Asphalt has been a popular choice for pavements such as driveways because of its affordability and durability. When installed correctly, it can withstand different weather conditions and can last for a few decades.
However, there is one thing you need to be wary of if you have an asphalt driveway: Standing water. If your interested in expanding the life of your asphalt check out our latest article.
Asphalt has natural waterproofing properties that contribute to its durability. However, over time, elements like wind and sun’s radiation can slowly deteriorate your asphalt’s chemical bonds, allowing water to penetrate.
When water penetrates your asphalt’s base, it can slowly damage large areas of your driveway causing extensive and expensive damages.
If there’s standing water in your asphalt driveway, there’s a bigger risk of water penetrating your asphalt and damaging a large portion of your driveway. While small water puddles when it’s raining can be ignored, standing water that doesn’t clear up immediately should immediately be dealt with.
The pooling of water in your driveway can be attributed to several factors:
Poor Drainage - When installing asphalt, your paving contractor should create proper slopes and channels to ensure water will have its way to drain efficiently on its own and prevent it from being stuck in the middle of your pavement.
Existing Damage - Small cracks and holes might not seem like an issue, but it can create water puddles and worse, it can allow water to easily penetrate your asphalt’s base and cause damage. This type of issue should be immediately fixed since damages hiding beneath pools of water can also pose safety risks for you and your family.
Poor Installation - If there are significant dips in your driveway or it is sloped in the wrong direction, the water will find a place to go and pool. Improper compaction and poor grading can also cause this problem. Depending on the severity of the problem, you might need to have repaired as a whole to achieve a uniform surface.
While the most common reasons for standing water is out of your control, there are a couple of things you can do to prevent smaller pools of water that can slowly expand through your driveway.
The first step to take when dealing with standing water is to contact a professional asphalt contractor who can assess the situation and identify the best course of action.
There are several ways a professional asphalt contractor can fix this issue depending on the cause of the problem. For example, infrared patching can be used to heat the surrounding asphalt so that new asphalt can be mixed in and level the surface. If dealing with smaller areas, patching might be the best choice.
Whatever it is, an expert asphalt contractor can help you get rid of standing water in your driveway once and for all. This way, you can avoid further and more expensive damages, and avoid potential safety risks that water puddles can bring.
If you need help with getting rid of standing water in your driveway, Erickson Asphalt Services can help! With 30 years of experience of providing asphalt services in Minnesota, we’ve helped residential and commercial customers with different asphalt projects such as asphalt paving, repair, sealcoating, infrared patching, and more!
Contact us at 1-800-ASPHALT or (763)-389-5267 Local to learn more!
