Paving your roads and parking lots with asphalt is an investment. Although asphalt is meant to endure, maintaining your asphalt surfaces to accommodate the seasons is the best way to get your money’s worth.
Throughout the year, you must deal with the variety of extreme temperatures and weather conditions – blistering heat, hail, high winds, snowfall, and rainstorms – in addition to regular wear and tear. Knowing what you need to do to protect your asphalt in each season will ensure it will last and remain in good quality.
Impact of the Seasons
Each season comes with its unique beauty, as well as its challenges. Some of the weather conditions can cause problems for your asphalt that lower the quality and durability of the surface.
- Cracking: Your asphalt can easily crack for a variety of reasons. Temperature fluctuations between night and day can cause small cracks to form, and repeated freezing and thawing of moisture in the cracks can further deepen them. Extreme UV rays from the sun can also overly dry out asphalt, making it become brittle.
- Salt & Chemical Damage: Asphalt can accumulate damage from road salt, oil spills, and de-icing chemicals that are often common during the wintertime. These can stain, scratch, and erode the pavement, emphasizing the importance for maintaining your asphalt.
- Worse Potholes: Potholes form with regular freezing and thawing of moisture, but they can get worse from certain weather; intense rain in the spring and fall can lead to further erosion and expansion of potholes.
- Vegetation Growth: In the spring and summer, weeds can seed and begin to grow in any existing cracks in the asphalt. Their roots can then push apart grooves even more and deepen the cracks.
- Softening: Extreme heat can soften asphalt, so summer temperatures may lead to a less durable surface with soft spots.
- Expansion: When asphalt heats up, it naturally expands. This can cause even more cracking and distort the surface.
- Clogged Drainage: Any natural slopes for drainage can be clogged by fallen leaves and debris. This leads to sitting or pooled water, which damages asphalt.
- Worn Down: High traffic areas tend to result in more wear and tear, which can make the asphalt get worn down. Snow plows can also accidentally scrape the surface, leading to visible grooves and scratches.
Because of all the possible risks of damage, maintaining your asphalt is important to keep up the appearance and quality of the surface.
Spring: Post-Winter Care & Maintenance
Snow and ice are very harsh on asphalt and can cause cracking and potholes. Though these are not fully preventable, you can minimize the impact by dealing with them quickly.
Start with an initial inspection in springtime, checking for any damage that accumulated during the cold months. If you see cracks or potholes, ensure that you fill and repair them. This will prevent further moisture from seeping in and deepening the issues. Manage dirt, gravel, and fallen leaves by sweeping or using a leaf blower to get them out of corners and gutters.
Summer: Preparing for Hot Temperatures
The summer heat can cause problems for asphalt, including softening, expansion, and getting dried out. For protecting and maintaining your asphalt, apply a seal coating to help with durability.
Summer is also a good time for repainting road markings and lines to keep them bright and visible. Monitor for any depressions, soft spots, or ruttings caused by the heat to repair them right away.
Fall: Preventative Protection Against the Cold
The autumn season can bring a lot of rain, debris, and unexpected dips into cold temperatures. During this time, you should keep up with the seasonal elements, while also preparing for winter.
Maintaining your asphalt during the fall means clearing leaves and checking drainage to prevent sitting water. This is also the time to seal up any leftover cracks and make plans for snow and ice removal once the winter months hit.
Winter: Managing Snow & Ice
Winter can be one of the harshest seasons for your asphalt due to the moisture, snow, low temperatures, and de-icing methods. For maintaining your asphalt, try to find a suitable method for removing ice without damaging the surface.
It’s best to use minimal road salt and plow at the correct height, as excessive salt and wrong snowplow adjustments could cause scraping and erosion. Monitor your asphalt for black ice, severe cracks, and potholes and repair them accordingly.
Asphalt Maintenance For All Seasons
For high quality asphalt installation, maintenance, and repair contact Precision Asphalt. We have experience working within the wide range of Utah seasons and can keep your asphalt surfaces functional and pristine all year long. If you need help maintaining your asphalt, reach out today!
