Minnesota winters are harsh and unforgivable, not just for people but also for your property. If you have owned or managed a driveway or parking lot, you must know how bad winter conditions damage your asphalt.
Doctor Asphalt offers professional asphalt paving, maintenance, and repair services to clients in Maplewood, MN. Click here to schedule a free quote.
Suppose you do not want to spend hundreds and thousands of dollars on repair, resurfacing, or repaving after winter is over. In that case, you need to protect your asphalt from weather conditions like freezing temperatures, moisture, and snowfall.
Below are a few things you should do if you want your parking lot or driveway to have a long service life.
Repair
Get your damaged pavement fixed before winter starts because many repair methods go off the table due to the weather conditions – and because pre-existing damage worsens.
Moisture from rain, fog, or melted snow and ice seep inside the cracks or potholes in your pavement. That, coupled with temperature changes and the freezing and thawing cycle, causes damage to the base.
So all damage must be repaired before winter. Also, crack sealing, crack filling, and hot mix asphalt patching, pothole repair, and repaving are not possible during winters. The only repairs you can consider are throw-and-go or cold mix asphalt pothole repair, which are temporary.
Seal Coating
Seal coating your asphalt surface is an effective way to protect it from exposure to severe conditions that might damage the asphalt surface. The seal coat forms a protective layer over the asphalt that lets the pavement breathe but does not allow any moisture, liquids, dust, or debris to enter.
However, sealcoating can only be done in warm and dry conditions, so it is best to schedule the project for any time before winter and monsoon.
Snow Removal
Regular snow removal is necessary to protect the asphalt from snow and ice. Hire a commercial snow removal firm to take care of your asphalt pavement to avoid snow buildup and blockage.
If snow or ice is left on the asphalt pavement, it melts and flows inside the cracks when the temperature rises. When the temperatures drop again, the water inside the pavement will freeze and expand, damaging the pavement from the inside and breaking the asphalt binding.
Clogged Drains
If your drainage system is clogged, the melted snow and rainwater will remain on the surface of the pavement and either seep into the pavement or firm an ice slab on top.
Melting the ice slabs on the pavement would require lots of deicing chemicals, which will damage the top layer. Therefore, make sure that all debris is removed from your drains so water can drain off the pavement quickly.
Are you looking for an expert asphalt maintenance and repair firm to get your surface ready for winter? Doctor Asphalt offers ace services to clients in Maplewood, MN, and other parts of the US. Click here to schedule a free quote.
