Beet Juice as a de-icer

[piasabird]

I was listening to the radio in St Louis, MO, and they were talking about using Beet Juice as a de-icer.

Yuck.

 

[manimal]

I always keep some in the car for beet emergencies so SCORE!!!

 

[XZeroII]

or you can just buy some de-icer.

 

[dali71]

Wrong forum.

 

[PottedMeat]

where's the rabid political commentary?


beet juice = communist.

 

[shortylickens]

I just got a big jug of generic windshield fluid. Works great.

 

[CallMeJoe]

beet juice = communist.

It is Red...

 

[Capt Caveman]

Some municipalities have been using it for a while - http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2007/11/akron_to_use_beet_juice_in_roa.html

 

[JohnOfSheffield]

LOL, why would you need a de-icer when it's so easy to remove the ice by just scraping it off of the windshield? Takes too much effort and makes your shoulders sore for a week?

 

[mpo]

LOL, why would you need a de-icer when it's so easy to remove the ice by just scraping it off of the windshield? Takes too much effort and makes your shoulders sore for a week?

The beet juice is sprayed on the road.

If you put it on your windshield, you're doing something wrong.

 

[ShawnD1]

I was listening to the radio in St Louis, MO, and they were talking about using Beet Juice as a de-icer.

Yuck.

I just urinate on mine.


edit:
I misunderstood. I thought you guys were talking about the lock mechanism on the car door that sometimes gets snow in it and it stops working

 

[spittledip]

Beet juice is good stuff. What a waste to put it on the road...

 

[JulesMaximus]

Beetlejuice is a de-icer?

 

[CallMeJoe]

I just urinate on mine.
edit:
I misunderstood. I thought you guys were talking about the lock mechanism on the car door that sometimes gets snow in it and it stops working

At Offutt Air Force Base, we used urea to de-ice the runways and taxiways. As effective as salt but far less corrosive. I suppose you could say we pissed the runways clear...

 

[Lemon law]

Other than the fact that we can't beat a beet, I should mention the fact I should not touch this thread with a ten foot stick. As soon as I say a ten foot pole, I am telling politically incorrect ethnic jokes.

Its why I Lemon law advocates Lemon's, it helps alleviate scurvy in various P&N scurvy dog posters.

Have a lemon from me, its full of vitamin C.

 

[ShawnD1]

At Offutt Air Force Base, we used urea to de-ice the runways and taxiways. As effective as salt but far less corrosive. I suppose you could say we pissed the runways clear...

You god damn government employees, pissing away our tax dollars

When it comes to freezing point depression, things that separate into ions tend to work better. They also cause more corrosion because ions make water conductive and this aids in oxidation (oxidation relies on electron flow). You can use almost anything to melt ice as long as it dissolves in water.

Pouring methanol or even normal drinking alcohol on ice would probably melt it, and windshield fluid for winter is just methanol and water. I guess that might be a problem on a runway since it's all flammable and what not.

 

[dullard]

I don't see the problem. Like ShawnD1 said, anything that can dissolve will work well as a deicer. Beets are quite sugary, so they will have lots of sugar to dissolve. As a plus, sugar is pretty much harmless for the environment and it is sticky when you need traction the most. Far better than salt which will kill life near the road and corrode your car.

 

[Capt Caveman]

I don't see the problem. Like ShawnD1 said, anything that can dissolve will work well as a deicer. Beets are quite sugary, so they will have lots of sugar to dissolve. As a plus, sugar is pretty much harmless for the environment and it is sticky when you need traction the most. Far better than salt which will kill life near the road and corrode your car.

Actually, the sugar is removed. The beet juice is added with salt, etc. It's not that it's sticky but that it works with the salt in lowering the pavements freezing temperature while being less corrosive to cars.

 

[dullard]

Actually, the sugar is removed. The beet juice is added with salt, etc. It's not that it's sticky but that it works with the salt in lowering the pavements freezing temperature while being less corrosive to cars.

Then, they really should put the sugar back in. Syrup is the best at deicing, keeping roads sticky, AND being virtually harmless.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Then, they really should put the sugar back in. Syrup is the best at deicing, keeping roads sticky, AND being virtually harmless.

It's probably due to environmental reasons that animals would try and lick it up and either get hit by a vehicle or poisoned since it's mixed with salt and other stuff.

 

[ShawnD1]

It's probably due to environmental reasons that animals would try and lick it up and either get hit by a vehicle or poisoned since it's mixed with salt and other stuff.

That's a good point. Dogs seem to love the taste of antifreeze (ethylene glycol). Dogs also like the taste of beer, wine, anything with alcohol, anything with sugar.

Reminds me of the old joke about why winter windshield fluid (methanol) has food coloring. So kids are more likely to drink it
(I don't quite understand how it's a joke. It just seems needlessly cruel.)

 

[blinblue]

I believe the main point of the beet juice is that its sticky and thus keeps the salt on the road longer (instead of being pushed off to the side by cars/wind). By itself it probably does next to nothing.

But still, makes me happy to hear of people coming up with new ideas to save money and do things better. Its how things are supposed to be done

 

[skyking]

At Offutt Air Force Base, we used urea to de-ice the runways and taxiways. As effective as salt but far less corrosive. I suppose you could say we pissed the runways clear...

In the 50's my dad worked at a small manufacturer of spray products and fertilizers. By small I mean he was the other guy

The owner had a sense of humor, he had a urea product they called "K9-P"

 

[ShawnD1]

I believe the main point of the beet juice is that its sticky and thus keeps the salt on the road longer (instead of being pushed off to the side by cars/wind). By itself it probably does next to nothing.

But still, makes me happy to hear of people coming up with new ideas to save money and do things better. Its how things are supposed to be done

Maybe it's not to keep the salt on the snow, but keep the snow on the snow.

Right now in Edmonton it's a lovely -20 degrees. Really cold to walk in, but it's perfect for driving because at this temperature the snow packs together really well and it makes a nice hard surface. Driving on super cold snow is very safe. The absolute worst happened a few days ago when it was only about -5. It's warm enough that snow is loose and fluid. It doesn't clump like anthrax; it flows like icing sugar. Warm snow is impossible to drive in.

If the beat juice could cause snow to clump together and be less fluid, it would be a lot easier to drive in.

 

[AdamK47]

Then, they really should put the sugar back in. Syrup is the best at deicing, keeping roads sticky, AND being virtually harmless.

Horrible idea.