set up a semi-portable system to control dust, and hopefully help keep the ground hard packed during the dry months. The weather here is comparable to the southwest states in general, from may on until october rain is extremely sparse to non-existent, humidity does hover around 60% most of the time with average daytime temps usually in the 90ｰF.

A little bit of research shows that calcium chloride is probably the most well rounded and economically feasible substrate, is this true, or did I miss out on something? Is there anything I can be pointed at to read online?

I currently have (2) 300 gallon poly totes, I was going to use a few feet of 2" hose to hook up the cam and groove fittings on the bottom of those totes together. I figure a little bit of PVC fittings, pipe, and a cheap 12v pump (harbor freight?) should get me a few years of service, any recommendations on how to approach this part? I do plan on hand loading this into the bed of my 71 f6 dump body.

 

[PILOON]

Yep, Calcium Chloride works but taboo in many areas now due to pollution. For sure banned near lakes and streams as it messes up the acidity or PH of waterways.
In days past many folks used used engine oil which is also a no-no.

In my area (Quebec) they favor liquid wood resins which they spread with tanker trucks.
The resin soaks into the dusty sandy dirt/gravel road base and nicely controls dust. Generally 2 applications per summer controls dust quite well.

One down side to Calcium Chloride (a salt) is the corrosive effect on vehicles.

 

[sixdogs]

If you can use calcium chloride, that's the universally accepted solution to dusty roads in rural places.

 

[Klitch]

I'm approximately 1/2 mile from the river, hopefully thats a fair enough distance. Is the CaCL very aggressive as a corrosive?

I was unaware of liquid wood resins? I'm getting the impression that the duration of this method is much shorter?

 

[Tomtint]

I live on a dirt road, about 1300 feet and my driveway is another 1100 +\-. I thought about mixing diesel and old motor oil. Then spraying it. I'm about 20 feet to a small spring fed pond so I didn't do it. The calcium would wreak havoc on my motorcycle so that's out as well.

 

[whitepine2]

Use used veggy oil from fryalators non toxic,road might smell like french fry's for a few days.

 

[Rustyiron]

Old crankcase oil works well and does not run off when put down in the proper ammount. I had a driveway about 12' away from our swimming pond, the drive was also about 6' in elev. above the water and had a good slope to it. Never got any oil in the pond and you know how little oil it takes to see that rainbow oil sheen on water. I used a 2" PVC valve screwed into the bung on a 55 gal drum to a "tee" extending each (l&r) way out to about 9' and capped the ends. Drilled (about) 3/16" holes every 2" or so along the bottom and put the drum on the tractor forks and drove along. It lasts a long time and I never saw any signs of the oil having an impact on anything except the dust! Pic show's the situation although it is now paved. Just trying to say that I have respect for the enviroment, especially mine, and with common sence application, oil for dust control works. I remember when the county used to oil the dirt roads.
Don't do it when rain is expected soon, and several light passes over a few days until the dust dissapears with traffic will keep you from overdoing it.

 

[sixdogs]

Do not use old crankcase oil. I don't remember the exact stats but when I lived in Maine went to a Farm Bureau seminar that stated how much ground water a few drops of old oil could pollute. It was in the many tens of thousands of gallons. Plus, if it's anywhere near your house you'll wind up inadvertently drinking some of it.
Calcium chloride was no big deal and one rain seemed to wash it into the subsurface of the road. Every dirt road in Maine probably had it on it. I don't recall any negatives on my street rod and I was pretty particular. Maybe for a motorcycle but I don't know about that.

 

[square1]

Beet juice
Dust: Don't Eat It! Control It!

 

[bigtiller]

Another option is (Lignin Sulfonate) or tree sap. I had it sprayed on for a few years until the company relocated just a little too far away. I now use calcium chloride. Below is a snip from the net:

Lignin Sulfonate: is a water soluble, non-toxic chemical, otherwise known to most people as "tree sap". Lignin sulfonates are left over after the pulping process removes the cellulosic material from the wood. They work best in arid regions or regions where there are substantial periods of "drought"