Can Asphalt Repairs In Frederick Be Done in Rainy Weather?
When damage affects your asphalt paving, it’s usually the best move to get repair service as soon as possible. Prompt asphalt repairs in Frederick can minimize the risk of worsening trouble while restoring your pavement’s safety and reliability. But what happens when rain threatens to interfere with the work that asphalt repair companies do? Can contractors perform asphalt repairs in rainy conditions?
Do Contractors Delay Asphalt Repairs in for Rain?
Despite the importance of timely asphalt repairs, contractors will delay service if the weather forecast predicts rain. Seasoned contractors will schedule service appointments around the expected forecast. However, with Mother Nature’s unpredictability, rain can often come as a surprise. Even if asphalt repair companies are on site when it starts to drizzle, they should halt their work until conditions clear up.
Whether contractors are completing an asphalt patch or using asphalt crack filler to mend voids, continuing to work in the rain can be disastrous for your bottom line and pavement.
What Is the Biggest Concern for Repair in the Rain?
There are many reasons why contractors shouldn’t complete an asphalt repair in the rain. The biggest is the risk of water intrusion. Asphalt is a naturally water-resistant material. Well-built pavement will manage runoff to prevent standing water. However, when damage occurs, there’s a major risk that rain will flow into the pavement’s foundation.
During crack-filling or asphalt patching projects, contractors often have to expose the deeper layers of your pavement. For example, fixing potholes requires an asphalt patch. To complete it, contractors cut around the pothole. With severe damage, the issue may call for full-depth asphalt patching that goes down to the foundation.
If water flows into the foundation, you’ll have bigger fish to fry than a simple asphalt repair. Water can erode the subgrade, damage the subbase, and create major structural integrity issues. Even if contractors complete asphalt patching projects, trapped water in the foundation could freeze and expand in the winter, resulting in new damage months later.
Keeping water out of your pavement’s foundation should be a top priority. So when rain falls during a Frederick MD asphalt repair project, the best thing to do is halt work until conditions are warm and dry.
How Can Rain Ruin the Finish?
Another concern with completing an asphalt repair in the rain is its effect on the materials. Asphalt crack filler and patching compounds contain oil. Asphalt paving contains bitumen, a petroleum byproduct, as a binder. This is what makes asphalt such a great, workable material in modern construction. Most of the products contractors use to complete asphalt repairs also contain bitumen.
Oil and water don’t mix. So when rain falls onto asphalt crack filler or asphalt patching compounds, it can’t cure properly. The oil content rises to the surface. Even when the rain stops, the repair compounds will cure with holes, craters, and cracks. Not only is the problem unsightly, but it also weakens the asphalt repair. Eventually, it’ll fail, and you’ll need a re-do.
Quality Striping & Sealing is among the most trusted asphalt repair companies in Frederick, MD and the surrounding communities in Virginia and West Virginia. We have over 30 years of experience in this industry, giving us the expertise to do things right. We don’t cut corners or attempt to work in inclement weather conditions. Whether you need an asphalt patch to fix a pothole or more extensive Frederick MD asphalt repair, your satisfaction is our top priority. We work to ensure long-lasting results, no matter the job’s complexity. That applies to all our services, including sealcoating, crack repairs, parking lot maintenance, striping, stencils, and more.
Call Quality Striping & Sealing today to learn more about what we do and receive a free quote. You can call (833)966-SEAL (7325), email info@qualitystripingandsealing.com or use our online form to get in touch.
