You buy dog food in bulk. You buy toilet paper in bulk. You even buy your cleaning products in bulk! The questions is: why aren’t you buying rock salt in bulk? Sure, winter only rolls around once a year, but when it does, it hits us hard – especially here in NJ and other Northeastern state.
We see anywhere between 30-50 days with precipitation each winter season and that occurs during times when the temperatures are dipping precariously close to freezing, and often below that point.
This means that many days go by when our driveways and walkways are covered in slippery snow and ice. Unless you’ve got plenty of rock salt on hand, things could turn ugly for you very quickly.
5 Benefits to Buying Rock Salt in Bulk
Still not sold on buying bulk rock salt? Maybe this post will change your mind. Here’s a look at 5 compelling reasons you should consider investing in bulk rock salt this year:
1. Save Money
Obviously, the biggest perk associated with buying rock salt in bulk quantities is that you’ll end up saving quite a bit of money. Just how much money you can save will depend on your supplier and the specific brand or type of material that you choose to work with.
You can typically expect to save several dollars on the bag when purchasing by the pallet over by the individual bag, though, and when you add up the total number of bags, this turns out to be a very significant savings!
Put that money towards your holiday shopping or a fun excursion with your kids during their winter break!
2. Beat the Crowds
When the first storm of the year hits, people go crazy. Suddenly there are news reports about the masses scurrying out to the stores to stock up on supplies at the last minute, hoping to beat the snow before the storm clouds come rolling in.
Do you really want to get caught up in that mess? Savvy NJ residents make the decision to buy up their entire stock of bulk rock salt well in advance so that they don’t have to worry about fighting off the crowds in order to get the ice melting materials that they need.
When people panic, bags of rock salt, and other deicing products, fly off the shelves like hot cakes, and you run the risk of stores temporarily running out of stock. This will send you on a wild goose chase around town looking for a store that has a large enough inventory to cover your needs.
Save yourself the trouble and order up your bulk supply now instead of later. You won’t regret it.
3. Avoid Going Out in Inclement Weather
When it’s cold, snowing or sleeting, the last thing you want to do is go outside. Why would you leave your warm, cozy home if you really didn’t have to?
Unfortunately, that’s what a lot of NJ homeowners find themselves doing on the coldest of days when they have run out of rock salt or ice melt. In order to prevent their driveways and sidewalks from becoming giant ice skating rinks, these folks find themselves forced to brave the elements in order to get some more ice for their homes.
Not only is this inconvenient, but it’s also a safety risk. Buying everything in bulk at once will make sure you don’t have to make any unexpected or dangerous trips this winter.
4. Prevent the Need to Skimp
Is there anything worse than scraping the bottom of your barrel of your rock salt supply, just crossing your fingers and hoping you’re not going to have to make yet another trip to the store before the winter finally decides to come to an end?
If you had made the decision to buy your rock salt in bulk this year, you wouldn’t have to worry about trying to cut corners and skimp on your rock salt in order to make your supply last.
5. Remain Unaffected By Rock Salt Shortages
In recent years, we’ve seen winters drag on unexpectedly long, and as a result, many local stores have run out of rock salt before the winter came to an end. This left numerous homeowners without any rock salt to protect their properties.
Don’t set yourself for this type of disaster. Purchasing a bulk supply well in advance will have you well situated to make it through the longest of winters.
Tips for Buying Rock Salt in Bulk
Sure, you know that buying rock salt in bulk can save you money and make your life a whole lot easier, but do you really need bulk quantities of the stuff? Will you really use that much deicer this year?
Before deciding that you can get by on a bag-to-bag basis, we suggest that you do the math. First, measure the square footage of your driveway, sidewalk, patio and any other surfaces where you plan to apply rock salt or other ice melting products.
You will then need to multiply the square footage of your coverage area by 3.1. This will tell you exactly how many pounds of rock salt you’ll need to apply per snowfall or rainfall during freezing periods.
Next, divide that number by 50 in order to determine how many bags you must buy. Because 49 bags are included on a pallet, anyone who needs more than 48 bags would be best served by purchasing in bulk.
Even if your home doesn’t quite qualify, you might consider getting together with a neighbor or group of neighbors. By combing your rock salt needs, you can take advantage of bulk rock salt rates and split the cost amongst yourselves. Everyone wins!
Storing Bulk Quantities of Rock Salt
Once you’ve purchased your bulk order of rock salt, you need to know how to store it so that it doesn’t go to waste. In addition to ensuring that your rock salt is stored in a place where the temperatures don’t drop below freezing (which could cause clumping and reduced effectiveness), you need to remember two words: high and dry.
Do not ever store your rock salt in a location that would cause it to become exposed to and compromised by moisture. Keep the product up off of the floor and preferably in a sealed container in order to achieve the best results. Only pull rock salt out of storage on an as-needed bass in order to avoid accidentally ruining a bag.
Where to Buy Bulk Rock Salt in NJ
If you’re looking for bulk rock salt in NJ, you needn’t look any further than Braen Supply. As the leading supplier of rock salt, ice melting products, and other winter safety materials throughout the region, Braen Supply has all of your needs covered this 2016-2017 season.
We offer a massive inventory of materials for you to choose from, and are happy to fill bulk orders. Whether you’re buying by the pallet or by the truckload, we’ll set you up with exactly what you need.
Our rock salt is available at the lowest, wholesale prices around. Bulk deliveries of rock salt can be made to areas throughout parts of NJ, NY, NYC and PA.
