Anyone who has lived in El Paso for a while knows how wide the temperature spectrum is throughout the year. The summer can be boiling, with back to back days (or weeks!) of 100°F heat, with a winter regularly dipping below freezing at its coldest. Needless to say, it’s not exactly the most comfortable.
But while there are obvious effects like HVAC systems working overtime, how does the weather affect your asphalt and how do you protect it? This article will explore that topic, courtesy of Rick’s Paving and Sealing.
Holiday Season Trouble – Cold Weather Issues
The holiday season is a very festive, joyous time for most of El Paso—except for the city’s pavement. That’s because cold weather causes pavement to contract and sometimes crack, which only gets worse as the season rolls on.
If left unchecked, the cracks in the pavement can reduce the overall lifespan of your investment, which costs you money. Luckily, our team employs a number of techniques to protect your asphalt from the cold, including special asphalt mixes and coatings.
Summer Heat – How It Deteriorates Your Asphalt
The notorious El Paso summer presents a unique set of challenges fo asphalt paving. Most of the damage occurs not from the heat itself, though, but from UV rays. UV rays harm your asphalt by slowly deteriorating the asphalt and causing it to fade over time. Think about a time when you’ve seen a very light gray, fragile parking lot. That is due, in part, to the power of the Sun’s rays.
On extremely hot days, the heat itself can also weaken the pavement. Believe it or not, extreme heat can cause asphalt to actually become soft, which isn’t ideal for the pavement or any drivers on it. Rick’s Paving and Sealing handles the El Paso heat with very precise mixtures of asphalt and proper sealcoating, which can add years to the life of your pavement.
Water and Your Pavement – An Eternal Struggle
Though El Pas0 doesn’t get much rain on average, rain is still a major factor in designing asphalt and pavement. Water, while seemingly harmless, can wear down just about anything given enough time. Think about the Grand Canyon, or how rising sea levels have begun deteriorating beaches. As a result, we always conduct every project so any water that does appear will drain properly.
Water will also make existing problems much worse. A crack or pothole that is filled with water will inevitably become a bigger pothole or crack. With Rick’s Paving and Sealing, you can be confident our team has thought of every possible scenario when designing your asphalt.
Choose Rick’s Paving and Sealing Today
Want a parking lot that looks and works great year-round? Contact Rick’s Paving and Sealing today! With hundreds of happy customers across the city, we guarantee you’ll love the way your new pavement looks.
