Salt to sand ratio

[dlabrie]

This summer I want to bring in a truck load of sand to have on hand to sand my road next winter. I will need to add salt to it so it won't freeze solid in the winter. Does anyone know what the ratio of salt to sand is?
Thanks,

 

[Bird]

I sure don't know about up north, but down here in the south where we have an occasional ice storm, the City of Dallas used to use 100# of salt per yard of sand. I guess they still use that ratio.

 

[JJT]

Keep the sand covered and dry, salt isn't added to keep it from freezing. It's added to melt ice on the roads. I prefer no salt in my sand, my pond is close to the driveway and we have dogs. I don't want salt in the pond or on the dogs feet.

 

[dlabrie]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Keep the sand covered and dry, salt isn't added to keep it from freezing. It's added to melt ice on the roads. )</font>

I'd rather not use salt If I didn't have to. So If I had say 20+ yards of sand dumped and put a tarp over it, It would dry over the summer and be spreadable in the winter?

 

[Will_C]

I don't know what tell you in regards to a specifis mix, but I know I have bought what is called locally "hot sand", with salt mixed in. Your sand won't freeze if you can keep it very dry, but I never had any luck keeping it dry enough to spread easily.
Will

 

[hwp]

Like some others, I buy premixed salt and sand in bulk but I don't know what the mixture ratio is. I store it in a covered box beside my driveway. My "saltbox" has two compartments, one for salt and one for sand/salt mixture, each compartment holds a little over a cubic yard. The sand/salt never dries enough to flow through my spreader even if it sits there through a hot summer. I now keep a few tote boxes of sand/salt in my basment beside the furnace. This dries it out enough to flow freely through my spreader. But my spreader doesn't have much of an agitator. I think a major question is what type of spreader are you planning on using? Some spreaders are much better at handling moist sand/salt than others. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[BigAl]

On interstate 80 over Donner Summit Caltrans will use a ratio from 10% to 50 % salt depending on the conditions and what they are trying to accomplish at the time .They will never admit that , but I have done it many times as a ex Caltrans operator. It's a enviromental issue they don't want to be spotlighted in . Salt only works well down to a certain temperature of around 10 to 20 degrees . Salt also draws moisture so it should be kept separated from sand until you are ready to mix with sand .Just keep the sand covered and you should be fine . We found that salt/sand mix worked best from 20 to 30 degrees .
Big Al

 

[LarryRB]

on the highway dpt we mixed 3 to 7 and that is because we have Hamilton reservoir and a hundred more small ponds that eventually feed the reservoir. We covered the sand pile till we got a concrete salt shed stood up.. We always mixed it before going in the shed,, A lot of people will tell you it needn't be mixed. Those people haven't had the opportunity to move 40 truck tires that held down a 300 X 100 tarp by themselves then beat yourself with the loader to get into the sand... Today, the new kids running the show are burning hot.. Real hot. Several of us has warned them and it falls on deaf ears.. In another year or two, they will be buying a lot of peoples wells that are close to the road.. It happened ten yrs ago in Brimfield and that town is still paying the damages for burning hot.
Some hwy dpt's load their screened sand a pour enough salt on the pile just so they can break loose and mix it.. My neighbor has 20 yds delivered and covers that pile with 5, 80lb bags of salt. It works well for him and every other storm or so, he adds another 5 salt to the remaining pile