# Frozen BAGGED Salt !!!



## NJ Plowman (Dec 10, 2003)

Has anyone had 50lb bags of rock salt freeze? I have four pallets with about 130 bags each of rock salt in one of my garages. The top 8 bags on just one pallet are frozen solid. They are all unopened, with no rips or tears in any of them. Is there anything I can do to "break them up" without opening the bags (maybe bring them indoors or something?), and any idea why just 8 bags on only one pallet froze (all 4 pallets were next to each other)?

Thanks guys...


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## Mick (May 19, 2001)

What brand? There are several threads going on right now dealing with frozen bagged salt. I'm wanting to keep track of what brands are more susceptible to freezing. Then maybe I can figure out if certain companies are bagging wet salt. Or maybe the material used tends to trap moisture etc. One thing I noticed from my own experience is that bags stacked on pallets trap moisture from the air between bags. I'll be sure to use spacers when stacking bags.


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## Plow Meister (Oct 16, 2001)

The only thing you can really do is slam the bags onto concrete like a bag of ice. This will probably destroy the bag. Maybe bring the salt into a heated garage for a day or two. Last case, depending on how much salt you have that is frozen, you can take it to a "dirt farm" and have them pulvarize it for you. You will have to open all the bags and maybe have to shovel it into your spreader from the ground. If all that fails, the salt is now probably useless except for balast maybe. Some members have tried spraying the salt with Magic.


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## parrothead (Nov 19, 2003)

yeah, it happens all the time, we pull a bag off, throw it on the ground maybe once or twice and then dump it in the spreader.


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## NJ Plowman (Dec 10, 2003)

Mick-The brand name is SWI "De-Icing Salt" manufactured by Scottswood Industries Inc. and was purchased by the pallet load at Loew's. 

The whole reason we went with bagged is so that we don't have to worry about it freezing. If I knew it was going to freeze, I would have bought it by the ton and saved a fortune!

Why did just some of the bags freeze and not all of them?

Anything to do to keep the rest of it from freezing?


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## The Boss (Oct 22, 2003)

I've had that problem myself. I just drop it on the ground on all sides like a bag of ice to break up all the chunks. Usually works pretty good.:waving:


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## gt_racer50 (Dec 4, 2003)

We've also had problems with the SWI salt from Lowes. I've got about 4 or 5 bags right now that are as hard as concrete. I wouldn't advise anyone else to buy any of it. I've got a few bags of other brands that were right along side of the SWI, and they are just fine. Must have been bagged wet at the plant. I have had no problem with Triple Melt, Quickcrete Rock Salt and one other brand.


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## chris08087 (Oct 25, 2003)

from what I understand, there are two types of rock salt, sea water salt and salt mined from the earth. I have a trucker friend who hauls salt, and he says that the sea water salt will freeze up in the truck more readily than the mined salt. If you can find out which salt you are buying, you'd be better off with the natural mineral salt


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## ptllandscapeIL (Jan 15, 2004)

I have had that problem with ice-a-way brand rock salt bags freezing,i do business alot wiht shemin nursery and another landscape nursy and that crap feezes up all crazy


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## classicman (Dec 3, 2003)

*I lay 'em down*

and run 'em over with my truck. They get cooperative.


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## gt_racer50 (Dec 4, 2003)

That's interesting, I just bought a pallet of Ice a way from Andersons, they have it stored outside. It was fine. Also I didn't have it long enough for it to freeze.


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## Bolts Indus. (Dec 22, 2003)

gt-racer has just said what some of the problem is with bag salt. Salt is the same as all other products, it has a moisture content.
When exposed to in heat and out in the cold upon purchase and then back in and then back out onto the truck you are causing condensation in the product to accumulate on the surface of the bag, thus frozen lumps. I recommend that you buy from a dealer that stores it outside in the shade. ( shake the bag first to see if it is loose ). Then bring it home and store it likewise. I think you will find that you have less problems. 
In short, keep it cool and it will stay dry and loose. Hope this helps.


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## TLS (Jan 31, 2000)

Yep,

I posted about this somewhere. It happened to me too.


A couple weeks ago when it was like 4 degrees out. 

Solid, I mean SOLID as a rock. Dropping, driving over, NOTHING worked. It was harder than a cinder block.

3 Days later, it warmed up to the low 20's and it was fine. One good flip to loosen it and it dumped in fine.

First year it EVER happened to me.


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## bcf (Oct 29, 2003)

I just bought a pallet of Halite Ice A Way(I think) in a red bag from Wehrings stored outside and it is fine. The bags I got from HomeDepot were Halite in white bags, were inside, and two ae like concrete. The others I broke up enough to use, but it was a workout.


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