Landscape and Irrigation is read by decision makers throughout the landscape and irrigation markets — including contractors, landscape architects, professional grounds managers, and irrigation and water mgmt companies and reaches the entire spetrum.
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/725835
22 October 2016 Landscape and Irrigation www.landscapeirrigation.com ■ BY MIKE SHILTON LANDSCAPE AND TURF MAINTENANCE needs. Though a customer may stress cost, it is often not their primary concern. ■ If cost really is the top priority, ask them to consider the potential cost of lost business due to slower result times, increased risk of slip-and-fall liability, and increased costs from property damage resulting from excessive salt usage, all of which can be mitigated by anti-icing. Anti-icing also provides a huge benefit for LEED-certified properties. ■ Discuss the types of materials to be used, as well as the timing of operations and outcomes the customer can expect. It often helps to have pictures that show the difference between a surface that has received an anti-icing treatment and one that has not. As a professional, you should retain the right to use the best tool for the job, especially when using it improves the outcomes for the customer. Therefore, obtaining property owner "approval" may not always be necessary, depending on the type of contract involved. Utilizing anti-icing strategies provides the contractor a wider window in which to execute snow-fighting operations, and affords greater flexibility within certain contract structures to provide service at an equivalent or lesser cost. ■ Time and materials: This is the most challenging contract type to incorporating anti-icing services because, if billed in the customary way, both materials and time decrease. However, if executed properly, the contractor should be able to service more accounts in the same timeframe. Establish a rate, and determine if it is an applied or unapplied rate. ■ Per push/per event: Liquid applications can be priced in a similar manner as other services. Regional supply of certain deicers may be a factor in pricing. ■ Seasonal or lump sum: This is the easiest contract type to include liquid strategies without major changes. Be sure to include provisions for seasons that fall short or exceed a reasonable threshold. Use the right tools Ultimately, successful snow fighting depends on utilizing the right tool for the job at the right time. Although liquid deicers are extremely effective when used properly, they are not intended to replace solids. Anti-icing expedites plowing and deicing strategies, and is just another tool in the toolbox. ■ Liquid deicers: To select the best liquid deicers for the application, the contractor needs to know the eutectic and effective temperatures, chemical properties, and functional capabilities of the deicer he/she intends to use. From a cost perspective it is also important to understand the regional availability of various deicers. As a general rule of thumb, magnesium chloride is more widely available west of the Mississippi River and in the Northeast. Calcium chloride is more readily available in the Great Lakes region. ■ Use purpose-built equipment: Deicing liquids and brine solutions have different compositions than other liquids, and they can cause pump failures, clogged nozzles and other issues in sprayers not designed to handle them. Agricultural sprayers may seem like a cost-effective solution, but many have tried and failed going this route for winter usage. Purpose-built sprayers for winter applications are specifically engineered for deicing chemicals and application rates, and, most importantly, for winter temperatures and conditions. They typically offer ALL PHOTOS PROVIDED BY SNOWEX LIQUID SOLUTIONS As a professional, you should retain the right to use the best tool for the job, especially when using it improves the outcomes for the customer.