There are many outside elements that can attack your asphalt paving regularly, some natural and some man-made. And while nothing can stop these outside influences from doing what they do, there are precautions any business owner can take to protect their parking lot investment.
For every asphalt “enemy,” there’s a potential “hero.” Sometimes, there’s more than one.
Protecting your asphalt paving investment is as important as installing it to begin with. Depending on how large your parking lot is, the paving project may have been a sizable financial outlay for you and your company, so it makes sense to want to protect it.
But there will always be challenges in doing so, both from Mother Nature and from other outside influences. But if you know about these potential issues ahead of time, you can protect against them.
Here are a few outside factors to look out for, as well as ways you can largely protect against them. Thank you, ASC Paving of San Antonio for these tips.
Sunlight
When we’re talking about asphalt parking lots, there are some things you just can’t avoid. And the hot beating sun is definitely one of those things!
But while this can be particularly destructive to your parking lot, there is, fortunately, a very easy solution – sealcoating.
Think of seal coating as a sort of sunscreen for your parking lot. And much like sunscreen protects your sensitive skin from the sun’s ultraviolet rays, so too can seal coating protect your asphalt paving.
To adequately protect your asphalt parking lot from the sun, however, you should consider reapplying your seal coating every 3 to 5 years.
Water
Whether it’s rainwater or water that’s been introduced to the parking lot via other means (think fire hydrants, runoff from nearby hoses, washing cars, etc.), standing or surface water can wreak havoc on asphalt parking lots.
If your parking lot is not properly maintained, this standing water can eventually weaken the pavement and cause things like cracks and potholes to form.
Sealcoating again is a great solution to this issue, but you should apply it before these problems start making themselves known. If they’ve already formed, it will cause some extra work to get things back to normal before you can apply the seal coating.
You could also look into paving your parking lot with porous asphalt, which allows water to run through it. This reduces the build-up of surface water and can prevent some of the problems mentioned above.
Vehicles
The weight of vehicles, especially extremely heavy ones, can directly impact the strength of your asphalt over time. Particularly if these vehicles are driving slowly, or stopping frequently, you could begin noticing damage in some areas.
To alleviate or at least lessen these types of potential problems, the first thing you could do is allow vehicles over a certain weight to only maneuver on a certain area of your parking lot or property.
That way if damages do occur, they’ll be limited to only a certain area of your parking lot. This can save you quite a bit of money when it comes time for repairs.
You can also install thicker asphalt in areas where larger vehicles will be maneuvering, which can also save money on repairs.
It’s also a good idea to work with a paving contractor who has experience installing pavement in high traffic areas.
Car And Truck Fluids
Fluids like gas and oil can have long-lasting and negative effects on your asphalt parking lot over time, but this type of damage is also extremely difficult to avoid.
Over time, these types of fluids can penetrate the surface of your parking lot and eventually cause the surface to crumble and depressions to form.
It can also cause the asphalt to soften, leading to more expensive repairs in the future.
The best way to prevent these types of problems and repairs is to regularly inspect your parking lot and clean up any fluids you see accumulating. This type of preventive maintenance can save you a small fortune in repairs over the years.
If you wait and the gas and oil penetrate the asphalt, it could lead to that entire section of asphalt needing to be replaced. So be diligent and prevent this type of thing from happening.