Salt on limestone gravel drive

[MicroPilot]

I recently had a neighbor tell me he doesn't want to salt his limestone gravel driveway because he thinks that the salt will react with the limestone and his drive way will erode away. On one side I can see his point, but on the other I think it won't significantly effect his gravel and the salt will just be washed away.

What does the TBN brain trust think?

 

[MossRoad]

I think why would anyone salt a limestone driveway? that's what I think. :laughing:

 

[buckeyefarmer]

salting a gravel road will tear the road up, making it a muddy mess.

just noticed the op said driveway, which isn't quite as bad to salt if it doesn't get much traffic, still with gravel it's best not to salt. My neighbor will sometime salt his, makes it really muddy and soft.

 

[grnspot110]

I use wood ash from my shop stove on mine. The wetter it gets, the darker it gets, thus soaking up the sun to melt the ice! ~~ grnspot110

 

[beenthere]

I used to salt my limestone drive when there was the occasional thick layer of ice. Doesn't hurt anything.

Use to (and may still do it) spread calcium chloride on gravel roads to hold down the dust. The calcium would attract moisture apparently, but the locals thought there were more potholes with the roads having that treatment.

But I'd let my neighbor believe what he wants regards salt.

Does he have an ice problem or a dust problem?

 

[milkman636]

One of my drives is crushed stone and the other is concrete. The thing I like best about the stone drive is that it doesn't get slippery like the concrete one does. The aggregate provides something for the tires to bite. It seems like salting would just waste a couple hundred pounds of salt.

If you have a good thick top layer of stone the salt won't hurt it. If the top layer of stone is thin, it may end up being a muddy mess. Spreading sand on top may be a better solution

 

[MicroPilot]

...Does he have an ice problem or a dust problem?

It's a fairly long driveway, about 1500", up a hill. His wifes car doesn't have 4WD and she can't make it up the drive. I suggested salting.

 

[MikeInEburg]

Instead of salt, I'd spread fine gravel. It bites into the ice a bit better without the negative aspects. And won't get tracked into the house.
Mike

 

[MossRoad]

It's a fairly long driveway, about 1500", up a hill. His wifes car doesn't have 4WD and she can't make it up the drive. I suggested salting.

The problem with salt is that is will melt the ice on top of the crushed limestone, then seep down between the rocks and melt the frozen ground underneath it, which makes a soft mushy base for the crushed rock. The rock could start to sink into the soft mush base, especially on days in the high 20s, leaving a rutted mess. I'm not saying this will happen, just that it could happen. My dad did it once at our house when we were kids. We ended up having to drive through the yard around the mud pit for a few weeks. :laughing:

 

[jimmyj]

Use sand. I use salt on mine when I have no choice such as after an ice storm but sand works best. Wood ashes are pretty good too as noted. They key is to just use a little bit of whatever the material is.