We might receive compensation for sales of the items on this page and from affiliate marketing initiatives.
When I was an apartment dweller in New York City, I never considered doing any snow shoveling. We had a great superintendent who made sure that our little stretch of sidewalk was always the cleanest on the block.
Since we moved to the suburbs, we are now in charge of maintaining our own walkway in addition to our driveway and steps. We thought it would be wise to stock up on some winter maintenance necessities now, before it gets any colder—and ahem, snowier—because the Farmer’s Almanac is predicting a doozy of a winter this year.
Rock salt and sand are the most affordable options for the typical homeowner, aside from our snowblower and snow shovels. But what’s the difference? Which should we use?.
When to Use Driveway Salt
Rock salt is a large-chunky crystallized form of sodium chloride (table salt), which is mined from underground deposits. Historically, salt has been applied to roads to prevent them from becoming icy or to help melt any existing ice that has formed because it lowers the freezing point of water.
It is a cost-effective solution for the task and functions in temperatures above 12 degrees Fahrenheit. However, it can be very harsh on grass and shrubs and can corrode steel and concrete. Additionally, there are worries about the effects of salty runoff on the environment, which is why many municipalities have switched to other snow management materials.
Large bags of rock salt are easily accessible at hardware and grocery stores during the winter for homeowners using much smaller amounts less frequently. You can even buy it on Amazon.
Separate Sand and Salt by Solubility
Salt dissolves in water, but sand does not. In other words, whereas sand is not soluble in water, salt is So you can separate a sand and salt mixture using the difference in solubility. Add water to the mixture until the salt dissolves. As temperature rises, so does solubility, so you’ll need less water when it’s hot. Once the salt dissolves, you can collect the sand. Pouring the sand and salt water through a coffee filter or fine strainer is one way to accomplish this. Boiling the salt water until all of the water has evaporated will allow you to recover the salt. The alternative is to simply pour the salt water into a pan and allow it to evaporation. Spreading sea water over a large area and allowing it to evaporate in the sun is how people obtain sea salt.
Separate Sand and Salt by Density
Because salt and sand have different densities, you can separate them much more quickly. The density of salt is 2. 16 g/cm³ while the density of sand is 2. 65 g/cm³. To put it another way, the bucket with the sand would weigh more if you filled one with salt and the other with sand. Sand is slightly heavier than salt.
Shaking a pan of sand and salt will cause the salt to float to the top of the pan. To separate the salt from the sand, scrape off the top layer. The same principle is used to pan for gold. Gold sinks to the bottom of the pan because it is heavier than the majority of other materials.