DOING IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME FOR 35 YEARS | CALL US TODAY 775.827.5666
Do you have open cracks in your pavement? Then it is time to seal them up before any damage occurs. Crack Sealing is crucial in maintaining the asphalt for the long term. Any opening in your asphalt is a place where water can get underneath the asphalt and quickly destroy the sub-structure that supports it.
When water is added to road base, soils, or sand it softens. And when it softens it can move under pressure, which can in turn create more cracks in the asphalt where you end up with alligator type cracking, or cracks that look like the scales on an alligator’s back. This then becomes a much more costly repair.
We recommend filling all cracks more than ¼ inch wide and maintaining them consistently every 1 to 3 years and sealing over hairline cracks.
Crack sealant is a molten rubber product engineered to bond to the asphalt and expand and contract over cracks to lock out water. Different grades are used to match with the temperature ranges of your specific climate.
Asphalt Protectors uses the highest quality crack seal available, specifically engineered for its bonding & stretching abilities and designed to withstand the extremes of our climate’s temperature ranges.
Cracks larger than 2 inches are generally more economical to repair than to maintain with crack seal. Asphalt Protectors has some great alternative and economical repair methods that are far better than the generally accepted repair method of remove and replace which creates 2 cracks in the process. Check out our section on Wide Crack Repairs for more information.
Alligatored areas occur when the sub-structure has failed. These areas should be replaced to avoid their growth. Crack fill is not a good solution for these types of cracks. Check out Removal and Replacement of Existing Asphalt (R&R).
Other more economical options exist to help support the area and retard alligator growth without permanently fixing it. Check out Skin Patching with Mastic
The sub-structure under the pavement layer was built with engineered rock of varying size and suitable subgrade soils that compact really well when given the right amount of water to lock everything together and provide a firm surface that resists the downward forces of the traffic the pavement receives.
Water acts like a lubricant for aggregates to allow them to move more freely to fill in voids and become locked in place. Add too much water and the material is allowed to move more freely shifting from side to side or pumping up and down. Don’t add enough water, and the aggregates resist moving into place and voids occur providing areas for future movement. It’s like sand at the beach. Difficult to walk when dry. Difficult to walk in under water. Easy to walk in shortly after the wave recedes and majority of the water has drained where it is nice and firm. When building pavements, the goal is to permanently lock the aggregates in place to minimize any movement. Keeping water out of the base is essential in maintaining this equilibrium and providing a stable underlying support for pavements.