Wood pellets instead of road salt

[Gary Prentice]

AFAIK, lots of LAs have looked into how and where they grit, to save costs by not gritting roads where the temperature doesn’t get low enough to freeze.

 

Can’t remember all the details, but they identify the colder roads (due to the geography) and calculate at any given predicted low temp, Which ones will get iced up. Smart gritting, but still at the mercy of weather forecasts/predictions.

Edited January 29, 2018 by Gary Prentice

[Matthew Storrs]

Other trouble is people think that because the gritter has been out they can still drive like maniacs. If people knew how to drive in icy conditions and took more caution there’d be far less accidents. Instead they drive at normal or excessive speeds and then rely entirely on their brakes to try and stop! which as we all know is a lethal combination if there’s ice on’t road. I was following behind a lady driving a new discovery a few weeks back- who just had absolutely not a clue how to approach a descent in the Icy conditions- she kept partially sliding off the road with her foot pretty much glued to the brake pedal- I came down the same hill without any problems despite having a 3 ton digger pushing me down too.

[roseyweb]

to be fair though we have completely different roads and we have a lot of twisty back roads used as commuter roads and in canada its wide strait roads 

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

That’s a good run of comments there!

 

In so many facets of UK life, the “entitlement” attitude seems to have replaced the “personal responsibility” attitude when it comes to problems. 

 

It cant be “my” fault, somebody else must be to blame!

[eggsarascal]

5 hours ago, difflock said:

Since salt only works to a few degrees below zero it is no use in the Scandinavian climate,

I think they use grit for added traction,(from various images I have come across) possibly moreso on their gravel roads where it does not need to be removed post thaw.

P.S.

Would the wood chip not also cause BOD pollution issues when washed into watercourses.

mth

Yes, it would have BOD problems. The rotting matter would strip Oxygen from the water.

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

17 minutes ago, eggsarascal said:

Yes, it would have BOD problems. The rotting matter would strip Oxygen from the water.

There’s a BUT...... Mr E!

 

Salt dissolves in contact with rain and immediately runs off to soil or watercourse contamination. 

 

Ive got some small piles of pellet spill in the yard been there since Nov past - still there. If that were Salt, it’d have dissolved  within hours. 

 

Which has a worse / less bad contamination effect on watercourse - Salt or sawdust? (Mindful that considerably less pellet appears to be necessary than salt, ton for ton to achieve similar effect?)

 

(There’s no relationship between my pellet making capability and my keenness on the subject BTW! Pure coincidence!!)

 

[eggsarascal]

6 minutes ago, kevinjohnsonmbe said:

There’s a BUT...... Mr E!

 

Salt dissolves in contact with rain and immediately runs off to soil or watercourse contamination. 

 

Ive got some small piles of pellet spill in the yard been there since Nov past - still there. If that were Salt, it’d have dissolved  within hours. 

 

Which has a worse / less bad contamination effect on watercourse - Salt or sawdust? (Mindful that considerably less pellet appears to be necessary than salt, ton for ton to achieve similar effect?)

 

(There’s no relationship between my pellet making capability and my keenness on the subject BTW! Pure coincidence!!)

 

I agree, there is a but.

 

but, if we don't get surface water to watercourses because gully pots, sewers, pumps and outfalls are blocked with debris we'll all be paddling about in shit.

 

Some sewers/pumping stations have overflows on them, they are there to divert untreated sewage into the watercourse, these are consented by the EA. They are meant to come into play in storm condition where the sewage as been diluted massively due to the amount of rain water in the system. If said sewer gets blocked (in non storm conditions) with debris the overflow starts to pour raw untreated shit in to the watercourse.

 

solids shouldn't go down drains. "If it ain't been through you, don't put it down the loo".

 

I'm on a roll now! Water companies have teams of lads that go around all day, every day unblocking pumps mainly due to women flushing jam rags and the like. Don't get me started about cotton buds.

 

And, the last bit of your statement I don't believe for one minute. The only reason you got on the PC was to try and get the grounds maintenance!

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

1 hour ago, eggsarascal said:

I agree, there is a but.

 

but, if we don't get surface water to watercourses because gully pots, sewers, pumps and outfalls are blocked with debris we'll all be paddling about in shit.

 

Some sewers/pumping stations have overflows on them, they are there to divert untreated sewage into the watercourse, these are consented by the EA. They are meant to come into play in storm condition where the sewage as been diluted massively due to the amount of rain water in the system. If said sewer gets blocked (in non storm conditions) with debris the overflow starts to pour raw untreated shit in to the watercourse.

 

solids shouldn't go down drains. "If it ain't been through you, don't put it down the loo".

 

I'm on a roll now! Water companies have teams of lads that go around all day, every day unblocking pumps mainly due to women flushing jam rags and the like. Don't get me started about cotton buds.

 

And, the last bit of your statement I don't believe for one minute. The only reason you got on the PC was to try and get the grounds maintenance!

You are such a twt!  The money in that wouldn't even cover the hassle that is attached to the PC role...  I'm gonna bin in a become a "Special" - it'll be less drama from richardcraniums!

[Khriss]

Godsake- its all over cash n services against the serious threat of chloride contamination- obvs in UK we have no money , so it will not get sorted even tho' we can invade countries / build bridges all over the world / drink more beer than any Johhny Foreigner  K

[openspaceman]

4 hours ago, eggsarascal said:

Yes, it would have BOD problems. The rotting matter would strip Oxygen from the water.

I cannot see that with wood, there's not enough volatile solids to take up oxygen that quick, also the Nitrogen:carbon ratio is too low. A load of greenstuff then yes it would.

 

Milk is one of the worst things fror depleting oxygen because the fat globules have such a high surface area for reaction.

 

We ran a liquid composting plant where the rules were get it to 70C for an hour and then it could be spread, the BOD of that was far too high and coupled with the warmth meant the fields sprouted a grey green velvet fuzz.