Tips on Pothole Repair during Rainy Season
The best way to deal with a pothole is to catch it early. The faster the problem is addressed, the less of a problem it will be. Both asphalt potholes and concrete potholes are the inevitable result of rain. Rain helps breakdown the surface of asphalt and concrete. Pavement is always under pressure and hairline cracks soon grow. With continued stress and water, small chunks are worked loose and are eventually pulled out of the surface by vehicle tires. This becomes a pothole which will continue to grow until it is fixed.
Tip # 1 Repair the Pothole As Soon As Possible
There are three main types of pothole repair products– cold asphalt, hot asphalt, and polyurethane. Longer-lasting than cold asphalt, hot asphalt is mixed around 350 F. The repair and compaction must be done while the asphalt is still hot. Asphalt potholes cannot be repaired with hotmix in rainy weather. Cold asphalt is mixed and used at lower temperature than hot asphalt. Cold asphalt is easy to work, compact and repair potholes with, but does not last as long as other repairs. It also needs time to dry and solidify. The sooner it is exposed to water the faster it will fail. Polyurethane repairs are done in any season provided the pothole can be dried. Although they can be more costly up front, polyurethane repairs last longer.
Tip # 2 Repair the Pothole with a Polyurethane Repair Product
While polyurethane repairs are the only option in wet weather, the surface still must be dried thoroughly. If you can catch a lull in the rain, use a butane torch to dry the area completely before mixing your materials.
Tip # 3 Dry the Pothole with a Torch
If you cannot wait for a break in the rain, or rain starts during your repair, use some kind of Easy-up or shade to keep the rain off and dry the pothole.
Tip # 4 Cover the Pothole with a Sun Shade or Easy-Up If Rain Starts
To begin the repair of an asphalt pothole or concrete pothole repair, use Roklin’s FloMix for Asphalt repair and FlexSet for concrete. Both FloMix and FlexSet provide a fast-setting repair with almost no interruption of service. Once the damaged area is clean and dry, sweep or blow out cracks so there is no loose debris. If you have a blower or compressor available, use that. Place the aggregate provided in the FloMix or FlexSet package to fill in some of the pothole, without going above the damaged area. Stay within about one half to one inch from the surface.
Using the polyurethane repair material, carefully pour contents of bottle “a” into provided 5-gallon bucket then add special sand and aggregate. Next, shake bottle “b” thoroughly and pour into mixture. Mix with a paddle-mixer, using a drill. (For very large jobs, we recommend using a motorized pail mixer). When mixture is completely wet, pour FloMix onto asphalt pothole repair or FlexSet into your concrete pothole repair and use a trowel or lute to smooth material into cracks. When damaged area becomes sufficiently smooth, toss topping sand by hand over repaired area to create a uniform look and feel. The new pothole repair can be ready for traffic in less than an hour.
FlexSet and FloMix asphalt for asphalt pothole repair and concrete pothole repair are available for purchase through the Roklin web site at www.roklinsystems.com or call 1-888-FlexSet. Other concrete and asphalt repair materials are also available.
Processing your request, Please wait....
