FAQ

What Areas Do You Service?

We service Carleton Heights, Fisher Glen, Fisher Heights Meadowlands, Anything off Baseline, Fisher, Merivale, Prince of Wales, Viewmount.

Do You Use Plows Or Blowers?

The teflon plastic blades we use reduce the risk of scratches to your interlock or asphalt. Due to the nature of gravel/dirt or other debris possibly being in laneway we can not gurantee there wont be any minor scratches to your interlock or asphalt. The process of blowing snow requires us to drag a 4000 pound blower across uneven asphalt and interlock stones with the goal of getting everything scrapped down to bare asphalt saying this teflon blades greatly lowers the risk for marks on driveways and our blowers are galvinzed steel to insure no rust marks will be left on your laneway.

What is the minimum snowfall before you provide service?

Our minimum snow fall is 5cm or whenever the city plows go out. If the city plows go out at less than 5cms then we will be there.

Do you have a seasonal snow fall limit? What is your policy if this limit is reached?

Our contract covers you for service up to 250 cm (8.2FT) of snow. We have a surcharge for accumulations beyond this limit. The surcharge is a flat rate and is proportionate to the contract amount. We base our limit off the annual snow accumulation recordings provided by the Mac- Donald Cartier international airport website.

What is the term of your contract?

November 5st - April 1st

Will You Clear My Driveway Before 7 AM?

We would love to guarantee a 7 am arrival time. This is impossible for any company as it can start snowing in the middle of the night around 3-4am very hard. For light snow falls 5-10cm during the day/evening our goal is to always have your driveway cleared by 7am. To predict our arrival time, assume we wait at least 2-3 hrs for the snow to fall (at least 3cms). We then send our tractors out. You can then add a max 4-6 hrs onto this time depending on the size of your route. This is the latest you can expect to have your first cleaning. If it snows before midnight most driveways will be cleared by 6-10am. If it starts snowing between 3-4am most people can expect to not have their driveways cleared by 7am. Usually 2-3 hrs of snow isn't enough to stop anyone from leaving their driveway or being blocked in.

In the event of an emergency and our tractor has not passed by give us a call. On heavy snow falls we perform a second cleaning after the plows go by.

What if city plows come by after you cleared my driveway?

We have a second pass after city plows. The timing of your second pass can vary but it is usually within 6-8 hrs of our first pass. It occasionally can be longer if the city is delayed in cleaning your street. We have increasingly seen the city delay road cleanings until a day later to cut costs. Our workers live in the neighbourhoods they service and we have a quality control supervisor driving around monitoring what roads haven't been plowed by the city.

What methods of payment do you accept?

Cash, Cheque, or E-Transfer

Are you insured?

Yes we are insured for $2,000,000

Do You Have References?

We have an A+ rating with the BBB, and are a top rated company on Homestars.com. Feel free to check us out.

Is there a problem if there is a car parked on my driveway?

Central Snow requests that no vehicles be on the driveway during a snowfall. Most customers park their vehicles in the garage. Our tractor operators make up to 2 passes (attempts) in a single storm to clear your entire laneway. Any uncleared snow resulting from a parked car, left on the driveway will not be cleared by Central Snow until the next 5 cm snowfall at the earliest. Our drivers are training to work around vehicles but for best results and satisfaction we request you remove your vehicles until the 1st pass is complete.

My driveway is gravel do you still blow it?

Yes we can still blow it; there is a slight chance some gravel might make its way onto your lawn over the season.

Does your equipment make tons of noise?

Our tractors make the same amount of noise as a Honda civic pulling into your driveway. Our drivers are also on your property for less than 2 minutes. You probably won't even realize we were there until you see the snow gone.

What about water valves on my driveway?

It is the customer's responsibility to call the city 613 580 2400 and make sure the valve caps are lowered to the asphalts level. If the cap is not even there is a chance of it getting blown onto the lawn.

When are driveway markers installed and removed?

All of our markers go up Oct 20th and are removed the first week of April. Please do not throw the markers out they allows us to keep your cost down and save the environment as we re use them every year. You can remove them yourself and keep them on the side of your house for us to pick up in the spring if you wish.

What is the average amount of snow Ottawa receives each year?

Ottawa receives on average 215 cm.