Best Strategy for Clearing Snow

Last winter we got pounded with snow. Storm after storm at one point dumped a lot of the cold, wet stuff at once. I’m asking myself now, how can I be better prepared to manage the snow?

Like you, Hillside HVAC keeps an eye on the weather forecast and strives to schedule heating oil deliveries to our regular, automatic-delivery customers in advance of a major weather event. This ensures that our customers don’t go without heat in the winter and our trucks aren’t put at risk of getting stuck in the snow. However, there are more reasons than just your heating oil delivery to keep the snow cleared from your sidewalks and driveway, and the better you manage snow removal, the easier it will be to maintain safe passage to and from your home.

Use preventive measures. Spray a liquid ice-melt on steps, walkways, and driveways or use a gravel ice-melt before it begins snowing. Be sure and choose a pet-safe ice melt – that is, one that is salt-free – on surfaces where your pet will be walking. A pet-safe ice melt, such as Safe Paw, will prevent poisoning from ingestion and dried out pads on the paws, which can be painful.

Choose your tools wisely. Shovels are the most common tool, yet there are so many varieties of them! Choose one that works for your situation. If you have an uneven surface, you might consider a plastic shovel that will slide more easily over jagged edges than a metal one. For pushing heavy snow, you might consider a wheeled shovel or wheeled scoop that’s easier to move heavier loads along the ground. For breaking up ice, grab your garden spade that normally wouldn’t see the light of day until spring and put it to good use.

If you have large areas to clear or are concerned about the strenuousness of shoveling, an investment in a snowblower might be your tool. From a few hundred dollars to over a thousand, you can find the machine that is the right fit for you. For smaller areas reachable with an extension cord, an electric powered snow blower will do. For greater range, though, a gas-powered, single-stage snow blower will clear up to a two-foot wide path for you, while a two-stage snow blower is better for gravel drives and for clearing wider paths. Keep in mind that annual maintenance is required to keep your gas-powered snow blower operable from year to year.

Tip: Apply a polymer spray especially for snow removal tools OR a nonstick cooking spray to shovels and/or your snow blower auger to keep snow from sticking.

Timing is everything! If the forecast is calling for a heavy accumulation of snow, consider planning to clear snow in incremental periods of time to avoid having to attack it all at once. This is more challenging if a snowstorm is moving through your area overnight, when it’s too dark to see and when most people would rather be sleeping.

Don’t forget the marshmallows for your hot chocolate breaks! If you’re not yet on Automatic Delivery for your home heating oil, call Hillside HVAC to set it up. In Delaware: 302-738-4144. In Maryland: 410-398-2146.