Can You Put Ice Melt on Composite Decking?
As winter is fast approaching, you may be wondering how to remove snow from your decking. While you can easily use a shovel or ice melt to remove the snow, it can damage your decking when not done right. This article will discuss how to remove snow from your composite decking safely.
Why You Should Remove Snow From Composite Decking
It would help not to leave snow on your composite decking during winter. When snow piles up on the decking, it forms ice that can make your decking slippy. This can lead to accidents and falls, causing injuries.
Apart from that, a wet or moist decking can cause mould or algae to grow on it. These moulds and algae can also cause your composite decking to become slippy. Removing the snow from the deck will ensure that moisture does not get trap on your decking and become a breeding ground for moulds, mildew and algae.
Ways To Remove Snow From Composite Decking
We know why you should remove snow from composite decking; now, consider the best method on how to remove it. While discarding snow away from your composite decking, you want to do it so that it won’t cause damage to the decking.
Sweep the Snow
An easy way to remove light snowfall off composite decking is with the use of a soft bristle brush. Sweeping snow away with this method has its benefits. This will prevent the possibility of scratches on the composite decking. A soft bristle brush won’t damage your composite decking and is an affordable way to get rid of snow.
Use Plastic Shovel
Use a plastic shovel which won’t have any sharp edges. However, when using any type of shovel to remove snow from your decking, you must do it with extra care to avoid scratches to the surface of the composite decking.
A shovel is a good tool to remove a large amount of snow from your decking. It is also important to note that always do so parallel to the composite decking while clearing snow with a shovel. Ensure that you avoid removing the ice in a perpendicular path to the composite decking. This will reduce the chances of the composite decking getting scraped.
Try a Snow or leaf Blower
Thirdly, you can use a snow or leaf blower to remove light snow from the composite decking. These are excellent for discarding a thin layer of snow on composite decking. However, when using the snow or leaf blower, you should do so with caution to avoid damage to your composite decking.
Applying Ice Melt
Lastly, you can also melt ice to remove snow from composite decking. You can apply the ice melt on the decking before the snow falls to prevent ice from forming. Besides that, you can also apply the ice melt directly on top of the ice to melt it.
When choosing an ice melt for your composite decking, choose a kind that is not harsh. Composite decking experts recommend calcium chloride ice melt for composite decking. Also, ensure that the ice melt you want to use does not contain colourants and traction grits.
Conclusion
Remove snow from composite decking by sweeping the decking clean with a soft bristle brush. In addition, you can also use ice melt, snow or leaf blower or a plastic shovel to discard snow from composite decking.
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