# Frozen salt



## IA snoman (Aug 31, 2003)

looking for some ideas and or suggestions for my frozen salt problem. I have tried to bust it up with my skid loader and its a losing battle. Does anyone have any success with softening up their salt after its frozen? I did get one reply on a FB page saying to spray it with liquid calcium chloride but I am having a hard time finding it in a small quantity. Not even sure that would work. Any and all help would be great.

Thanks.


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## fhafer (Jan 31, 2014)

I've used windshield washer fluid in a pump weed sprayer.


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## IA snoman (Aug 31, 2003)

I have heard about windshield washer fluid, but usually it was only in a salter not a pile. Did u use just regular blue windshield washer fluid? how much salt did u treat and how much fluid did you use?


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## Mark Oomkes (Dec 10, 2000)

Yes, the cheap stuff. As mulch as it takes.


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## Indycorp (Oct 24, 2015)

The reason for windshield washer fluid is the isopropyl alcohol. Find the cheapest isopropyl you can get. Quarts, gallons, 5 gallons etc. You can use the deck sprayer. I would scoop it up with the loader and try mixing it in. Then buy some tarps.


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## kimber750 (Sep 19, 2011)

At times we get a outer crust of hard salt. We spread it out and run it over with the backhoe. Then scope back into the pile. Takes 5-10 minutes.


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## framer1901 (Dec 18, 2005)

Bring it inside, it'll thaw.


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## IA snoman (Aug 31, 2003)

Thanks Indy I appreciate the info. But this salt was tarped. It’s from last season since we had such a bad year we barely used any of our inventory. 

Kimber that is what I have been doing except this isn’t a crust. It is a complete salt block. It is so hard I broke my cutting edge on my skidloader bucket in two places. 

Framer I cannot bring it inside it is solid piece about 12,000 + pounds.


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## iceyman (Mar 1, 2007)

IA snoman said:


> Thanks Indy I appreciate the info. But this salt was tarped. It's from last season since we had such a bad year we barely used any of our inventory.
> 
> Kimber that is what I have been doing except this isn't a crust. It is a complete salt block. It is so hard I broke my cutting edge on my skidloader bucket in two places.
> 
> Framer I cannot bring it inside it is solid piece about 12,000 + pounds.


Any warmup this week?


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## IA snoman (Aug 31, 2003)

Yes it has. Going to try to work on it today


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## framer1901 (Dec 18, 2005)

Dear lord, good luck with that.....

We've had 50ton of junk salt, "great buy" - when it got cold it froze solid. We beat the crap outa the loader breaking it up, the stuff is useless below 30, finally used it all up at the beginning of this year - never again.


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## fhafer (Jan 31, 2014)

Salt is hygroscopic. Hygroscopic means that salt absorbs water vapor from the surrounding air. Eventually, the salt attracts enough water vapor that it changes into liquid, and the salt partially dissolves and starts to clump together. Given enough time you’ll end up with one big salt block. Are you sure it’s “frozen” and not clumped?


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## IA snoman (Aug 31, 2003)

Chafer i am not sure. Could very easily be what you are talking about since I’ve had it since last October. Like I said above it was leftover from a poor season last year. It has been tarped but rain will find its way in atleast somewhere and humidity would probably be an issue as well. If this is the case can u offer some suggestions as to loosening it up? I tried some windshield washer fluid and it didn’t seem to work that well. I haven’t tried it a lot but the area I treated didn’t seem to see a huge difference.


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## On a Call (Jan 14, 2015)

If it is what you are describing...it is a lost cause IMO. Seen it before. 

However if you can break it into chunks you may be able to rebreak it up by driving over it. However if it is like concrete you might wait till summer to break it up...even then good luck.

I was given 20 ton that was like this....I left most of it, garbage.


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## fireside (Mar 1, 2008)

3 years ago GT brought in this white salt. When it was cold it got rock hard almost unusable. I put a tarp over the pile and ran a torpedo heater than it broke right up.


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