Deicing New Concrete

It does take concrete at least 30 days and sometimes up to a year to reach its full strength.

Deicing new concrete.

Considered the most environmentally friendly concrete deicer. Cma was produced for new concrete less than 2 years old. Cma will melt snow and ice effectively in temperatures down to 20 degrees fahrenheit 7c. Some deicing salts for concrete are corrosive sodium chloride rock salt and calcium chloride are two.

De icers should not be used on new concrete wait until it is at least one year old and it has been treated with a sealer to reduce the amount of salt that can penetrate the surface. But before i get to the de icers let me talk about a new kid on the block the ice that is simply not slippery eco ice grip. Deicing salts have no direct effect on sealers. When you spread rock salt on your concrete to melt snow and ice the salt dissolves the snow and makes a salt water mush.

Just use some sand in the meantime and clean the concrete off regularly. Sealers for decorative concrete often fail in areas where deicing salts are applied or that receive drip off from parked cars. Cma is considered no more corrosive than tap water and does not harm vegetation or ponds lakes and streams. If deicers must be used then it is important that the owner of the new or susceptible concrete understands the risks associated with freeze point depression deicers and freeze thaw cycles.

You can always use straight abrasives such as sand on any new concrete and minimize the likelihood of spalling no matter what the quality. If the temperature then drops and the water freezes the growing ice crystals can blast apart the concrete. First the good news. The results were published in april 2008 in the report sd2002 01 the deleterious effects of concentrated deicing solutions on portland cement concrete the study determined there is significant evidence magnesium and calcium chloride compounds chemically interact with cementitious paste resulting inexpansive cracking increased permeability and significant loss in strength.

The melting action of the salt allows water to enter the concrete. In fact concrete sealers of any type have been proven to increase the lifespan of salt treated concrete three to five times. Cma is a combination of dolomitic lime and acetic acid the principle component of vinegar. Many ice melting products and salt products can and will damage concrete.

If your concrete has rebar or wire mesh in it the liquid brine solution can cause the metal to corrode rust metal expands when it rusts this could also cause the surface to pop or scale.