Shovel & steel chipper will do the trick for an icy driveway

Did the front of your house resemble more an ice rink than a driveway this morning?

Environment Canada issued a flash freeze warning on Sunday, which ended mid-morning on Monday. And CityNews meteorologist Natasha Ramsahai advised everyone to try to clear the ice on driveways by noon Monday or it could be there for days.

“Nothing beats a good old snow shovel,” says Hector Moreno, manager Transportation Services road operations, adding a steel chipper is also a good piece of equipment to have.

“You can use that to scrape away as soon as you get a crack in the ice.”

He said that residents should try to shovel the snow from their driveway as soon as they can and sprinkle some salt or sand.

“That usually does the trick.”

However, if you’ve already driven over the snow in your driveway and compressed it, the ice will likely be there for several days, he said.

Still he suggested you try to remove as much as you can from the top of that pavement, sprinkle some salt and wait for a few warmer days.

Moreno advised not to pour any hot water on the driveway as it’ll really turn it into a skating rink.

Here are some YouTube videos posted from others who’ve had some experience picking their way through the ice.

What do you use? Share your tips for de-icing driveways in the comments.

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