Urea for Ice Melt
dottyinduncan
14 years ago
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dottyinduncan
14 years agoRelated Discussions
Ice melting products and chickens
Comments (3)Johanna, they won't be able to get at it. I need to keep the ground soft at the entrance door. There is that white stuff called calcium chloride I wonder if that is safer than rock salt. Next year I am going to have to find a new design for my coop and run. I have this problem every winter. Just for my information why exactly is salt bad for chickens? I know it is but why?...See MoreOrganic alternative to ice melting products?
Comments (6)Salts are the only thing I know that will melt ice, and only in a narrow temperature range. The ultimate luxury would be, for me, a heated walkway, raised up so the water could drain away, and not spread back over the walk! But most of us have neither the money nor the layout for such a set-up! Spreading wood ash, in small amounts, will help with traction and shouldn't hurt the hens. It won't melt ice, except in that black/dark materials warm up faster than white/light things, so it might melt faster around the flakes. Shavings or sawdust can also be used for traction, and are harmless to hens. And, there is the old standby of sand, perhaps mixed lightly with salt. The main drawback to the above is that you have to deal with the "residue" after the ice has melted, which can be messy - but then, a heavy application of salt can be detrimental to the grasses and plants next to the pathways, and needs to be washed off and diluted (if possible) so there are drawbacks to both routes. The plain clay kitty litters are also good for traction, as you know, and I would imagine that any of the alternative litters - small pellets of newsprint, wheat, pine dust - would be the same. I would avoid any of the ones with chemicals in them, as I am sure you already know. When I was growing up in VT, many people carried a bag of litter (plain was all there was!) in their cars all winter for emergency traction - it was lighter than a comparable amount of sand! Dealing with their remains is perhaps the least onerous, followed by sand, wood ash and sawdust. And a light application of a salt would probably not need any cleanup, while heavy or repeated applications might well do so....See MoreArtic Ice is melting fast, what will our winter weather be like?
Comments (11)Assuming El Nino continue to stay through spring, southern states tend to get average to above average rainfall. Not sure about New York. I just focus on Texas for long term forecast. I am concerned about PDO going negative which would last maybe 20 years bringing more frequent and longer lasting La Nina which usually means more drought to Texas. Another interesting thing is solar cycle where we are not seeing as many sunspots as we're used to for a long time, I believe weakest in 100 years and next cycle could be even weaker. It may lower global temperature. During La Nina years, global temperature tend to drop a bit. It'd be interesting to see what happens when you get both very weak solar activity and strong La Nina at the same time along with cold AMO as well. I've looked into historical weather reports over Arctic Ice over the past 100 years and it appears to be largely cyclical so no big deal. I bet during 2020s, we'd see above average amount of ice up there... http://wattsupwiththat.com/reference-pages/sea-ice-page/ In case you didn't know, a large powerful storm in the arctic ocean broke up ice and pushed them out. Not only that, it churned up warm water with cold water. I don't recall the exact date but I think it was a month ago? Antarctica is having above average ice extent this year....See MoreThoughts on roof ice melt cables
Comments (34)Am grateful for all the comments on cost of ice-melt cable, especially the electrical cost. My neighbor had gutter *tape* put in her gutters over 15 years ago. This was cable embedded in some silver solar material (sort of like NASA heat blankets, I think). This wide tape lays in the bottom of her gutters. Her son said it makes cleaning debris out much easier than with plain cable. I can't find any heat tape for sale now. Since it does seem that it would make cleaning easier (something I need to do a LOT), I wonder why they don't produce them anymore? I did look up the Bylin system mentioned above, and there is also this: http://www.thermaltechusa.com/residential.php These kinds of systems are, of course, a LOT more expensive to install. I don't know how they compare on cost of the electricity. My split level was built in the early 70s. I am constantly cleaning out the gutters in warm weather and having ice bergs hanging off the roof in winter. It is a constant worry. About 5 years ago I had more insulation put in both my attics (split level home) but I still have problems over the center of the lower level roof. This is over the center of the house, incl the kitchen so I guess that's why warmth is melting the snow. This past winter I also had a major ice build up on one of the upper level gutters. It was phenomenal! Do I need to put even more insulation up or what? I am sure any analysis by any company selling ice dam prevention systems or insulation will insist their product is the solution. How do I know what to buy for my house? Thanks for any feedback!...See MoreEmbothrium
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