5 Ways to take care of your driveway during winter in Edmonton
Owning an Edmonton home comes with many perks, but also many responsibilities. This rings especially true in the wintertime when you have to remove the snow off of your driveway and sidewalks. It’s important to set yourself up for success by taking a few preventative steps to make sure your driveway is ready to go before the first snowfall. And, if you choose to maintain your driveway yourself and not hire a professional snow removal service, there are a few do’s and don'ts when it comes to maintaining its integrity and health.
Winter is an inevitable part of life in Edmonton, so now that you’ve winterized your home, it’s time to winterize your driveway. These are the five steps you can take to make sure your driveway is ready for winter, as well as maintain it through the snowy season and prevent any costly damage.
1. Address Pavement Cracks
Before the first snowfall, make sure you address any cracks in your pavement. Broken areas of your driveway make the pavement susceptible to water damage as melting snow can seep through the cracks. When the temperature drops, that moisture will freeze, and since water expands as it freezes, this can put pressure on your pavement and cause it to shift out of place. Once that ice eventually melts, the pavement will remain displaced, and likely buckle if you step or drive over that spot, which will lead to even larger cracks than you had before winter began.
Take care of these cracks or holes that are already present before winter arrives to save you even further damage in the spring. You may be able to fill some cracks yourself, but you’ll get better, long-lasting results if you hire professional pavers.
2. Apply Driveway Sealant
Once you’ve taken care of the bigger cracks, applying driveway sealant is a good thing to include on your winter prep checklist. Sealing your driveway gives it a protective coat, fills tiny cracks, and helps prevent damage from de-icing chemicals. As with crack and hole repair, sealing your driveway is a job best left to the pros.
That said, applying driveway sealant is not something you need to do every year. Your driveway surface should be treated every two or three years.
3. Check On Your Tools
Once your driveway is prepped for the first snowfall, it’s time to check up on your snow removal tools. If you’ve had the same metal shovel in your garage for years, you may want to consider replacing it as shovels wear out over time. Chipped or cracked shovel blades can damage your driveway over time.
When considering buying a new shovel, the biggest difference is whether you choose metal or plastic. Metal blades can scrape up driveways and other surfaces, while plastic blades remove snow more gently but aren’t as effective at breaking up ice or packed-down snow. But if you stay on top of your home maintenance, including your shovelling, a plastic shovel will do the trick.
4. Remove Snow Quickly
Clearing snow quickly is an important part of home maintenance and winter driveway care, even though it can be a pain — especially if you have a large driveway! If you don’t want to do this yourself, turn to professional snow removers — just remember that if you want faster service, it’s best to have a contract in place so they come right after the snow falls, as there may be a bit of a wait if you request snow removal day-of.
If you are taking care of removing snow and ice yourself, do it as soon as possible because the freezing and thawing process can cause the driveway to crack.
5. Use the Right De-icing Solution
When choosing a solution to help de-ice your driveway, it’s important to know what you’re getting into and any long-term impacts these may cause. There are several snow and ice melting products on the market and it’s important to understand how they work. De-icing chemicals can penetrate the concrete surface and cause damage underneath. Rock salt (sodium chloride) may not harm your driveway itself, but it can harm vegetation in your yard and corrode metal. Calcium chloride melts snow faster than rock salt and is safer for concrete, but it can harm pets and burn skin.
If you just want to add traction to your icy driveway, use cat litter or sand. If you use dark sand, this will absorb heat from the sun and help melt the ice —and the sun is your friend when it comes to ice removal! The sun’s process of heating the sand will create “pock marks” in the ice with ridges and peaks that will evaporate away in the sunshine.
These five easy tips to protect and maintain your driveway this winter will not only make sure you’re set for the first snowfall, but also keep your costs down when the snow melts in the spring.
When it comes to a home and driveway that’s built for all seasons, it’s important to invest in an Edmonton home builder that you trust. Timberstone Builders has over 15 years of experience building, remodeling, and renovating award-winning custom dream homes in Edmonton and the surrounding area.