Prepping for a winter storm. What’s your first move? Probably keeping an eye on the forecast at all times leading up to the event. If you don’t have the most accurate information it can be difficult to get ready.
November 1, 2021 | Emma Tyborski
To Pre-Treat or Not to Pre-Treat
With brine in greater use a contractor needs to know when the right time might be to hit the road before the storm. Wandering outside to look at the situation is not going to be accurate enough to time the application. Relying on some free internet tool is not going to be as accurate either.
Liquid brine is rock salt in a liquid form that begins to work as it hits the ground. Rock salt gets spread then begins working after the 20 to 45 minutes it takes for rock salt to convert to brine. This article covers more on liquid brine. (https://blog.snowplownews.com/why-salt-brine-increases-efficiency-sales-opportunities-and-margins/)
A Simple Call for Accurate Information
Some private forecasting services will actually encourage clients to text or call or email as the storm is approaching. This is exactly where the value comes from working with these private forecasting companies. Brian Ivey, of Neoweather, says a simple communication before the storm provides a clear understanding of what precipitation will hit and where and when for a contractor’s particular service area. A team of trained forecasters beats any digital non-human program when accuracy matters.
Your phone apps do not have the ability to tailor to the needs of a contractor. Do the apps know exactly what tolerance and clearing contract is at stake? Can the apps accurately discern the line of snow, ice, mixture or rain at the county line? The answer is, of course not. With ice storms and bigger snow events, a private forecasters’ clients can prepare to maximize effectiveness for their most demanding customers. The contractor is able to load up the right trucks, with the most appropriate snow and ice removal equipment and stage or route to hit at the right time. This accuracy saves thousands of hours and dollars per storm.