As the famous quote goes, winter is coming, and for some homeowners in Calgary it feels like spring, summer and fall are just temporary reprieves from the cold and snow. Keeping your property clear of snow and ice can feel like an overwhelming task as it always feels like you’ve just got a solid handle on it just as the next storm rolls in. However, with the right snow and ice management solutions, you can keep your driveway and walkway clear all season long.
Proactive Solutions
The most obvious piece of advice for any Calgary property owner when it comes to managing snow and ice removal is to make sure you keep on top of it. The minute that you let one snowstorm slip by, you’ll be digging into a claggy icy mess that will take a whole lot more effort to clear out than just taking care of it during the initial storm. There are also a few proactive snow and ice removal solutions that you can take before the snow starts to fly to make your life easier:
- Ice melt – there’s nothing more back breaking than having to chisel layers of ice off your driveway and walkways once you’ve cleared the top layer of snow. You can be proactive when you know an icy storm is coming by putting down calcium carbonate ice melt on the clear surfaces. These small granules generate a small amount of heat and will stop the worst of the ice from forming. You’ll still need to clear it away once the ice has been dealt with, but it will make the ice easier to deal with. If you have outdoor pets, you’ll need to check the ingredients on your ice melt to make sure it’s not poisonous if they happen to ingest some of it.
- Keep it banked – as you’re clearing your yard in the fall, you can take a proactive step towards snow and ice removal by creating small banks of dirt along the sides of your driveway. What this does is forces the snow to either slip down onto your garden, so you don’t have to worry about it, or pile up on your driveway, which makes it easier to shovel. If it’s a heavy wet snow, you’ll need to get out there early to take care of the snow that hits your driveway, and you can use it to build the banks up further.
- Heated driveway – finally, if you’ve got some money stashed away and you’re willing to invest in saving you time and effort during the winter months, then you can invest in a heated driveway. This involves having a specialist company coming out to your property and installing copper wires throughout your driveway and walkways. These wires then connect to the electricity supply in your home, and when you turn the system on, the wires start to heat up, melting the ice and snow around them. While this is a significant expense, once you’ve done it, you never really have to worry about ice and snow removal again beyond clearing off the melted water.
Correct Tools For Ice And Snow Removal
Just like any other property maintenance project, the trick to timely and proactive snow and ice removal is to make sure you have the right tools for the job. The following are some of the essential snow and ice clearing tools that you’ll need readily accessible all winter long:
- Long handled shovel – not all snow shovels are created equally, and while you can find simple, cheap designs that look like they have a wide blade but that will break your back because of the thin handle. Ideally, you want a wide shovel that has two handles coming down with a separate handhold about halfway down. This will give you a more staggered grip and force you to use the muscles in your thighs to lift and scoop instead of just your lower back. Also look for a thin metal blade on the base of the shovel to cut through thin layers of ice.
- Ice breaker – ice storms in Calgary can be brutal, and it’s amazing how strong even a few centimeters of ice can be. You’ll want an ice breaker as part of your winter arsenal, which is a thin metal blade at the end of a heavy handle. The thin blade will crack the ice, while the heavy handle will give you enough force to break through even the thickest ice layers. You can also find designs where the blade is the at the end of a smaller shovel to help you scoop the broken ice out of the way.
- Heated gloves – there’s nothing worse than cold hands when you’re out shoveling snow and ice, and it can be hard to get a solid grip on your shovel if your fingers are cramping from the cold. Modern technology now means that you can buy gloves with internal heating elements, and they’re usually chargeable via a USB cable so they’ll keep your hands warm all winter long.
Getting Professional Help
For many Calgary homeowners, there’s a careful balance to be found between the amount of time it takes you to clear up after after a big snowstorm and the amount of energy available to complete the snow and ice removal. Fortunately, there is professional help available for Calgary homeowners. Here at Scoop Cut N Shovel, we have a team of snow and ice removal experts ready to work with you to keep you moving. Our subscription packages will cover you all winter long, and the price will depend on the size of your driveway and if you need the walkways cleared as well.
Save More By Bundling
You can save even more money by bundling your professional snow and ice removal services with any of our other property maintenance packages, from spring and fall clean up to dog poop removal. The best savings come when you subscribe for our all year round property maintenance package and let us do the hard work for you.