Originally Posted by
FEHERTO
De-icers are designed to remove snow. T1 Fluids are mixed with water and heated to the maximum the trucks can do.
No they are not designed to "remove snow". They are intended to prevent the liquid which IS used to remove the snow from refreezing.
You can do the process without T1 fluids, just using hot water, if the OAT is high enough that the risk of refreezing is controlled.
The contaminant is removed through the heat and high pressure of the applied fluid, not it's freezing point depressant properties. The HOT in heavy snowfall is virtually nonexistent, because the fluid rapidly dilutes to the point of uselessness. The same would apply if you apply the snow first then the Type I, unless you used huge amounts of the stuff.