# Beet juice to be used locally for ice control



## dmontgomery (Oct 3, 2003)

There is a city locally testing the use of Beet juice mixed with salt to pretreat and melt snow and ice.........interesting....

D


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## hoosier (Nov 23, 2006)

Do you know what brand they will use?


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## dmontgomery (Oct 3, 2003)

I have no idea........


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## T-MAN (Jan 9, 2001)

Liquid Magic, is a by product from distillerys. basically corn mash remnents.
Usually the problem that arrises from these "natural" products, is inconsistency in the effectiveness of the product. Sometimes you get a 'Hot" batch, other times it barely gets the job done.


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## Jay brown (Dec 26, 2005)

that what we use. in fact evveryone in the town uses it. it's called geomelt 55 and it is sugarless sugar beet.


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## rblake (Nov 17, 2007)

City of Moraine has been using a sugar beet product for the past several years. I have used the same product for the past 5 years. Dont use it all of the time, only when it gets down to 10 degrees. Works very well but messy


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## cincy snowdog (Dec 19, 2005)

*Purpose?*

I heard it is only for adhesion ,to hold salt and salt dust down, does the beat juice actually have deiceing properties.?


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## hoosier (Nov 23, 2006)

It helps lower working temps. Most of the products you see are calcium chloride or magnesium chloride based,with an agricultural based additive,(beet pulp extract,corn based , or even one we used to sell used honey)
It is usually an blend of anything from 60% - 90% chloride and the balance additive.
The additives provide adhesion to the road when anti-icing. Applying before a snow or ice event,the water in the chloride dehydrates,and is re-activated with the first precipitation.
Some of the additives also contain corrosion inhibitors.
The choice of chlorides and additives are usually dictated by geography. Liquid calcium if readily available in eastern US . Magnesium in the west. 
Additives are based upon availability as well. East coast seem to be mostly brewery based by-products. Midwest is corn and beet based. West seems to be beet based.
I don't want to get too boring about it,but,hopefully it helps explain some of what you see.


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## Snowpower (Sep 2, 2007)

Beet juice? Comon. 

What will these hippies think of next. Have they tried Wheat Gluten yet?


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## dlcs (Sep 2, 2004)

Local city around here used it several years back. Does not have any melting capabilities. What its good for is like someone else said, adhesion. The beet juice keeps the salt rocks from rolling off the street and blowing away in strong winds. Makes a mess on the streets and cars, very sticky and red in color.


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## rblake (Nov 17, 2007)

Cincy Snowdog - remember back 3 winters when we got hit hard around christmas. We had somewhere around 15-20 inches and then the temperatures dropped below 0. We would mix "beet juice with mag chloride" to our bulk salt. It was close to 5 degrees below and the salt/beet mixture took the ice down to blacktop. 

The first time i used it, it worked to well because it leaves a residual on the black top. I learned not to mix it so heavy the next time.


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## cincy snowdog (Dec 19, 2005)

yeh i remember very well, our christmas was postponed til new years,we were so busy,we got all of ours cleaned and salted ,this city was shut down,we had so many people contact us to clean their lots,we cleaned house with our big trucks and equiptment,all small trucks around were parked,if you tried to plow them lots with pickups the truck just stopped about ten feet and you were done or you ripped off your plow.we chained up and loaded up with full load of salt and it was great, i had my truck sideways half the time but nothing but all balls! had too to cut the 20" snow then ice on top.we did all kinds of stuff and hit them hard on the bill, did a walmart (one time only) ,took about six hours ,two trucks and a loader ,they had three pickups in there for 26 hours that managed to keep a one lane in to store to the left then out the other side. it was a mess. i had a tow truck on payroll for a day moving four skidsteers all over the place(mcd,bk,walgreens,etc none were ours) as soon as he dropped off he went to the next one,move it to new lot and off to get the next,i was up for almost forty six hours before i slept for about three hours then back at it.the streets were not even touched for like two day or more ,this city was shut down...so christmas was good but just wasnt the same a week later.


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## cincy snowdog (Dec 19, 2005)

dang i guess i got off track on that one, here we use calcium clhoride on top of the salt when it is real cold. a few years ago the city got into salt brine pretreating(waste of time imo it a p.r. thing) but it just dries up and the dust blows to the curb,they were looking into the beet juice to hold it down but declined to use it because of the mess.i didnt know if it made heat though or just an adhesion agent.


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## Jay brown (Dec 26, 2005)

the geo melt 55 we use (sugar beet) makes the salt work down to below 0 deg.


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## rblake (Nov 17, 2007)

yea, that was some christmas at home with the family. wait, i wasnt there. by the end of that storm all four trucks where down. forgot the wifes presents so i took her to vegas the next weekend.

the beat juice is messy but works great in cold temps. hope we get some snow this winter


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