Consumer Affairs Cautions Homeowners To Use De-Icers Cautiously

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Contact: Sue Rogan, 240-777-3722
For Immediate Release: January 28, 2000

Consumer Affairs Cautions Homeowners
To Use De-Icers Cautiously

The Consumer Affairs Division of Montgomery County's Department of Housing and Community Affairs warns homeowners to use de-icing chemicals cautiously this winter, and to avoid them altogether, if possible.

"The problem with de-icers," said Consumer Affairs Chief George Rose, "is that some of them may contain salts that are harmful to concrete, causing it to flake apart. The risk is especially high for concrete that is less than two years old and which may not have completely cured and reached its full strength."

Every spring, the Division of Consumer Affairs (DCA) receives numerous complaints from homeowners about driveways or sidewalks that started to crumble during the winter. In almost all of the cases, the concrete in question was fairly new -- just a year or two old - and, in most cases, a de-icer had been used on it. However, it is possible for this to happen even if the homeowner has not put out any de-icer, because de-icers are frequently carried onto the driveway by the owner's car, which has picked up snow and road salt from traveling on public roads.

According to Consumer Affairs staff, the crumbling, called "spalling" or "scaling", can be due to the use of harmful de-icing chemicals, such as ammonium sulfate, or can be caused by improper finishing of the concrete by the installer. Excessive finishing can weaken the top inch of the driveway by bleeding out the tiny air pockets that are necessary to allow water to expand and freeze without shattering the concrete surface.

Rose offered this advice to homeowners concerned with ice on their sidewalks and driveways:

Avoid de-icers, but if you must use them, save the container so that if a problem arises you know whom to contact and have evidence of what you used.

Instead of de-icers, use materials such as sand or kitty litter, which are harmless and inexpensive.

Consider applying a water repellant sealer to concrete that is less than two years old to help it withstand the freeze-thaw cycles that might weaken it.

If new concrete does spall or deteriorate after the winter, it could be the result of improper workmanship. Consumers can file a complaint with Consumer Affairs, which will investigate the workmanship and help in resolve the problem.

For more information, or to file a complaint, contact the Division of Consumer Affairs at 240-777-3636.

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