How to Be Health-Smart About Snow Removal

February 20, 2018 Examiner Media

By Bill Primavera

It’s been a remarkably easy winter for all those homeowners responsible for snow removal from their walks and driveways. As I write this, we’ve just experienced our first significant snowfall since the winter began.

When I first moved to upper Westchester from the haunts of New York City, certain aspects of “deep country” living were daunting to me, from never having operated a gas-powered lawn mower to the suggestion that I should purchase a chain saw to manage my wooded property. I also had a fear of snow removal because of a macabre story my wife and I were told just before we moved.

A friend told us about her father, a widower who lived alone in Dutchess County, who was not heard from for several days during a particularly snowy season. Alarmed, she called the police to investigate, and they found her father frozen to death in his driveway, the victim of a heart attack while trying to shovel snow. That did it for my wife, who’s always been more cautious about my well-being than I. In winter, the news frequently reports heart attacks caused by snow shoveling.

The ferocity of the first snowstorm in our suburban location was a shock to us, with snowdrifts so high against all our doors that we literally could not open them. At the same time, I had wrenched my back and could barely walk, much less try to shovel the snow. My brave wife, whom I’ve always said is stronger than I am any way, climbed out of a first-floor window, shovel in hand, and in drifts above her waist, removed the snow blocking egress from the house. She’s some gal.

There are guys who get very excited about the prospect of owning a snow blower or thrower to help in the chore of snow removal, but I’ve always known my limitations with operating heavier equipment. So, early on, I started trying out snow removal services, qualifying them mostly on reliability in showing up when we needed them.

My only physical chore was to keep any snow residue from turning to ice where we walk. We did this as the snow fell, keeping the snow away from our ground-level doors with my old straw broom technique and, if it was a really heavy snowfall, with a snow shovel.

Our biggest problem was that the three main entrances to our house all faced north, and ice was more likely to form there. Now I know why some of my homebuyers have insisted that I help them find a property where the driveway faces south, rather than north, especially if it is on an incline or decline.

If ice does form, which is frequently the case when snow melts from the roof onto walkways, then re-freezes, we used salt liberally to melt it. There are different types of salt, some causing less damage to concrete and to the environment. The most common is regular rock salt or sodium chloride, but this becomes ineffective if the temperature drops below 16 degrees F. Also, it releases the highest amount of chloride which pollutes streams, rivers and lakes. The newest salt is magnesium chloride which continues to melt snow well below zero degrees and releases about 40 percent less chlorides into the environment. Further, it is less damaging to surfaces and less toxic to plants. Its only drawback is that it can leave a powder residue when tracked into the home, but that is easily addressed by removing shoes once inside.

Every time it snowed, I would look up at the north side of my roof line where a radiant heating system had performed well for some years and I thought, why didn’t I think of that when I installed my walkways and driveway?

All the medical advisories about properly removing snow seem to offer the same information: try to push, rather than lift the snow, especially if you use a snow shovel with a broader blade. It’s better to use a smaller shovel or to push smaller amounts of snow in a regular snow shovel. If it’s absolutely necessary to lift snow, you should bend from the knees to protect your back.

Experts in physical training say that snow removal by hand should be approached as a rigorous physical exercise, one for which you warm up first by stretching. But who always listens to experts? I don’t think I’ve ever stretched for any exercise, but I did take the precaution of starting out very slowly to rev up my system and warm my muscles.

Note that my personal experiences are all in the past tense, since I am no longer in a situation where I must care for snow removal, but I’m happy to pass on safety tips for those who still do.

While Bill Primavera performs as a columnist and publicist, he is a Realtor® associated with William Raveis Real Estate and Founder of Primavera Public Relations, Inc. (www.PrimaveraPR.com). His real estate site is www.PrimaveraRealEstate.com, and his blog is www.TheHomeGuru.com. To engage the services of The Home Guru to market your home for sale, call (914) 522-2076.