How Rain Affects New Asphalt

When asphalt can be paved and the quality you can expect from your new asphalt depends on the weather. In general, professionals will tell you that you need to wait until it’s at least 60 degrees outside and it’s been consistently sunny. Paving during rainy weather is generally a big no-no, due to how rain affects new asphalt. Here’s what you need to know about how rain affects new asphalt and why paving is typically done when it’s warm and sunny.

How Does Rain Affect New Asphalt?

Asphalt mixtures have oil in them, and when water gets on your asphalt, it can cause that oil to rise to the surface. This impacts the curing time of your asphalt, as well as the quality of your finished pavement. Typically, when asphalt paving is done in the right conditions, it will dry and cure into a solid surface that is better able to withstand the rain.

Rain affects new asphalt because when that oil rises to the surface while the asphalt is curing, this results in it not curing properly. This can lead to many different problems, such as potholes and cracking. 

Can You Pave In Rainy Conditions?

No, in the vast majority of cases, you cannot have asphalt installed in rainy conditions, due to how rain affects new asphalt. Asphalt needs to be installed on a solid, dry surface. When it rains, the ground turns soft and wet. You will need to wait for the ground to be dry before paving, which can take a few days. Technically, it is possible to pave in rainy conditions, but almost every paving professional will tell you that you’ll end up needing new pavement far sooner if you do so, given how rain affects new asphalt. 

Depending on the soil that you’re wanting asphalt installed on, how long the ground takes to dry can vary. Sometimes, the ground’s surface is dry while there’s still water underneath, which affects the stability and strength of the surface. A paving professional will be able to analyze your soil and determine whether or not it is truly dry and ready to be paved on. 

Paving professionals are experts at how rain affects new asphalt, so they keep a careful eye on the weather. If it’s raining, they will likely need to reschedule, in order to ensure the quality of their work. If it’s cloudy but not rainy, they may proceed with caution. If you know that there’s going to be a storm, they may reschedule, depending on whether or not there is enough time to finish the job properly. After a storm, they’ll typically wait a couple of days in order to ensure the soil is dry before paving it. 

These factors can all vary depending on the materials your paving professionals use and how they mix their pavement. You want to ensure that it isn’t rainy when the asphalt is installed or for a few days afterwards, due to how rain affects new asphalt, so that it can dry and cure properly. 

How Can You Prevent Asphalt Damage From Rain?

This header is a bit misleading, because simply having rain fall on asphalt usually isn’t enough to damage it. However, new asphalt reacts a lot more strongly to rain than older asphalt. Standing water due to inadequate sloping, improper drainage, or pits or indentations in the surface can cause water damage to your asphalt, such as cracks, potholes, and more. Due to how rain affects new asphalt, this worsens the likelihood of cracking and pothole development. 

You can help your asphalt withstand the rain better by taking a few preventative measures. Rain affects new asphalt and asphalt that’s been around a while, because it can cause it to deteriorate from water logging. 

The best solution to prevent asphalt damage from this is to ensure that your pavement is properly sloped with a good drainage system. Your asphalt contractor should ensure to do this as part of the job, as they know how important it is to prevent pooling water in order to stave off damages. 

Additionally, you can have your pavement sealed, in order to keep rainwater from penetrating the surface. You can also have cracks filled as soon as you notice them, and have your pavement resurfaced when it starts showing signs of significant damage.

Keep Your Asphalt Safe From The Rain

April showers may bring May flowers, but they can also make paving difficult, given how rain affects new asphalt. Precision Asphalt Maintenance is here to help you keep your asphalt safe from the rain and provide you with quality, honest paving services. Contact us today to learn more.