Parking Lot Maintenance For Porous Asphalt Pavement
The main goal of maintaining porous asphalt pavement, which is commonly used in parking lots, is to prevent the surface of the pavement and the underlying infiltration bed from being clogged with fine sediments. With proper routine maintenance, the porous asphalt can last effectively for 20+ years.
Porous Asphalt Parking Lot
Photo Credit: NAPA - HotMix.org
The parking lot pavement surface should be vacuumed at least twice a year with a vacuum sweeper. Simple broom sweepers are not recommended for porous asphalt maintenance. With a high volume air blast, the air is forced out at an angel, creating a 'peeling' effect, which then causes the debris to be loosened from the asphalt and sucked into the unit.
If the pavement surface of the parking lot has become significantly clogged to the point where the routine vacuum sweeping does not restore permeability, it may be necessary to wash the porous pavement with clean, low pressure water, followed by immediate vacuuming. If the pressure of the washing nozzle is too great, contaminants may be driven further into the porous surface.
The landscaping adjacent to your porous asphalt pavement should be well maintained to prevent soil washout onto the parking lot. If there is soil washout, it should be cleaned off the pavement immediately to prevent clogging of the pores.
During the winter, it is very important that sand and abrasives not be used for winter maintenance because they will clog the pores; rather, use deicing materials. Standard road salt is acceptable as a deicer. In Wisconsin, snow plowing is necessary at times, but should be done carefully by setting the blade about an inch higher than usual.
If there is damage to the porous parking lot, non-porous patching mixes can be used to repair the damage - as long as the cumulative area repaired does not exceed 10 percent of the paved area. Larger areas should be patched with approved porous asphalt.
Are you in need of parking lot repair or maintenance? Are you thinking about repaving your parking lot? If so, call the paving experts at Wolf Paving to see if porous asphalt is a good solution for your commercial parking lot.
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Wolf Paving, an asphalt manufacturer and asphalt paving contractor has been proudly serving the greater Milwaukee and Madison area since 1941.