Clearing one inch of snow?

January 15, 2016 12:31 PM

Hi Mefi! I've just moved to Boston. This is my first winter with snow so it's still kind of novel to me. I have some questions on whether I really need to pull out the snowblower.

We received an inch of snow the other day here in Acton. It was beautiful, glorious and pure. Being the paranoid/anxious type I put winter tires on both our cars (BMW 328xi and Scion FR-S and Blizzak WS80 tires) just after thanksgiving. Neither car has an issue getting out of the driveway onto the main road. My wife still insist I should ideally clear the driveway.

I pulled out the new slowblower I got a couple of months ago in preparation for the winter, got it going and started to plow away. It moved a bit and I was able to clear the walk to the door but I didn't feel like I was really able to do anything down to the asphalt. I spread some salt and called it a day from there.

Is it really worth plowing that small an amount of snow especially given that both cars are able to get out of the garage and up the driveway without issue? My wife worries about my car being a low ground clearance RWD sports car but I've had no trouble with the packed snow icing over at the lip of the driveway.

So snow inhabiting Mefites, is it really worth trying to clear an inch of snow? I figured I wouldn't bother to plow until 3 inches or so, ideally one of those decent foot high coverings that you wouldn't typically be able to traverse without it being cleared.

posted by Talez to Home & Garden (39 answers total)

First of all, on behalf of the entire country of Canada: bless you, sweet thing. May you have many joyful snow-filled years ahead of you.

In my 'hood, one inch of snow on the side-walk gets a quick shovel onto the lawn, with a sprinkle of sand/salt/kitty litter on the side walk and stairs to keep from slipping.

Use your judgement regarding your car - I mean, I have a piece-of-crap tin-can, so I switch out the tires, but if you're on top of salting mounds of ice, and keeping the general area clear, I think you're fine.
posted by Dressed to Kill at 12:35 PM on January 15, 2016 [23 favorites]

I would use a shovel to quickly clear an inch. Your cars can totally make it out but you may create some ice driving over the snow. Or the weather may turn your snow into an icey or slushy mess that is annoying. Since you have snow tires, you may be able to just power through. Imho, you don't need snow tires but should try to clear snow. Your neighborhood will appreciate you shoveling the walk if you have one.
posted by Kalmya at 12:36 PM on January 15, 2016 [1 favorite]

If you don't clear the sidewalk, an inch of snow will get trodden down and compressed in places so that you have spots of ice - sometimes, amusingly, in the shape of footprints. Then you'll get more snow, and more compression, and eventually you will have a sheet of ice and your neighbors will hate you. We let our snow go a bit one year and it wasn't a good plan.

Anything that seems likely to stick and is more than a dusting should be quickly shoveled - but an inch or so of snow can be scooped up rapidly with a shovel and only takes a few minutes.
posted by Frowner at 12:37 PM on January 15, 2016 [7 favorites]

Response by poster: Where I live the city plows/salts the sidewalks but there's a separate walk from the driveway to our front door which was more receptive to clearing. My main concern is our driveway.
posted by Talez at 12:38 PM on January 15, 2016 [1 favorite]

I clear the sidewalk, because even 1" of snow can turn into nasty ice with people walking on it, but I only bother clearing the driveway if my truck can't get through (which would take an awful lot of snow; 4wd and high clearance helps avoid shoveling).

For 1" of snow, a shovel is going to be faster and easier than a snowblower. I saw someone here struggling with one this morning, and it looked like way more of a pain than just scraping a shovel back and forth quickly. Deeper than a few inches, though, that snowblower will be worth its weight in gold.
posted by Dip Flash at 12:39 PM on January 15, 2016 [2 favorites]

Sorry, hit post too fast.

So in your case, I'd only clear the driveway when it becomes an impediment to your cars, either through depth or because the packed snow is turning into glare ice.
posted by Dip Flash at 12:39 PM on January 15, 2016

The danger of not clearing the "dusting" levels of snowfall (< 3", for example) is that if you don't get a warm up that thaws it, the snow will end up getting packed by your tires/foot falls and become ice.

That being said, unless you have mobility issues, you generally shouldn't need a snowblower for 1" of snow. If the forecast is under 32F for the next few days, shovel, or even sweep it away so you get to the bare asphalt and save yourself the gas and runtime on the blower.
posted by sparklemotion at 12:40 PM on January 15, 2016 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: It's a really rough asphalt driveway. It seems to help a hell of a lot with traction. Is there anything useful you can do to spread salt as evenly and effectively as possible? This stuff seems to cost a hell of a lot to just throw around randomly.
posted by Talez at 12:44 PM on January 15, 2016

Where I live (Oregon/Washington border) an inch of snow gets ignored.
Yes, I'm serious. That's not even worthy of putting on boots.

It's an eyeroll, a "that's ALL it did?!?", and swiping just enough of it off the car to see out the necessary windows... if the snow happens to be too heavy for the wipers to do it.

Save the snowblower (and your energy and enthusiasm) for a snow that deserves it.
posted by stormyteal at 12:44 PM on January 15, 2016 [10 favorites]

We usually just throw salt or sand down for an inch or less of snow. If you have a lot of ground to cover, you can get one of those spreaders you'd use for lawn fertilizer. Otherwise, keeping costs down is similar to anything else - buy in bulk and buy on sale.
posted by backseatpilot at 12:49 PM on January 15, 2016

The inch or so we just got in Boston this week didn't get shoveled at all by us...or our neighbor who we share a walkway with. It got a little icy since it hasn't really warmed up, so should probably put down some salt. I didn't even think about doing anything in the driveway.

You don't need to put down much salt...a couple hand-fulls / cup-fulls are generally plenty for our walkway. You just kinda shake it out of your hand or the cup somewhat evenly.

Also--are you using ice-melt (looks like white pellets) or rock salt (looks like, well, salt)? Salt is generally cheaper, I think, but can get caked up a bit easier than the ice melt.

Keep the stuff inside the house, closest to the door where you would use it. Reduces the moisture it sees, so keeps it from caking up.
posted by chiefthe at 12:53 PM on January 15, 2016

Response by poster: I had some NaCl/CaCl mix. I ordered some straight CaCl pellets off Amazon at the advice to buy in bulk as low as possible.
posted by Talez at 12:57 PM on January 15, 2016

I swept the one inch this morning, while it was still powder. Later I shoveled the drives, for exercise. Then I salted with rock salt. It is worth keeping up with it. Depending on what the weather has in store. Either way, if things melt, I have clear walks and drive. If there is more on the way, it is easier to maintain when you can hit bottom and keep sidewalks free of ice.
posted by Oyéah at 1:03 PM on January 15, 2016

When I owned a house, I would shovel the sidewalk first. Yes, the city plowed and salted, but I coulld usually get at it sooner and winter is a tough time for those who get around on foot. I run outdoors year round. You might not. Anyway, once I was out shoveling, I would finish the job. It gave me time to chat with the neighbours, too.

A really light dusting can be dealt with using a broom. Slightly more with a shovel. I needed the driveway cleared so I, the postal delivery person, visitors and any emergency personnel could get to the front door without slipping on ice.
posted by TORunner at 1:12 PM on January 15, 2016

Welcome to New England! Good thing you didn't arrive last winter !

Nthing giving the driveway a quick shovel, it'll take no time at all to clear an inch.

I am from northern Vermont and have never used salt on my property. It's nice but definitely not necessary.

And for eff's sake, put on your boots for an inch of snow. Cold toes are cold toes..
posted by pintapicasso at 1:28 PM on January 15, 2016 [3 favorites]

Is there anything useful you can do to spread salt as evenly and effectively as possible? This stuff seems to cost a hell of a lot to just throw around randomly.

If you don't have a particularly large area to spread, you can use a hand-held crank spreader like this one. I just fill mine up and walk down the driveway slowly while cranking. (After shoveling, of course — no sense in using the salt to melt stuff that you could just as easily move out of the way.)

Walk-behind spreaders also exist, but are significantly more expensive.
posted by Johnny Assay at 1:40 PM on January 15, 2016

We had an inch in upstate NY this week and I did a quick pass with a shovel. When it's that small an amount, and this early in the season, it's easy to pretend you're a snowplow and just push whole columns of snow off to the side. (This is also helpful during a storm--if you go out every inch or two, it's easier to keep up with.)

If it was going to melt and evaporate/soak in within a day or so, I wouldn't bother. If it was going to turn to slush then freeze I'd definitely bother. I'd spy on the neighbors and follow their lead.
posted by tchemgrrl at 1:41 PM on January 15, 2016

Here in Montreal an inch doesn't even register on my radar. I wouldn't bother and neither would any of my neighbors. I never put down salt/gravel on snow, only on ice.
posted by Cuke at 1:45 PM on January 15, 2016 [1 favorite]

Lifelong New Englander here. I live not too far from Acton.
And no, you definitely don't snowblow the kind of snow we got this time around.
That's just a "quick pass with the shovel" kind of snowfall. And salt it so it doesn't get slippery. That's it.


If -- god forbid -- we get a winter like last February, you will get plenty of mileage out of the snowblower. Don't you worry!
posted by jozxyqk at 1:49 PM on January 15, 2016 [1 favorite]

Chicago checking in. I always check the weather forecast.

If 1" hits the ground and it's gonna be below freezing the next 2-3 days, then yeah I'll clear and salt it. If it's going to be warm later on, I don't bother. It'll soften and melt on it's own.

The forecast for Boston shows 41F and 100% chance of rain tomorrow. I'd leave it be.
posted by JoeZydeco at 1:52 PM on January 15, 2016 [3 favorites]

Oh.. the only thing you _do_ need to make sure of is to clean the snow off the roof of your cars. Don't be That Guy who lets it fly off, potentially in chunks of dangerous ice, while you're driving down 93 at 75 miles an hour.
posted by jozxyqk at 1:53 PM on January 15, 2016 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: We keep them undercover specifically for that reason.
posted by Talez at 1:55 PM on January 15, 2016

the auger on most snowthrowers isn't really designed to clear down to the bare pavement. that's why institutions often use snow brushes to clear walkways. an inch of snow is really too little for most snowthrowers to be effective.

if your cars have been able to traverse your driveway successfully (and i like the blizzaks, btw) what's your concern? damage to your driveway? something else?
posted by mattbcoset at 1:56 PM on January 15, 2016 [4 favorites]

Response by poster: My wife's biggest concern is the snow turning to ice it seems.
posted by Talez at 2:01 PM on January 15, 2016 [1 favorite]

If the weather is going to be sunny, I might slide the shovel up and down about where the wheels of the car go. Once the sun hits blacktop, those tracks will clear quickly.

My snowblower does not do much with one inch either, but trying it out was probably a good thing just for the practice.

The big danger with snowblowers is when you suck up something like a newspaper and it jams. Even if you turn the machine off, which is obvious, the working parts may still be under tension like a spring, and go sproing when the jam is cleared. Use long handled tools. Even pros get hurt that way.
posted by SemiSalt at 2:14 PM on January 15, 2016 [1 favorite]

A snowblower for one inch of snow? That seems like overkill. Honestly, I just let the inch sit there and it will eventually melt. You could shovel away one inch pretty quickly, so if you really want to clear things out, I'd just use a shovel. Sometimes I would just shovel the end of the driveway where snow piles up from the plows so cars don't get stuck coming in or out, and ignore the rest.

You can get ice even if you get rid of the snow if there is a thin layer. I think the snow actually prevents ice because the snow gives your feet something to grip when you step on it. But you could shovel it and then salt it.
posted by AppleTurnover at 2:19 PM on January 15, 2016

Honestly, unless it's really stonking wet snow, you'll probably be fine with a heavy push-broom. But sure, shovel if you want to. Anything less than 8" I'd probably leave the snowblower in the garage.
posted by Emperor SnooKloze at 2:36 PM on January 15, 2016 [1 favorite]

I live in Concord (hi neighbor!) and we didn't even bother sweeping the walk for that inch of snow. There will probably be more traction on your driveway with that inch of snow in place than without.

Seriously, snowblower only comes out with 4+ inches of snow, minimum. They're not good with lesser amounts and you'll be lugging the thing around for no reason. In order of snowfall totals: broom, shovel, snowblower, tauntaun. Ice melt if it's a high traffic area and/or you know for sure that it's going to melt and refreeze.
posted by lydhre at 2:47 PM on January 15, 2016 [2 favorites]

Long time Boston-area resident here.

What you do with an inch of snow depends on what kind of snow it is and what kind of weather is on the way. An inch of powder followed by sunny weather? Sweep or shovel the walks, let the driveway take care of itself. An inch of sleet and freezing rain followed by a cold snap (which is what we got in Arlington, closer to the coast, from that storm)? Shovel before it freezes solid, or apply snow melt heavily. And here I would worry about the driveway, not for your cars (unless it's steeply sloped), but for you, walking to them. The point being, an inch of slush represents a lot more water than an inch of powder.

One other thing - depending on what the weather gods bring us, you may find yourself staring at several inches of solid ice, that you failed to clear in time. This is where sand comes in - you can't put down enough salt to melt through it, so you put traction sand on top, so you can walk. On a level driveway, a car with good snow tires will be fine.

The snowblower is mostly for 3" or more of snow. It isn't really that good with slush, unfortunately.
posted by mr vino at 3:46 PM on January 15, 2016 [3 favorites]

I grew up in Boxboro. Depending on your situation and how much you like to DIY versus your jobs and etc, you may even want to get a person to PLOW your driveway if the weather is like last year. I am with other people, basically an inch of snow is broom or light shovel territory unless you really luuuurrrveee your snowblower. Get cheap rocksalt if the prices are concerning you or even a bag of sand. Melting the snow is something you might care about for stairs or something slick you'd be stepping out into (or existing ice), otherwise you'll just want traction. You have good tires, good cars, and hopefully some good sense and right now you are doing fine.
posted by jessamyn at 3:57 PM on January 15, 2016

Semi Salt and Seymour Zamboni are right (how wonderfully eponysterical) there is more to consider than just how much snow has fallen. Future weather conditions and the type of snow are factors to consider. I've never watched the weather as much as I do now that I am a homeowner.
posted by NoraCharles at 4:49 PM on January 15, 2016

For an inch of powdery snow, I would take out the leaf blower and simply blow it away before anyone walked or drove on it.

On my relatively flat but really long driveway, I will usually just drive over it no matter how deep it is. It gets packed down, but I throw a little sand on the driving tracks and am good to go. I must admit that I also have a cabin in the ADK and I drive on the frozen lake as well as roads that purposely have several inches of packed snow for the snow mobiles so if you are not comfortable with that, shovel or snow blow.

In my old house, I had a John Deere ride on mower with a plow attachment for the front. Talk about fun, I would use it for anything from 1" to 12".
posted by AugustWest at 6:54 PM on January 15, 2016

Ok, I am from Buffalo NY, which has been known to get a bit of snow from time to time. What you need are two snow shovels-- a pusher style, and a shovel style.

The pusher style has only an 8" blade or so that is used for pushing snow out of the way. You can shovel your entire driveway (if it is fairly small) in just a couple of minutes with one of these. You just slide it continuously across the ground in a single push to clear an entire track of snow in one go. Freshly fallen snow is super light and fluffy, and a 1" deep layer that is 18" wide by 20 feet can easily be removed in one sweep with one of these.

The other type you need is a traditional shovel, which is mostly used to shovel compacted snow, like the snow/sludge that the street plow leaves at the foot of your driveway. You can also use this to remove snow that has been pushed by the pusher shovel.

These two shovels are #1 and #3 counting from the right in this photo.
posted by Maxwell_Smart at 7:10 PM on January 15, 2016 [2 favorites]

My favourite snow shovel has a scoop made of plastic, which is very light weight and the snow doesn't stick to it as much as a metal blade. It also has a long, straight wooden handle that means less stooping and more leverage.

Get one like that.
posted by bonobothegreat at 7:10 PM on January 15, 2016

Unless it's really warm, wet snow, anything less than two inches is pushbroom territory. Shove it to the edge of your driveway and then use the shovel to lift the pile onto your yard or whatever.
posted by Pope Guilty at 7:10 PM on January 15, 2016 [1 favorite]

You don't need to get one that has wheels or anything like that, but the pusher style works like this.
posted by Maxwell_Smart at 7:14 PM on January 15, 2016

If you're outfitting your life with items to move snow, I'd recommend adding a scoop shovel to the trunks of your cars for the winter. While you do have a nice driveway and a snowblower, a scoop shovel in your car will let you dig it out when you're not in the driveway or if you get stuck somewhere. The one I've linked to is just an example, your local big box hardware store will have other brands. Some people suggest getting a metal one but I've found that even with moderate use, a plastic one will last a good couple of years.

For the sidewalk leading to your door and your driveway, a push shovel makes sense for small amounts of snow. I've used a leafblower for small amounts of light snow as well - we have them at work and while I'm not into using yet another two-stroke polluting machine, it works well to efficiently clear areas with up to about three inches of light snow.
posted by sciencegeek at 7:08 AM on January 16, 2016 [1 favorite]

An inch of snow gets completely ignored where I'm from. Might do a quick shovel, but otherwise, meh.
posted by a strong female character at 8:30 AM on January 16, 2016

Nthing most of the above. 1" is really close to zero and not a problem for cars unless the treads are worn down.

But here's what weighs on my mind: liability. What if someone coming to your door slips on ice or compressed snow and breaks a few bones, and the lawyers follow. I don't know what would happen legally (maybe someone else can comment here), but for me it is a reason to keep pathways and driveways clear and ice free.

But 1" can be handled with a snow shovel and a little salt applied to where people are likely to walk. If temps going up then skip it.

(I live in the same area as you).
posted by Kevin S at 4:16 PM on January 16, 2016