Once we make it through a Wisconsin winter, summer can’t come fast enough. Who doesn’t love a hot, sunny day? Asphalt doesn’t! The sun is asphalt’s enemy. The sun steals the oil from the asphalt, making it brittle and susceptible to cracking. The freeze/thaw cycle and the weight of heavy equipment also cause cracks. But we can fix that. Crackfilling is one of the services we offer when we perform asphalt maintenance.
We use two different methods for crackfilling, heat lancing and routing. Let’s take a look at both methods.
Routing
For a crack large enough to hold rubber, we use a crackfilling tool called a router to grind out the dirt and clean the crack. A heat lance is used to eliminate moisture and scorch the side walls. A crack that’s clean and dry offers the best chance of solid adhesion for the heated filler we use. The crackfiller is put down as a liquid which hardens to a pliable, solid form.
Heat Lancing
For a hairline crack, we use a heat lancing wand. The wand blows high-velocity hot air into the crack to remove dirt and moisture while scorching the sidewalls. When we seal the asphalt, the sealant drips into the hairline crack and binds to the sidewalls.
Not All Crackfilling Services are Alike
Everyone thinks all asphalt companies are the same, but they’re not. There are tremendous differences in the industry. Some companies simply use an edger to clear vegetation from the top of the asphalt, leaving dirt inside the cracks. When they put a sealant over the cracks, it doesn’t seep in. The asphalt isn’t any stronger or smoother than it was before crackfilling began. To get the best result, you need to prep the asphalt right.
Professional, Experienced Asphalt Crew
It’s no coincidence that we’ve been in business for nearly 40 years and counting. Experience matters, and we’ve had plenty of experience crackfilling. We might fill 3,000 lineal feet of cracks at a single job, either with heat lance or routing. Our professional techniques give long-lasting results.
Contact us today
Is your parking lot or driveway in need of crackfilling? Call AC Asphalt at 920-865-7279 or request a bid today.
About Us: “Specialists by Reputation,” AC Asphalt is a locally owned and family-operated asphalt maintenance and installation company. We have been serving residential and commercial customers in Northeast Wisconsin since 1988.
