# Salt area per sqr foot



## a_tech

Just started plowing this year and I have a ? that maybe
someone can answer, in general

Only one snowstorm this winter worth plowing and
just know biding on a lot 26,000 sqr ft.

how many square feet will 50 lbs of salt cover conservatively?
or what equation is the rule of thumb?

Thanks
Walt
a_tech


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## Plow Meister

On average, 50#s of salt will cover approx 10,000 square feet if used conservatively. There are many other variables to take into considerationalso such as ground temperature, weather trends, how much ice is already on the ground, direction of water runoff, amount of vehicle traffic, etc.


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## Ohiosnow

*Walt*

Plain rock salt says it will melt ice at 4-oz. to a sq.yard. so 1# would do 36 sq.ft. so 26,000sq.ft. divided by 36 = 722#.

It depends on if your melting ice or pretreating or salting after just plowing. Plus it depends if you want a white parking lot or not I see both as some salt really heavy & others not. If going on after plowing I put 500# per acre & 1000# for thin ice.

I've only started salting this year but have been around & helping guys salt my lots for over 20 yrs. It seems it makes a difference as to what part of the continent ( North America) as to their choice of how,when & how much. And if you use Magic salt or equal you may use even less.


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## a_tech

*RE: salt per sqr ft*

Thanks for the Info really helps.

Walt


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## Lawn Lad

My first year salting... and the advice I was getting was #80 bag for about 10,000 sq ft. Seemed to be about accurate. Adjust a little for temperature considerations, and what was in the lot that I was trying to melt.


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## a_tech

*RE: salt per sqr ft*

Well I drop the bid off today with stipulations of temperature
and lot conditions to alter amounts. this job is for next year
so I'll see what happens.

thanks


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## rnblase

I am trying to figure out a bid on a very larg shopping center.
It is all brand new asphalt and flat it is about 63,894 Sq Yards
with not very many islands.

My figures are:

Plow
1-3=4875.00
3.1-5 = 7312
5.1-8 = 9871

Salt = 15 tons per application

Does this sound right?

It works out to be .5lbs per sq yard of salt
and from 7 cents to 15 cents a sq yard for plowing.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You


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## Mick

Check with the company that laid the asphalt, but I don't think you're going to want to put salt on that lot for at least a year after they laid it. That's my advise to companies and homeowners when they pave their lot or driveway, anyway.


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## Alan

> _Originally posted by rnblase _
> *
> My figures are:
> 
> Plow
> 1-3=4875.00
> 3.1-5 = 7312
> 5.1-8 = 9871
> 
> Salt = 15 tons per application
> 
> Does this sound right?
> 
> It works out to be .5lbs per sq yard of salt
> and from 7 cents to 15 cents a sq yard for plowing.
> 
> Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
> 
> Thank You *


I can't begin to compare the plowing costs because of the difference in price over varyng locations. But I do think that your salt numbers are way high. I'm looking at it as lbs/lane mile, a lane mile being roughly 60,000 sf. I'm seeing over 3,300 lbs/lane mile at your rate. Owing to your milder climate I would expect that ground temperatures are never going to be very low. With surface temperatures in the mid 20s I would be looking to pretreat with 5-600 lb/lane mi. Apply it predominately in the travel lanes and let traffic move it around. Reapply if needed, but I think that you could keep things wet and slushy for a long time with a lot less salt. Somebody jump in here and tell me if I'm way off base, but that comes out pretty close to Doug's 80lb/10,000 sf


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## karl klein

i think it would take me 4 to 5 tons


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## rnblase

1/2 lb to a sq yard


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## Alan

> _Originally posted by rnblase _
> *1/2 lb to a sq yard *


Your half pound per yard works out to 15.97 tons over that area. Nothing wrong with your figures there. But at that rate you're way overapplying.

Running the numbers my way you get 9.58 lane miles. At 600 lbs per lane mile that's 5,748 lbs. If we use Doug's rate of 80 lbs/10,000 sf we get 480 lbs/lane mile, or 4,598 lbs per app.

You asked if your numbers "sounded right". To me you're looking at overapplying salt by a factor of 5 to 1. If you can get the job with your numbers that's fine, but I think that much salt is going to put your numbers out of the ballpark.


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## rnblase

Thank you guys for this advice it has been very helpfull. I am adjusting those figures down.

Rick


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## John Allin

According to Don Walker - Professor at the University of Wisconsin and sponsor of two deicing seminars each held annually in Wisconsin and Allentown, PA - and probably the leading expert on rock salt usage in the country today (Dale Keep being the foremost expert on liquid deicing products).....

"in a light icing situation 75 lbs of product will adequatley reduce one acre of pavement to water".... at 29 degrees air temperature, assuming ground temps are not lower than that....

His numbers are the result of extensive studies done by various DOT's around the USA. I know it "feels" like too little product. We have found that in medium icing situations 200 lbs per acre is adequate at high 20's air temp and ground temps. However, we use 250 lbs per acre in quoting per occurrence pricing. Keep in mind that it takes a handful of salt 45 minutes to reduce one pound of salt to water.... 

In lower temps it takes much longer. The eutectic temp is 6 below zero - however, you're going to wait along time for it to work properly.....

Timing is everything.....


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## digger242j

> Apply it predominately in the travel lanes and let traffic move it around.


I'd like to see a discussion of that. Here's why...

Last winter we had a customer complain that one of their employees had slipped getting out of their car. The lot is L shaped and has parking on both sides of the single travel lane. After that incident I began paying closer attention to the edges, where the parking spaces are, rather than the travel lane. My thinking being that once the cars arrive they both shade the ground beneath and next to them, and the only spreading action they do is one set of tracks in and out of the space. the travel lane gets sunshine and tire action to help the salt work.

Anybody have any opinions?


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## Alan

I've had good luck applying where traffic is moving rather than in the parking ares themselves. I guess I was thinking more of vehicular accidents and not so much slip/fall entering or exiting the cars. With that in mind it works good to keep the traveled lanes open so that cars can accelerate or stop, as well as turn with some measure of traction.


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## digger242j

Thanks for your reply, Alan. I'll agree that the travel lanes are important from the perspective of vehicular accidents, but my sense of it is that most of the salt customers are worried about those slip and fall accidents even more. 

I'd kinda hoped for a wider sampling of opinions. Anybody else?


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## ceaman

Use a liquid system and spray from a boomless nozzle, between and under cars.


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## Comet

Just read this thread, I didnt see any mentions/comments towards the plowing pricing, so Id like to question the plowing prices on that 26,000+ sf lot,,seems like its way too high also,the salt yes way too much with the 15tons,,, 
but even so
Plow
1-3=4875.00 ?
3.1-5 = 7312 
5.1-8 = 9871

IM back BTW :waving: ,, hope we all get hit so hard with snow this year


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## Brent

*Snow& Salt pricing*

Just a reply on your snow and salt pricing ANYONE let me know if this is off I"m bidding a job Aprox. 166000 sf I'm using the 50-80 # cover 10000sf so at aprox 17 bags I'm running 200.00 includins app. my snow est I'm still workin on but I'm going with 
2-4 350.00
5-7 525.00
8-10 700.00 +my hrly charge 75.00 an hr

the going rate for this area seems to be running 50-80 an hr I'm sorry if I used $ amounts I've noticed that most of you don't include them on your threads but let me know if you think I'm off

1989 2500 meyer 8 tailgate spreader (long bed)
1985 k-10 western with a meyer pump (short bed)
2000 JD 250 skidder with cab and angle blade


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## Brent

*Snow& Salt pricing*

Just a reply on your snow and salt pricing ANYONE let me know if this is off I"m bidding a job Aprox. 166000 sf I'm using the 50-80 # cover 10000sf so at aprox 17 bags I'm running 200.00 includins app. my snow est I'm still workin on but I'm going with 
2-4 350.00
5-7 525.00
8-10 700.00 +my hrly charge 75.00 an hr

the going rate for this area seems to be running 50-80 an hr I'm sorry if I used $ amounts I've noticed that most of you don't include them on your threads but let me know if you think I'm off

1989 2500 meyer 8 tailgate spreader (long bed)
1985 k-10 western with a meyer pump (short bed)
2000 JD 250 skidder with cab and angle blade


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## BRL

"Just read this thread, I didnt see any mentions/comments towards the plowing pricing, so Id like to question the plowing prices on that 26,000+ sf lot,,seems like its way too high also,the salt yes way too much with the 15tons,,, 
but even so
Plow
1-3=4875.00 ?
3.1-5 = 7312 
5.1-8 = 9871"

Comet,
You mixed up 2 different posts LOL. Those prices were for the post by rnblase for a parking lot of almost 13.5 acres, not the original post by a_tech. In which case I'd say those prices are low, for my area at least. 

digger242j said:
"Last winter we had a customer complain that one of their employees had slipped getting out of their car. The lot is L shaped and has parking on both sides of the single travel lane. After that incident I began paying closer attention to the edges, where the parking spaces are, rather than the travel lane. My thinking being that once the cars arrive they both shade the ground beneath and next to them, and the only spreading action they do is one set of tracks in and out of the space. the travel lane gets sunshine and tire action to help the salt work. 

Anybody have any opinions?"

Your comments are right on. My only 2 slip & fall claims so far were exactly that scenario. 2 different years, same site - one an employee getting out of their car, the other time a salesman getting out of his car for a visit. Since then I think a lot about getting salt into those parking spaces whenever possible, as opposed to just the travel lanes as before then (during hours locations are open). When the locations are closed & parking lots are empty, we always salt curb to curb. Its definitely a tough situation when they're open.


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## Snow7669

Hey Brent, 

What do you charge people from 4"-5" and 7" to 8" ? 
Just thought you might want to close up those gaps.
Bill Harrison


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