Running out of salt

[AJS-]

Since Britain is running out of salt for the roads, why not use sea water? I think it has a freezing point of about -6C but if they put it down in the morning that should be ok, certainly in the south of England where I don't believe it's got that cold.

Is there a really good reason I'm not Transport Minister?

[paddyhasneeds]

There's probably a better term but I'd have thought basic density means you'd need lots, lots more of it by volume plus salt lingers.

[Sciroccology]

I've got some in my cellar.

[CobolMan]

Funny you should mention that, the guy who sits next to me at work came up with the same idea.
And the answer to your question about not being Transport Minister is that you've obviously got a flair for thinking outside the box (sorry, I know that's management bu11st).

[AJS-]

That's true. I should have said, couldn't we have a feasibility study into the use of salt water? And who are the most expensive consultants in the world to help us answer this one. And where could we find an abundant supply of salt water?

I'll make government yet.

[Swilly]

Britain isnt running out of salt, it is a lie to explain away the lack of preparedness due to cost cutting by councils

Anyhow, the next best thing to salt is urea... plenty of that available

[westtra]

salt water would wash any grit away, grit bad for paint chips but good for grip on ice.

[PhantomHumper]

I believe they do it in Sweden, have sea water piping underneath the roads do keep the roads from getting too icy.

I may of made this up, I'm not sure why I know/think I know it.

[TheEnd]

it's a little watery, so just washes straight for the drain.
Proper grit salt is chunky gritty stuff that will stay on the roads for quite a while.

[jeff m]

AJS- said:

Since Britain is running out of salt for the roads, why not use sea water? I think it has a freezing point of about -6C but if they put it down in the morning that should be ok, certainly in the south of England where I don't believe it's got that cold.

Is there a really good reason I'm not Transport Minister?

You don't live on a hill do you

[TheEnd]

PhantomHumper said:

I believe they do it in Sweden, have sea water piping underneath the roads do keep the roads from getting too icy.

I may of made this up, I'm not sure why I know/think I know it.

In Sweden and other Nordicky places, they use piss...
seriously...

[Simpo Two]

There's no shortage of salt, it's just in the wrong place and our fkwit councils haven't bothered to stock up.

The problem is logistics, and if you can cart tankers-full of seawater around, you can cart salt. NB It's forecast to be -7 in some places soon so you'd have a skating rink!

[Zeek]

They use brine a lot in the US, but apparently it significantly shortens the life of the roads. Judging by the state of some of the roads near me, it would probably dissolve them!

[Scuffers]

Simpo Two said:

There's no shortage of salt, it's just in the wrong place and our fkwit councils haven't bothered to stock up.

DING!

it's not like the met office have not been on the ball this time.

[cqueen]

Plus we have enough flooding problems here as it is!

[anonymous-user]

Swilly said:

Anyhow, the next best thing to salt is urea... plenty of that available

Hampshire Council should be fine then, they've been taking the piss for years.

[LotusACBC]

If only there was some way to use salt from ocean as a way of propelling our cars.

[Pupp]

One of the factors is that salt in the quantities being talked about needs to be stored somewhere; somewhere fairly big. Never used to be a problem when the average council had a decent sized direct labour organisation doing all sorts of municipal engineering and maintenance work. Necessarily, decent sized DLOs operated out of decent sized depots, where decent salt stocks could be stored.

However, a certain govt decided what a great idea it would be if local authorities where subject to all sorts of competitive tendering and rate of return regs (real agenda to do away with DLOs and award 'lucrative' public sector contracts to the party funders and patrons). Consequence was fewer big DLOs, no need for big depots (many were sold off to realise capaital or transferred across to successful tenderers). So, nowhere to store the salt, add fewer cold winters = current situation when one catches us out

[spikeyhead]

we've had severe winters in

1947 very very severe
1963 very very severe
1978 very severe
1993 fairly grim
2009 very severe

I wonder if we'll get bad winters in 2024 and 2040?

[Langweilig]

Running out of salt? Your LA's shouldn't be. Have some of ours. We export it all over the world and there's enough to last hundreds of years.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blueprint/media/salt_mines_ca...