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More tip for the care of your New
Driveway
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DO NOT - Place sharp or pointed objects on your
driveway. Indentations will result. This will certainly be true
for the first year of its life and perhaps longer (such as on a
hot summer day when the mercury reaches 80°F or above). Stay off
the new driveway 2-3 days after installation and longer if
temperatures are hot.
Principal offenders are high heels, bicycle kickstands, ladders,
porch chairs, etc.
REASON - The pounds per square inch on the above subjects is so
great. This means that while small in area and light in weight,
the weight involved is too great for the area concerned being
all concentrated in one small spot. Also, asphalt is not a hard,
tight material, but a soft, porous one.
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DO NOT - Drive near or off the edges of your
driveway. If you do, you may fracture the asphalt and crack the
whole edge.
REASON - Asphalt contains no structural strength of its own; it
is merely a wearing surface. The strength lies in the stone or
gravel base. Therefore, if great weight is placed unevenly on
the unsupported edge, it must crack.
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DO NOT - Turn the car wheels sharply on the
pavement. Also, don't turn the wheels while standing still- MAKE
SURE THE CAR IS IN MOTION. Otherwise, power steering gouges will
result. These are bruises or lacerations to the surface, caused
by the kneading, grinding action of the tires moving on the bias
against the asphalt and will create areas that are "cupped out"
on the pavement.
This problem is most often encountered in L -shape driveways,
where the garage sits at right angles to the driveway. The
consequent backing, cutting, turning etc. creates this
condition. Even cars without power steering or lightweight
sports or compacts will cause these marks. Greater care should
be exercised in hot weather, since the asphalt is softer and
more susceptible to marking.
REASON - Asphalt contains certain oils or volatiles to make it
more workable or malleable. Until they evaporate, the blacktop
will remain soft. This aging or curing process may take as long
as a year, depending upon blacktop thickness, weather, etc.
"But my blacktop never did this!" Quite possible. ..older mixes
were coarser and therefore more stable. Today's mixes are much
finer in response to an increasing public demand for a "smooth"
driveway. While pleasing in appearance, the finer mixes have a
greater tendency to displacement under strain.
CURE - Time is the only answer. Gradual oxidation will eliminate
the problem. Again, MAKE SURE THE CAR IS IN MOTION before the
wheels are turned.
NOTE - Sealer applied too soon will only aggravate the
condition; since it tends to trap the soil prevents and retard
the drying process. After the driveway "sets up" then sealer
should be applied. We advise that sealer not be applied in the
same year the driveway is installed.
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DO NOT - Park the car or camper in the same spot
all the time. This is particularly true in the case of a dig out
where the base is fresh. No matter how thick the material, deep
the base, or heavy the compaction, depressions or "wheel dishes"
may result, if care is not exercised.
REASON - To place a ton and a half or two tons in the same spot
day in and day out over a long period of time can only produce
adverse results.
CURE - Move the car around slightly. Don't give all or most of
the wear to one small area. Distribute the usage over the entire
driveway.
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DO NOT - Allow overweight vehicles on the
driveway. Your driveway is constructed for automobile traffic
only. Heavy trucks (garbage, cement, delivery, fuel, etc.) will
break up the pavement, since the base is insufficient to take
the weight.
Driveways can be constructed to accommodate these larger loads.
Of course the cost is somewhat higher, and in most cases the
additional expenditure is unnecessary.
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DO NOT - Feel that the driveway should be
completely puddle-free. I n areas completed by hand or where
close drainage tolerances are encountered, this may sometimes
occur.
In addition, subtle shifting of the sub-base may cause some
puddles to form. Any spot holding water 1/4" or less deep is
almost impossible to eliminate. Many of these small water spots
work themselves out with eventual use.
The oils present in the new asphalt tend to hold the water on
the driveway. However, as these oils gradually evaporate, the
water should disappear.
Some garages are constructed lower than the driveway elevations.
The minimum drainage tolerance is 2 inches every 10 foot length
of paving. The driveway may be constructed lower than the road
or surrounding elevations. Areas such as these are always
difficult to achieve 100% drainage.
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DO NOT - Allow weeds or other vegetation to
crowd the edges of the driveway. If so, you will find these
hardy pests burrowing through the stone base and up through the
asphalt topping. They will evidence themselves prior to blooming
as bumps or minor eruptions in the driveway. Though the base is
sprayed with weed-killer prior to paving, it is impossible to
eliminate each and every weed seed. Often these air-borne
particles are brought in with the stone base or dust binder when
it is laid in place. The heat from the blacktop then hastens the
germination process.
The strength of some of these species, such as creeping morning
glory and dandelions is phenomenal. Instances of their
penetrating even concrete are common.
Their appearance in no way should be considered a reflection
upon the thickness of the material. Application of weed killer
(Triox or Roundup) or simple table salt mixed with water will
eliminate the problem most of the time. However at times,
multiple applications may be required.
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DO NOT - Allow a driveway snowplow on your
blacktop without a warning to the operator to raise the blade
slightly. Otherwise, the plow blade may gouge or scratch the
asphalt.
How often should the driveway be sealed? With "bargain" sealers,
yearly application is practically mandatory. Assuming, however,
that a high grade, coal tar base, water-emulsion type sealer has
been used, it is not necessary to seal every year. Each
driveway, of course, is different, but it is not unreasonable to
expect a 3-year lifetime. Some will last even longer.
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