How to Deal with Removing Snow this Winter

Winter is here, and it’s only a matter of time before the snow hits. Join AppliancePartsPros.com as we walk you through our tips for clearing snow this winter. Whether you’re a veteran, used to shoveling six feet of snow on the regular, or someone who is about to experience their first ice storm, we hope you’ll find some useful information. 

Snow Shoveling Tips

Shoveling snow is pretty straightforward, but we’ve got a few tips that can make this tedious chore a bit easier for you.

• Use proper form. Grip the shovel at the handle and near the blade. Bend your knees and lift with your legs. This’ll reduce strain on your back.
• Less is more is less. Even if it takes longer to finish the job, clearing paths and drives with smaller scoops of snow will ultimately tire you out less than filling your shovel up all the way with each scoop. It’ll also be easier to direct where you throw the snow.
  
• Usually, doing some shoveling while it’s still snowing is easier than trying to clear it all in one go once the snow’s stopped. It also makes any deicer you’ve spread work more efficiently.
  
• Don’t overexert yourself. Take frequent breaks to get warmed up and avoid injury.
  
• If you have a lot of snow, be sure to check and clear off any vents or things that require airflow, like your dryer vent or generator.
  
• Keep storm drains clear. If melting snow can’t escape down a storm drain, you may wake up to an ice rink in your street.
  
• Keep fire hydrants clear and accessible for safety.
  
• Get that snow off the top of your car! Don’t use a shovel or scraper for this task as it could damage your car’s clear coat. Instead, use a brush intended for cleaning snow off of cars. Leaving snow on top of your car while driving poses a huge safety risk to those driving around you. There’s nothing fun or funny about having a cloud of blinding snow or a huge chunk of ice launched at your windshield because the car ahead of you wasn’t properly cleared off – especially at highway speeds.

How to Use a Snow Blower

A snow thrower or blower can seriously cut down on the amount of time you spend clearing paths and driveways this winter, but these expensive tools require a bit of extra effort to use effectively.

Snow blower vs snow thrower

What’s the difference between a snow thrower and a snow blower? A thrower is a “single stage” machine, meaning it moves snow in one movement – scooping it and launching it. A snow blower is a two-stage snow removal machine, where snow is scooped up by an auger and fed into an impeller (basically, a fan), which moves the snow out the chute.

Snow throwers are generally smaller and more inexpensive than blowers. They won’t throw snow as far as a blower will, and, since they are narrower, will likely require more passes to completely clear a path or driveway.

To Do: proper snow blower maintenance

To get the most out of your snow thrower or blower, you’ll want to keep up with some basic maintenance.

Before the snowy season begins, you should:

• Change the oil.
• Drain the fuel tank and replace it with fresh fuel.
  
• Check for damage and replace parts as necessary. Most manufacturers recommend replacing spark plugs and belts annually, but you should also check the fuel tank, tires, and shear pins. You also may need to tighten some bolts down.
  
• Take a look at the skid shoes. If they’re worn, you can flip them over to get a smoother run.
  
• Lubricate chassis and other components per manufacturer’s instructions.
  
• Start it up in a well-ventilated area and allow it to run for a few minutes to make sure it’s running okay.

During the season, you’ll want to:

• Utilize fuel stabilizer. This will keep the fuel system in good shape.
  
• Check belts and bolts after use, to make sure they aren’t loose or damaged.
  
• Wipe down your blower or thrower after use, and keep it stored in a dry place shielded from the elements. This’ll protect it from rust.

How to use a snow blower or thrower

Here are some basic tips for snow blower use:

• Before you begin, be sure you’re bundled up for the weather. Any loose fabric like scarves should be tucked away and secure. Wear gloves and eye protection while using your snow blower or thrower, too. 
  
• You’ll have an easier time doing multiple passes, and you can start your work while the snow is still falling. If you wait until you’re dealing with tons of snow, it will ultimately be more effort. 
  
• Keep your rate slow and steady. Moving too fast risks clogging up your equipment with snow. If this does happen, never use your hands to clear out clogs. Shut your equipment down and use a tool with reach to clear it out. 
  
• Be prepared to adjust your chute as you work. Pay attention to where it’s launching snow, so it doesn’t wind up blocking a car, door, or another path.

Salt, Sand, and Other De-Icers: How and When to Use them

What to consider when picking a deicer

You’ve got a few options when it comes to deicersThere are a number of factors that can help you better decide what deicer to use. Consider the following: 

• What are local temperatures like? Most salt-based deicers stop working between 15° and 10° F. If you live in a place where the temperature plummets regularly, a deicer blend that works at colder temperatures, or a non-ice melt option may be what you need. 
  
• Do you need to de-ice, or do you just want better traction? Maybe you don’t want to damage your lawn or sidewalks with salt blends. Maybe you live in a place where it’s so bitterly cold that salting isn’t effective. Whatever the reason, if you’re just looking to reduce slip, sand, sawdust, kitty litter, and gravel are options. 
  
• Do you have kids or pets? Certain deicing combinations can hurt hands and paws (like deicer with calcium chloride), or may be toxic to pets with certain illnesses (potassium chloride, while generally more pet safe, can harm pets with kidney disease). If this is a concern for you, check the labels and make sure you purchase something that is pet friendly. 
  
• What’s the cost? Rock salt and sand are both generally affordable. There may be some homebrewed combinations that are technically cheaper, but they’ll likely cause damage to your lawn. 
  
• What’s the impact? Rock salt and other common deicing blends (usually rock salt plus another chemical, but also other combinations you may find online) can damage your lawn and gardens, your sidewalks, your car, and if not cleaned up properly, the local watershed — and by extension, harm local wildlife and your drinking water. Make sure whatever you use is safe and that you’re willing to do the work necessary to clean it up, based on manufacturer guidelines.

How much salt should I use?

A coffee mug full of rock salt (about 12 oz) should be enough to treat 10 standard-sized squares of sidewalk or a 20 ft long driveway, according to the Salt Smart initiative. 

Do your best to use as little rock salt and other deicing chemicals as possible. Using more than necessary can potentially damage your lawn and garden, taint your local waterways, and potentially your drinking water.

How and when to salt or sand your driveway

The best time to lay down rock salt or sand is before any precipitation has fallen. If there’s already snow on the ground, shovel as much of it as you can out of your path before laying anything down. 

Application is simple. A shovel, scoop, or old plastic cup should be enough to get that rock salt where it needs to go, but a garden spreader can make the work go a whole lot faster. Just be sure you’re not applying too much deicer.

If there’s a lot of snow, you’ll probably still need to shovel

Throwing down rock salt or other deicing blend isn’t going to save you from having to shovel at all. If a winter storm is dumping on you, you’ll likely still need to get out there and shovel. Shoveling also helps to cut down on the amount of rock salt you need to use, saving you money and better protecting your local environment.

Remember to clean up after the snow

Whatever deicer you’ve applied doesn’t disappear with the snow. Once your deicer has served its purpose, it’s time to head out and shovel it up. You can move the remaining, unmelted deicer to a bucket to reuse later, saving you a bit of money the next time it snows – but that isn’t the only reason you’re cleaning things up. 

Salt and other common deicing chemicals will eventually wash away, and can ruin lawns and gardens, accelerate rusting on vehicles, and eventually reach the local watershed, where it will land in creeks and rivers, upsetting chemical balances and potentially harming local wildlife. Sand, though much less potentially harmful to the environment, can still flow into drainage systems and clog them up. 

Whatever deicer you use, be sure to read the instructions on the label to learn the manufacturer’s instructions for cleanup. 

Wrapping Up

Hopefully, our guide has helped make your chilliest chores a little more manageable. Don’t forget to check out our blog for more helpful guides to navigating the winter months, and if you’re in the market for other tips, tutorials, or genuine OEM replacement parts for your appliances and lawn equipment, keep AppliancePartsPros.com in mind. Our friendly experts are always on hand to help you with your DIY home appliance repairs.