New Asphalt Parking Lot Maintenance
Asphalt Parking Lot Maintenance
Ongoing asphalt parking lot maintenance is an important part of owning an asphalt parking lot. Think about it this way, the parking lot won’t last forever and at some point it will need to be removed and replaced or overlayed. How soon that day comes is entirely dependent upon how well maintained the parking lot is. Research has shown that regular maintenance of an asphalt parking lot can extend the life dramatically.
Here’s a few things you should plan on doing on a regular basis to extend the life of an asphalt parking lot.
Crack Sealing:
Sealing cracks is probably the most important part of maintaining an asphalt parking lot. Keeping the water from entering the cracks and undermining the asphalt is the main goal. Water entering the cracks can undermine the asphalt and cause the cracking to spread and eventually create pavement failures like alligatored areas and potholes. Sealing the cracks annually is highly recommended.
Sealcoating:
Sealing the parking lot can greatly slow down the deterioration process caused by oxidization from the sun, water runoff and the overall use of the asphalt parking lot. An asphalt parking lot should be sealed every 2 to 3 years. Some property owners and managers have been mistakenly under the impression it should be done very 1 to 2 years. This is not true and depending on the type of sealer that’s used, can actually cause the asphalt to crack and deteriorate much faster.
Edging:
Keeping grass and weeds away from the edges of the asphalt will keep them from creeping up into the asphalt and causing failure and deterioration.
Oil Spots
Oil spots are not a major problem as long as they’re cleaned up soon after oil has leaked or spilled onto the asphalt. Oil can stain the asphalt and cause it to get somewhat gummy over time. Oil will attract dust and dirt, but it’s not something to be concerned about. It’s more unsightly than anything. Now if it’s not cleaned up, over a very long period of time the asphalt may become soft in those areas. When you have the asphalt parking lot sealcoated again, a sealcoat contractor will be able to prime them and help cover them up. But there is no permanent fix.
Fuel Spills
When it comes to fuel spills, regular unleaded gasoline will not damage the asphalt immediately. It would take some time to sit on the surface to actually cause any severe damage, so you’ll want to try and clean them up as quickly as possible. On the other hand diesel fuel on asphalt is a completely different story. As a matter of fact, you’ll notice installation contractors sometimes use diesel fuel to clean some of the moving parts on their paving equipment and hand tools. Diesel fuel is the best solvent for asphalt. So you definitely want to try and avoid diels fuel spills on the asphalt as it will destroy it very quickly. Diesel fuel will completely dissolve the binders in asphalt and eventually it will turn into a hole. You can literally take a screwdriver and just scrape it all out within minutes. These will lead to pavement failures and potholes.
Ice Melting Products
Ice melting products are very handy in the wintertime in the colder climates. Salt or any other commercial products which melt ice will not hurt asphalt, so they can be used liberally. They can stain the asphalt, however, so be sure to have the parking lot cleaned frequently.
In Closing
Often times we find the unethical, “fly by night” rip off contractors won’t even call you back if you have problems with your new asphalt parking lot. The bottom line is they don’t care about you or their reputation. We find a lot of contractors will promise people over and over to come back and fix problems, but then never show up. They put property owners off until the warranty has run out. Don’t let this happen to you. Avoid asphalt maintenance scams and see our report on, “The Most Common Ways Asphalt Maintenance Contractors Rip Us Off and How To Avoid Them”.
Or make it easy and request an asphalt installation estimate from one of our Trusted Asphalt Maintenance Contractors!