Lawnmark SNOW Plow Service

LawnMark winter season snow plow services In Northeast Ohio greater Cleveland

The east side of greater Cleveland is commonly known as the snow belt ...where it's common to get over 90 inches of snow fall each winter season.   The heart of the snow belt is Chardon, Chesterland, Chagrin Falls, Gates Mills, Hunting Valley, Kirtland, Newbury, Russell, and Pepper Pike where snow removal services are critical for homeowners and businesses.   Winter lake effect snow add to the challenges of getting regular sunshine ...so not our favorite season of the year...but we provide an integral snow removal service and ice management for our commercial clients parking lots!  

When the temperature falls to 32 degrees Fahrenheit or colder, water molecules combine to form repeating patterns of hexagons also known as ICE.    During these times we can apply rock salt to dissolve and impede  the ice formation process.  Salt works by getting an atom in between water molecules, thereby preventing it from finding its nearest neighbor to form crystals. 

In the case of rock salt, which is just table salt, or sodium chloride, there’s one atom of sodium and one atom of chlorine to do this disrupting.  Applying salt to roads, driveways, and sidewalks, lowers the freezing point from 32 degrees to 25 degrees and melts ice.  The relatively small reduction in freezing temperature—just 7 degrees—is why in Ohio rock salt will often fail to keep water from freezing, with freeze and thaw cycles. These temperature fluctuations also cause problems for concrete.

Concrete is porous and allows a certain amount of water—and any dissolved salt—inside. If the temperature drops below the lowered freezing point, the water will expand. The pits in concrete sidewalks and driveways are from salt and the stresses of ice freezing inside the concrete. 

The LawnMark CONCRETE DRIVEWAY and PATIO INSTALLATION team typically have to remove cracked, pitted, and lifting concrete slabs to pour new concrete driveways after reinforcing the base with material and ensuring a solid foundation to prevent future freeze-thaw issues.  NEED a NEW CONCRETE DRIVEWAY ?   Call for a free quote 216-372-3792.   Our professional LawnMark concrete TEAM of installers and finishers are top notch highly skilled and have many years of experience.  

Calcium chloride, is another type of salt can avoid those damaging freeze-thaw cycles because it lowers the freezing temperature much more—to minus 25 degrees. Compared to rock salt, it has an extra chlorine atom to squeeze in and destabilize ice.

Calcium Chloride dissolves in water and actually heats it up working fastest to melt ice. That speed and lower effective temperature, however, come with a price tag that’s about double that of rock salt. 

Most of the greater Cleveland cities use sodium chloride on the roads to prevent ice during winter snow storms.

Environmental Concerns of using Rock Salt

Decades of heavy use have taken a toll on the environment because salt doesn’t just wash away.

Experts say sodium chloride levels remain elevated into the summer months– when organisms are most vulnerable.

“The amphibians that inhabit lakes, streams, and ponds in the Northeast U.S. are not used to any salt concentration. The young stages of these organisms breathe across their skin–that’s how they get oxygen. So any chemical that’s dissolved in the water causes issues for them. 

One rock salt alternative, calcium magnesium acetate, is sometimes used on bridges, because it doesn't eat away at metal—or add sodium chloride to waterways. But it’s far more expensive, and harmful to aquatic life because it depletes oxygen in water.

Sodium chloride is most commonly used for it's efficacy and affordability to reduce icing during winter snow storms.  It can cover the gap between heavy snow fall to avoid snow plowing every few hours.

Homeowners and commercial facilities can reduce the amount of salt with positive results due to the physical shape of deicer.  Rock Salt is a “rock-like" crystalline structure, and the bulk of the material is not in contact with the ice, so the smaller pieces melt first, then the bigger pieces continue to melt for an extended period of time keeping your driveway, sidewalk, or parking lot from icing or re-freezing.

Tip: In general, adding more deicer will work to further lower the freezing point. But each salt has a limit, known as its eutectic point.  The salt residue left on the streets becomes a brine solution that will assist in curbing ice formation during the next snow fall which reduces the "black ice" accidents that occur frequently.   Smoother pellets will dissolve more quickly and work faster.

The most efficient delivery of salt on driveways, parking lots, and roads is to use a brine solution. It coats evenly, and isn't blown away by wind. Brine also avoids the situation in which too much salt actually raises the freezing temperature.  Downside is it's very expensive, so the vast majority of NE Ohio greater Cleveland businesses and residents use rock salt which is most effective at a reasonable price point. 

Call LawnMark early in the year if you would like to get on the residential snow plow route before we are fully booked.   Commercial property managers are also encouraged to secure their winter snow plow and ice management services by October so we can plan effectively to provide reliable snow removal service.

LawnMark property management provides solutions for snow and tree removal, lawn service, and installs concrete driveways and outdoor entertainment patio areas.  Call  216-372-3792 for our friendly staff.