Why Salt Brine Increases Efficiency, Sales Opportunities and Margins

Snow Plow News attended the SIMA Road Show to talk big ideas with snow and ice contractors.

October 26, 2021 | Emma Tyborski

Snow Plow News met with Allen Davis from Y&L Landscaping to discuss their success pre-treating exclusively with brine. Y&L Landscaping has been in the snow and ice management industry for over 20 years and has been utilizing salt brine for the last 10 years. Brine is widely used because it is readily available and easy to produce, it’s very economical and effective at moderate subfreezing temperatures.

Why Using Salt Brine Makes Sense

Liquid Brine Takes Effect Immediately
Liquid brine is rock salt in a liquid form that begins to work as it hits the ground. Rock salt gets spread then begins working after the 20 to 45 minutes it takes for rock salt to convert to brine.

Liquid Brine is More Accurate
Liquid application is more accurate than rock salt spreaders so less liquid is used than rock salt. Typical spreaders are designed to throw the rock salt that then hits the surface and bounces around. The calibration systems for rock salt are less specific than brine systems.

Liquid Brine – Better Economics and Sustainability
Less salt being used means less material to purchase leading to lower overall costs for snow and ice control. With more precision the contractor is spending less time on site, which means more sites can be treated in less overall time. When too much rock salt is spread, the overage washes into sewers or other drainage systems, which raises the salt content in the watershed. Using brine leads to greater sustainability and is better for the environment.

Manufacturing your own brine makes sense as there is greater control on supply and better control of material needs. Y&L Landscaping manufactures their own brine at their facility and has seen the benefits. Some of the benefits of manufaturing brine include greater efficiencies and better margins. The cost benefits are then shared with customers and makes Y&L Landscaping more competitive.

Check out the video below for more information on salt brine.

 

Want more information on this?