Preventing Potholes In Your Driveway

Posted In: Asphalt Sealcoating

Published On: March 25 2023

Written By: Seal King

0 Comments

If you drive the roads of Minnesota, you are already well acquainted with the concept of a pothole. Potholes can be found on every driving surface in the state, and on some roads, potholes seem to cover more surface area than smooth asphalt does. Potholes occur on all roads, but they occur faster in climates that have a wide range of temperature accompanied by snow, rain, and occasional ice storms. Precipitation, whether it falls in liquid or crystallized form, is all water. Water is considered the universal solvent. It does not work as fast as a more caustic substance, but if given enough time, water will cause the dissolution of chemical bonds, such as those that occur in asphalt.

What Causes Potholes?

The dissolution of bonds in asphalt is just another way of describing a pothole. Over time, water enters tiny openings between the components of asphalt and creates fissures. Those fissures enlarge and become cracks, and before too long, those cracks become susceptible to the forces placed on them by heavy vehicles driving over them at high speeds. Eventually, the bonds weaken to such a degree that the asphalt is basically blown apart and you have yourself a new, gaping hole on the road surface.

The same thing can happen to your driveway. The only real difference is that your driveway has fewer vehicles driving over it and, we hope, at much lower speeds. But the same processes are occurring on your driveway as are happening on Minnesota’s highways. What starts off as a tiny crack grows larger, but for a time there is no noticeable damage. Then the edges of the crack begin to fray a bit more, which reveals crumbling pieces of asphalt. You may be able to convince yourself for a while that repairing it can be avoided, and if the issue remains small and isolated in that one area, you might be able to do nothing. Over time when more and more precipitation falls the crack or hole will just get worse. If only there were a way to fix this issue with greater efficiency and success than the highways of Minnesota.

Professional Sealcoating Services In Upper Midwest

That is where Seal King comes in. We cannot reverse time, but we can make it appear so by applying our professional sealcoating expertise to your driveway. Our knowledge and experience renew the strength and durability of asphalt surfaces, and your driveway could be our next job. With Seal King locations conveniently located all over the Upper Midwest, you will have no trouble finding a location near you!