Can Extreme Summer Weather Affect Your Asphalt?
Extreme summer temperatures may leave some homeowners worried that their asphalt driveways may be at risk. This guide will discuss how summer temperature affects your asphalt and what you can do to protect it.
What Happens When Asphalt Gets Hot?
Anyone who has ever walked on a beach barefoot in the summer knows that surface and air temperatures aren't always the same. While air temperatures are unlikely to ever become hot enough to melt asphalt, warm and sunny days can make the ground much hotter. Asphalt's black surface is also excellent at absorbing plenty of energy from the sun, leading to even warmer temperatures.
A day won't get hot enough to turn asphalt back into the liquefied slurry that allows crews to spread it along surfaces easily, but that doesn't mean high temperatures can't cause it to soften. Paving-grade asphalt can have a softening temperature as low as 95 degrees Fahrenheit, much lower than the asphalt binders used in roofing applications.
Softened asphalt may be more vulnerable to damage from heavy loads passing over it. Additionally, the expansion of asphalt during extreme temperatures can cause issues. The hotter the temperatures and the longer the asphalt's exposure to direct sunlight, the more likely that expansion and contraction may lead to cracks or other major surface defects.
What Can You Do to Protect Your Driveway?
While high temperatures can pose a risk to asphalt, normal wear and tear from direct sunlight and ultraviolet exposure are greater threats. Clear, sunny days might be the perfect time to go to the beach, but constant exposure to UV light can cause deterioration in the binders in your asphalt driveway. Over time, this deterioration can lead to cracking or raveling in the asphalt surface.
Ultimately, the best thing you can do to protect your driveway is to keep up with regular seal coating and repairs. A seal coat will help protect your driveway from UV exposure, and repairing or repaving damaged sections of your driveway will minimize the likelihood that high temperatures or softening will exacerbate existing damage.
You can't do anything to change the weather, and providing your driveway with permanent shade is probably taking things a few steps too far. However, ensuring your driveway is well-maintained at all times can help it to withstand even intense heat, ensuring that extreme heat waves don't drastically shorten the life of your asphalt.
Contact an asphalt company to learn more.