A Complete Guide to Gritting
Grit is something that appears inevitably each year, covering roads and pavements across the country when the temperatures begin to drop. It might arrive in the form of a big truck, or you could even have a bin filled with it at the end of your road which you help yourself to. But many people don’t know much about grit beyond that, even though it’s such a recurring part of life.
So read on for a complete guide to gritting, covering everything from what grit is, how it works, how it’s applied and the benefits.
What is Grit?
Grit is actually a bit of a deceiving name for what it is, more of a way to describe the texture than what it is. Grit is a type of salt, but not the type that you would normally find in your kitchen. It’s a type of crushed rock salt that is normally brownish in colour and looks somewhat like gravel. Colourless grit can be obtained and it’s mostly used around the front of businesses, where owners don’t want brown sludge to be walked into their store on peoples shoes. This grit is harvested by evaporating seawater, but the most common forms of grit come from mines of ancient underground salt deposits, located around the world and right here in the UK.
How is Grit Mined?
There are hundreds of salt beds in existence, plunging deep down into the earth, from 100 metres down to more than a mile. In these mines, workers form caverns and tunnels by digging and extracting salt. These tunnels are massive, easy enough for large equipment and vehicles to move through with ease. In the UK, there are only three places where salt is commercially mined. The largest is in Winsford, with the other two being in North Yorkshire and Carrickfergus. The mine in Winsford has a history going back to the 1840s and that just shows its scale that it’s still being used today. Rock salt is mined using two techniques in Britain:
● Continuous Mining - A boring machine similar to a pneumatic drill uses a rotating head that bores into the salt. The lumps extracted are then taken to a crushing and screening plant. The lumps do not need to go to a main crusher first, as the pieces produced are already a small enough size.
● Cut and Blast Mining - The ‘cut’ part of this method is done by cutting at the base of a rock face using a machine called an undercutter. The rock face is then drilled with a series of holes, into which explosives are inserted and detonated. This is the ‘blast’ part. The explosion yields large pieces of rock salt, which is carried on a conveyor to the main crusher and broken down to the correct size for road de-icing.
Both methods use tungsten-carbide picks to mine, but different machinery to yield it. Much care is taken to support mines by leaving pillars of salt to support the mine, using carefully planned rock mechanics to calculate where these pillars must be left. The UK has more than 140 miles of tunnels, so it must be careful to maintain them to prevent the risk of collapse. After it is mined, the salt is then treated with an anti-caking agent that stops the grit from coagulating, ready for use on roads anytime it is needed.
When is Grit Used?
Grit is commonly used during the winter months when the temperature falls and conditions become icy. Once temperatures drop below zero, moisture on the ground begins to freeze and turn to ice. Grit prevents this from happening. Icy pavements can lead to accidents such as people slipping and seriously injuring themselves. It also just makes it very difficult to get around, making employees miss work as they are concerned with their safety and shoppers stay at home. Similarly, icy roads can cause cars to wheelspin, which can then cause accidents or collisions. Businesses use grit to ensure their premises are safe for employees and customers to get to and enter.
Grit is essential for combating black ice, which is a single thin sheet of smooth ice that can look almost invisible. The name comes from this transparency, as the ice is present but all you can see is the often black tarmac underneath. It’s most commonly found on bridges and shaded spots but can occur anywhere. It causes many accidents in the winter as it is so hard to spot and causes drivers to panic.
It’s important to stay calm if you get caught in an area with black ice. Turning the wheel or braking causes your vehicle to slide and lose control more easily. The best thing to do is keep your wheel straight, do not brake and slowly take your foot off the accelerator to reduce your speed.
How Does It Work?
Grit works by preventing ice from forming on surfaces and melting any existing snow and ice. This is due to it lowering the freezing point of moisture and not allowing it to form. It does this by the result of mixing water with salt which produces a brine, ultimately lowering the freezing temperature of the water and causing ice to melt.
The science behind this is that salt breaks the bonds between molecules, lowering the temperature and preventing freezing. The salty water left behind can then easily drain away, leaving the roads safer. By pedestrians and vehicles passing over the grit, they grind it into surfaces which help its effectiveness. This is why grit is most effective on busy pathways and roads so the salt can break down easier.
Grit must be placed at the right time, as too early and it lands on a dry road and is blown away by vehicles as they drive over it. If you’re too late the surface is already frozen, making the grits job a lot harder as it tries to melt it. The perfect time is when the ground is damp but before it is fully frozen. This usually means gritting is done in the middle of the night when temperatures are low and visibility is minimal. This is why large scale gritting should always be left to a professional gritting service.
Benefits Of Using A Road Gritting Service
GMCB Ltd offers a range of gritting services for customers in Glasgow and Central Scotland. We are well-experienced in helping to prevent frost and ice on your property, no matter the size. We can provide you with a MET office forecast, so if the temperature drops below an agreed level, we can immediately dispatch a team to pre-emptively treat your property, saving you time and keeping your employees and customers safe.
Our services can be tailored to your specific needs and we can provide services 24/7, all year round, regardless of the weather conditions. Some of the features of our gritting service include:
● Preventative gritting
● Reactive gritting 24/7
● Site-specific MET office forecasting
● Salt supply
● Pay per treatment with all costs agreed in advance with no tie-in or retainers
● High-quality gritting vehicles
● 24 hours a day, 7 days a week winter cover
Gritting ensures there is safe access to your business, which could lead to reduced profits if employees or customers can’t get to you. The council isn’t responsible for gritting private roads or land, so private gritting ensures your property is safe to access using a dedicated service with a 24-hour emergency callout. They’ll ensure your surfaces are prepared for any and all winter weather conditions.
Preventative frit for snow and ice ensures you are ready for unexpected cold weather that might hinder your business. If a sudden snow flurry hits overnight, having your surfaces already gritted means that in the morning, your property will still be safe. Car park gritting makes your spaces safe to use so your employees feel safe driving into work and parking there A road gritting service is a much more efficient method of gritting than attempting to do it yourself, using professional equipment that can cover large surfaces in seconds.
GMCB Ltd For Winter Gritting Services
GMCB Ltd are grounds maintenance experts with numerous years of experience in the business. Our contractors specialise in providing a year-round service for commercial grounds maintenance and landscaping. We don’t just help with gritting, offering a range of different groundworks services such as:
● Grounds Maintenance
● Tree Surgery
● Weed Killing
● Snow Clearing
● Commercial Pressure Washing
● Land Clearing Services
● Slope and Embankment Mowing
● Sports Ground Maintenance
Our grounds maintenance services will prepare you for the upcoming winter conditions, allowing your business to keep running with minimal disruption.
We are a family run business, proud to deliver groundwork throughout central Scotland. So call us on 07903 211 499 to arrange a free quote. We’ll take care of the whole project from beginning to end, letting you benefit from our expertise and full attention. Visit our website now to find out more about the range of services we offer.
