Ice melter and new concrete drive

[sandman2234]

JB4310, I think your talking about me, and my signature line.
David from jax

I am sure glad I don't have much of an ice problem, except when I take a run up "North" like I am going to do tonight. Headed for Huntville, Al, which is a lot further north than I am used to, LOL! You guys be careful on that slick stuff!
David from jax

 

[Hooked_on_HP]

Since you used a contractor with a good rep. and has been in business a long time I would feel confident your drive will survive. I would not be afraid to salt it. You probably get a higher concentration of salt in a small area when you park your car on the drive and the salt and snow drip off your vehicle after a storm. You could also call the contractor who poured the concrete and ask his recommendation.
Bill

 

[jinjimbob]

The driveway looks very smooth, with no horizontal texture put on, looks it could be slippery in normal rain.

I would have made it a little wider in the sharp corners so delivery trucks would be happier. But it looks nice!

 

[Philscbx]

These are regular conditions in Sweden when I spent all winter there a couple winters ago.
4x4 farm tractors do the side streets of residential that are quite steep even to walk up. Your forced to walk in the street when sidewalks are the same condition.
On the rear, they have gravity box bump driven auger feed off the rear wheels filled only with crushed granite.
This gravel is shaped like buckwheat seed with sharp edges.

You might find the same around garden supply of crushed trap rock in grey color. After it's used on driveway, it could be swept up and reused, or let it add to the look of the driveway along the sides.

Once you walk on crushed granite, there's no way you would walk on wood floors as it's very effective and sticks to bottom of shoes.

Or you could add 30 degrees of banking on your curves, and use bobsled.

 

[WBWI]

The driveway looks very smooth, with no horizontal texture put on, looks it could be slippery in normal rain.

I would have made it a little wider in the sharp corners so delivery trucks would be happier. But it looks nice!

Driveway has horizontal brush marks for texture. We've had 7-8 snowstorms in December and we had no problems making it up or down the drive. Rain isn't a problem. Just freezing rain.

I don't have a good photo of the 90 degree corner but the drive is about 23' wide through there so the cement trucks (and delivery trucks) could pass easily.

 

[WBWI]

Since you used a contractor with a good rep. and has been in business a long time I would feel confident your drive will survive. I would not be afraid to salt it. You probably get a higher concentration of salt in a small area when you park your car on the drive and the salt and snow drip off your vehicle after a storm. You could also call the contractor who poured the concrete and ask his recommendation.
Bill

I called the contractor and basically he recommended sand, especially for the first year while the concrete cures. My snow blower is going to love that sand when I have to clear the next snowfall I guess I won't try and clear all the way to the concrete.

 

[Dmace]

I called the contractor and basically he recommended sand, especially for the first year while the concrete cures. My snow blower is going to love that sand when I have to clear the next snowfall I guess I won't try and clear all the way to the concrete.

Yup, sand is your best option for at least a year. If you are worried about the sand in your blower, leave it up an inch or two for initial clearing and then go over the drive with your FEL to scrape down to the surface. I have used a rear mount snowblower on a gravel drive for 3 years now with no noticeable wear and tear. I wouldn't worry about throwing a little sand with the snow.

 

[JB4310]

Driveway has horizontal brush marks for texture. We've had 7-8 snowstorms in December and we had no problems making it up or down the drive. Rain isn't a problem. Just freezing rain.

Did you use your blower in those snows, and did the driveway dry out after having the snow removed? That would obviously be the best way to keep it. not much you can do about freezing rain and attached ice except putting something to provide grip on the surface. I don't think sand would hurt your snow blower much.
With ice melters, your never gonna melt every square foot of ice so it's just gonna keep refreezing.

I think your idea of a curb as opposed to a guard rail might be better, even as I was writing about the guard rail recommendation all I could think about was that every time someone got a little jiggly in that corner it would be another trip to the body shop. With a good high curb it should work at keeping vehicles from going off the edge, and with a blower it's not gonna affect snow removal. would have been easy (relatively) to install concrete curbing during initial installation, just on the outside of that corner if the other 2 legs are fairly straight.

Someone recommended sealing, I 2nd that, a premium industrial Siloxane PD water repellent, not Thompson's, would last several years. You mentioned the broom finish which of course is a necessity for making a non slip surface but unfortunately is a detriment to your efforts to protect it, as it multiplies the surface area 2-4 times, means more area for water to permeate, slower to drain & dry and a larger area to treat with sealer.

 

[WBWI]

Did you use your blower in those snows, and did the driveway dry out after having the snow removed? That would obviously be the best way to keep it. not much you can do about freezing rain and attached ice except putting something to provide grip on the surface. I don't think sand would hurt your snow blower much.
With ice melters, your never gonna melt every square foot of ice so it's just gonna keep refreezing.

I think your idea of a curb as opposed to a guard rail might be better, even as I was writing about the guard rail recommendation all I could think about was that every time someone got a little jiggly in that corner it would be another trip to the body shop. With a good high curb it should work at keeping vehicles from going off the edge, and with a blower it's not gonna affect snow removal. would have been easy (relatively) to install concrete curbing during initial installation, just on the outside of that corner if the other 2 legs are fairly straight.

Someone recommended sealing, I 2nd that, a premium industrial Siloxane PD water repellent, not Thompson's, would last several years. You mentioned the broom finish which of course is a necessity for making a non slip surface but unfortunately is a detriment to your efforts to protect it, as it multiplies the surface area 2-4 times, means more area for water to permeate, slower to drain & dry and a larger area to treat with sealer.

JB4310 - sound like you have had a lot of experience with concrete. Yes, the previous snow falls were cleared with my tractor and blower. The residual snow did not create slippery conditions and melted/evaporated in a few days. The freezing rain is the only source of problems we've had. It's not common here so it was not a real concern until now.
As you can see in one of the photos I put down #2 fractured limstone to transition between the finsihed height of the drive and the surrounding terrain. Thats what saved my truck from sliding over the edge last weekend. I think I put down about 65 tons. I wanted something to slow the rain water to prevent washouts. Topsoil would not have lasted and in the woods nothing would grow in it very well.
Driveway was sealed. I don't recall what product was used but I will be maintaining it yearly.

 

[JB4310]

JB4310 - sound like you have had a lot of experience with concrete.
Driveway was sealed. I don't recall what product was used but I will be maintaining it yearly.

I do work with masonry/concrete alot but not new work like foundations or slabs. Been a contractor since 1983, small scale but specialty stuff, institutional type exterior building maintenance, masonry restoration, slate roof repair, waterproofing and now about 50% residential basement waterproofing/drainage systems. That's where we're cutting floors installing/repairing footing drains and capping with concrete.

9.5%, I do know a little about that. Doesn't sound like a big number but it's what's provided me a major part of my livelihood. That's how much water expands at 32 degrees. Here in Southern New England we have high temps that range on average between 15-40 degrees all winter. We can have 2-3 freeze/thaw cycles in 24 hours sometimes, that is brutal on wet exposed masonry building materials.

Done alot of pointing and patching, It's an on going battle on older style construction, fill the joints and holes, apply surface water repellent, come back in 5-10 years and do it again.
I'm not familiar with WI climate, if you go below freezing and stay there for a month that would be less stressful to the concrete surface. Also I think if you get a premium water repellent/sealer you wouldn't have to do it yearly.