Tools & Tips: Digging Yourself Out of the Snow
From Dan on January 16th, 2009 in Landscaping
There’s a cold spell in much of the country this month, including a “big chill” in the upper Midwest. It’s the coldest decade for Chicago this winter, and schools throughout Michigan, Iowa, Illinois, and upstate New York are closed due to snow.
Sometimes under a thick blanket of winter water we forget about what’s underneath. But if that’s your newly paved driveway or recently laid pavers under there, you are going to want to remember them when it comes time to dig a path to the car or mailbox. Snow shoveling can be dirty work. You can’t tell where the driveway ends or begins and in the course of figuring it out you dig up or scalp a good portion of grass. It’s also easy to damage or chip concrete, asphalt and stone pavers. So in the interest of a pleasant awakening to spring and a working winter walkway, here are some quick tips for digging your entryway out of the snow.
The Old-Fashioned Way
It’s time to wrestle the snow shovel out of the garage. It’s the gas-free, eco-friendly way to get the job done and work off some of those holiday treats.
Your first choice is between metal and plastic. Metal shovels are heavier duty and slice through that snow with ease; especially handy if the temperature is hovering around the freezing point, leaving a shiny glaze of ice on the surface. But metal shovels can also be more damaging to what’s underneath. Take care to keep the shovel at least a half-inch above the surface to avoid chipping the concrete (not to mention beating up the shovel and making the work harder).
If you have pavers, many of them may have succumbed to a little frost heave at the onset of winter and could be sticking up, making them prime candidates for damage from an overeager shovel.
To Salt or Not to Salt
Rock salt is the modern way to keep the drive clear. Just sprinkle and watch snow and ice dissolve. But rock salt has a dark side as well. The salt gets into the pores of concrete materials, corroding the steel reinforcements within and weakening the concrete overall. One good look at a road in the Midwest and Northeast, where they commonly use salt on roadways, should tell you all you need to know about the power of salt.
Alternatives? Try using less corrosive calcium chloride instead. Also, be sure to keep up on sealing your concrete every few years when the weather is nice.
Snow Machines
In many regions of the country, digging out of the snow becomes a gruesome and daily grind. That’s why so many folks opt for the snowblower over the snow shovel. It’s quick and relatively painless. Yet snowblowers have the capacity to do some powerful damage to your entryway. For pavers, make sure the blades are set a full one inch above the surface and, just as a reminder, make sure you’re not blowing snow now where you’ll have to dig later. Be sure to follow all safety precautions when using a snowblower. This is winter’s lawnmower and is equally as dangerous if mishandled.
Other Tips
If the snow melts for a day or two, go out and tamp down any pavers that have risen.
Do NOT use rock salt on wood decks.
For wood decks, shovel in the same direction the deck boards run and don’t dig the shovel in. This can splinter the wood, compromising the seal and allowing water in to run its course. Try sweeping off the last bit of snow with a heavy broom.
Also, keep an eye on those gutters. Not that you should be running up on the roof in wintertime, but the snow-melt-snow-melt-snow pattern of some winters can add a lot of weight. At the least get up and inspect the gutters after a big melt (i.e., dry roof).
