db:deicer.pr       97-08                       Contact: Sue Rogan, 301-217-7391


CONSUMER AFFAIRS CAUTIONS
HOMEOWNERS TO USE
DE-ICERS CAUTIOUSLY                     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 16, 1997


     The Montgomery County Division of Consumer Affairs warns homeowners to use
de-icing chemicals cautiously this winter, and, if possible, avoid them altogether.
     "The problem with de-icers," said George Rose, Consumer Affairs Administrator, "is
that some of them may contain salts that are harmful to concrete and will cause 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 Consumer Affairs staff receives numerous complaints from
homeowners about driveways or sidewalks that have begun 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.  This can happen even if the homeowner
has not used a de-icer on the concrete, because de-icers are frequently carried onto the
driveway by the owner's car, which has picked up snow and road salt from travelling on
public roads.
     Crumbling, called "spalling" or "scaling", can be due to the use of harmful de-icing
chemicals, such as ammonium sulfate, or it can be caused by improper finishing of the 
                                  (more)

HOMEOWNERS:  USE DE-ICERS CAUTIOUSLY                                          2-2-2-2


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 offers this advice to homeowners concerned about ice on their sidewalks and
driveways this winter:
           avoid de-icers, but if you must use them, save the containers so that if a
          problem arises you know whom to contact and have evidence of what you
          used;
           instead of de-icers, use harmless and cheap materials such as sand or kitty
          litter;
           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; and
           if new concrete does spall or deteriorate after the winter, it could be the result
          of improper workmanship. Consumers can file a complaint with the Consumer
          Affairs office to investigate the workmanship and for help in resolving the
          problem.
     For further questions or to file a complaint, contact the Division of Consumer Affairs
at 301-217-7373.
                                  #  #  #

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