4 Easy Ways To Prevent Potholes And Cracks In Your Asphalt
When it comes to your asphalt, it pays to be excessively careful. Asphalt is strong and resilient to the climate and extremities brought on by weather, but like all things, if you don't take care of it, it will wither away and become weak, cracking and splintering, with potholes galore appearing in its pristine exterior. It is important to practice good asphalt maintenance and take a preventative stance on things that can deeply affect the integrity of your asphalt. Throughout the course of this brief article, you will learn of 4 easy ways to prevent potholes and cracks from appearing in your asphalt.
Clean
This is, without a doubt, the best piece of advice you will be given regarding your asphalt, and also the simplest. Like all portions of your household, you must make sure that it is clean. Without cleanliness, your asphalt will fall into disarray. Make sure that if stains appear on your asphalt, they are immediately cleaned up. This goes for everything including simple juice stains that are the clandestine mishap of every child to oil stains, which are the clandestine mishap of every fully-grown adult. Make sure that all bits of grass that you find in your asphalt are also cleaned. All of these phenomena can lead to cracking, which is a problem you don't want to deal with later.
Apply Sealant
One of the biggest causes of asphalt problems is water that is absorbed into the asphalt. Water, on improperly sealed asphalt, will be absorbed into the asphalt due to the asphalt's porous nature (which is what gives it a sort of bouncy exterior) and can become humid inside of the asphalt. This will cause the asphalt to attempt to release the water, which expands it and then contracts it. This expansion and contraction can lead to cracks and eventually potholes. The best way to fight off this scenario is to make sure that you have sealant professionally applied to your asphalt's surface once every 2 to 3 years.
Treat Cracks As Soon As You See Them
You should check your asphalt 1 to 2 times every month. If you see any cracks in your asphalt, it is important that you fill them as soon as possible. Why is this the case? Why not procrastinate? Because chances are, those cracks are most likely due to water damage. Water that gets underneath your asphalt is going to shift itself around a bit and cause those cracks to grow and grow. The longer you wait on sealing those bad boys up, the more the cracks will grow. It is important to get to the root of the matter as soon as you can; otherwise, you could be dealing with a much bigger problem, in both scope and cost.
Overlay
An overlay is another layer of asphalt that is poured over your current layer of asphalt for added protection. This is not necessary in every case that involves asphalt, but it can greatly help in the long run, especially if you have very heavy vehicles that sit on your asphalt. The weight of these heavy vehicles can take their toll on your asphalt, causing cracks, and if you're not careful about the way that these vehicles are driven on asphalt, they can cause potholes, as well. An overlay adds support to the heavy weight of these vehicles such as trucks and SUVs.
Making sure that your asphalt driveway is protected is not that hard. It requires a bit of know how and elbow grease, but beyond that, it also takes an eye to keep a lookout for any problems that might arise in the integrity of the asphalt. For more tips, you may want to contact a local parking lot maintenance company.
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