Snow Removal and Permeable Pavers: What You Need to Know
Winter weather has arrived, and in many parts of the country snow has already started to pile up. For lots of business owners, winter brings added headaches when it comes to maintaining parking lots, paths, roads and other paved areas. Maintaining your business’s paved areas and removing snow and ice is essential for encouraging business and creating a safe environment for your employees and customers. For the thousands of companies using pervious concrete or pavers, winter maintenance and snow removal is often difficult and time consuming.
Why is the winter maintenance of permeable pavers more difficult?
There are many types of permeable pavers made from a wide range of pervious concrete. The words: porous, enhanced porosity, and gap-graded concrete are all used to describe concrete which has the ability to allow water to pass from the surface of the pavement into the ground below. There are many economic and ecological benefits to using pavers manufactured from pervious concrete, but maintaining these types of pavers can be problematic during the winter.
One of the biggest issues regarding winter maintenance of permeable pavers is the process of snow removal from the pavers. Due to the multiple seams used during the installation of these types of pavers, it is common for many types of plows to catch on these seams and tear the individual pavers out of their foundation.
Landscaping experts suggest property owners should instead use a rotary broom to remove all of the accumulated snow and ice from pavers. If the size of the paved area prevents the use of a rotary broom, and a plow must be used, avoid using any plows with a metal edge is required. A plow with a rubber or plastic edge is less likely to cause damage to the pavers.
Another important issue with previous pavers is the use of sand and salt to melt snow and prevent slipping on ice. Using sand, salt or ice treatment on pervious pavers can cause damage which can prevent water from passing through the concrete. It is essential to vacuum up any snow and ice treatment you applied to pervious pavers as quickly as possible after the snow has melted to avoid irreversibly damaging the pavers.
Getting professional snow removal assistance is a great solution
Avoid the time and hassle of caring for your company’s winter landscaping and choose a professional commercial landscaping company to manage your snow removal. Qualified landscaping specialists can keep your paved areas safe by using the best industry methods of snow and ice removal while protecting the effectiveness of your pervious pavers.
