Asphalt Pavement Drainage Systems: Why They Matter and How They Improve Pavement Performance

Water and moisture are like public enemy number one for asphalt pavement. A little bit of water exposure isn’t necessarily a problem, but pooling water can cause some major issues for your commercial parking lot. Installing a solid and well-designed water drainage system for your commercial property is paramount to protecting it against the perils of water damage. Long-standing or pooling water, which are more commonly known as puddles, can slowly erode your asphalt pavement and penetrate the surface, causing internal structural damages. To prevent this from happening, you need to make sure that your commercial property is equipped with a state-of-the-art high-quality drainage system that can accommodate the demands of your property.

What Are Some Signs of Poor Asphalt Pavement Drainage?

Here are some telltale signs that your asphalt pavement drainage system is damaged, isn’t working properly, or that it wasn’t installed correctly.

Pooling or Standing Water

Large or small puddles throughout your asphalt parking lot are some of the most prominent signs that your drainage system isn’t working properly. The drainage system could be clogged, damaged, or installed incorrectly to begin with. Either way, this is a big problem for your pavement.

Not only does excess water collect in specific areas over time, but it can also weigh down those parts of your asphalt and cause erosion. The added weight from vehicular traffic will only worsen the potential for internal damages caused by the pooling water. If you notice an abundance of puddles throughout your parking lot, then you should contact an asphalt contractor immediately to clear it out and check your drainage system.

Bits of Broken Rocks and Sand Particles

If you notice that your asphalt parking lot is falling apart and you are finding pieces of rocks throughout your property, then this could indicate that water isn’t completely draining off of your property for some reason. Water can break down debris and pieces of your pavement and carry it across your parking lot.

Poor Asphalt Pavement Design and Installation

Another obvious sign that your asphalt pavement isn’t working properly is poor design and installation. If your asphalt parking lot isn’t sloped to force excess runoff water and other debris to drain in a certain direction, then this will hinder your drainage system from doing its job.

Additionally, you need to make sure that you have a high-quality catch basin to catch all of the debris and excess water runoff. Make sure to maintain and clean your catch basin regularly to extend the lifespan of your asphalt pavement and drainage system.

Water Leakage

Significant or minor water leakage could indicate that your catch basin or water drainage system isn’t draining water sufficiently, fast enough, or at all. That excess water will eventually make its way back onto your asphalt pavement, settle in certain weak spots where there are already small dips and depressions, and make them worse over time. Water leakage is a sign that your catch basin or water drainage system as a whole could be damaged or clogged or that there’s a design flaw that needs to be rectified.

What’s the Impact of Insufficient or Lack of Drainage?

The long-term impacts of insufficient, poorly designed, or lack of a proper drainage system are undeniable. First, there are the obvious consequences that are mentioned above. However, there are a few other factors that you need to consider as well.

For instance, there’s the whole issue of maintaining a safe commercial parking lot for your employees and customers to use. As the property or business owner, the onus is on you to ensure that everyone who uses your property is completely safe at all times. Structural asphalt pavement issues are your responsibility. Since large puddles and standing water pose potentially serious safety hazards, you need to make sure that your property is thoroughly maintained at all times.

Over time, long-standing water and puddles can cause depressions throughout your asphalt. Those depressions can become increasingly weighted down as more water continues to collect in the same areas and they become weighted down by large vehicles like trucks and SUVs. Eventually, cracking will occur. If left untreated, those cracks will continue to expand and even form potholes throughout your property, along with weakening the structural integrity of your parking lot.

All of this shortens the lifespan of your pavement over time, decreases your property value, and increases your maintenance costs.

What Are Some Important Drainage Features You Should Consider?

To ensure proper drainage for your asphalt parking lot, there are a few key features you should look for and implement.

Directional Surface Slope

Without a properly angled slope, excess water has nowhere to go and will just remain on the surface of your asphalt pavement. One of two things will then happen. Either it’ll continue to collect more water and weigh down certain portions of your asphalt, causing dips and depressions. Or, the water will erode various parts of your asphalt pavement, penetrate the surface, and weaken the internal structural integrity of your parking lot.

A well-planned out and carefully installed slope will direct the water drainage to your catch basin to prevent it from pooling on the surface.

Installing Drain Tile Below the Asphalt Pavement’s Surface

Installing drain tiles below the surface of your asphalt pavement can help prevent water from pooling on the exterior. Drain tiles are a highly durable underground drainage system that are constructed with round river gravel, geofabric, and a punctured pipe that directly drains excess water into the catch basin.

Need Local Asphalt Pavement Services in Toronto?

Does your commercial parking lot’s drainage system need maintenance or repair?

Sure-Seal Pavement Maintenance Inc. is a trusted and renowned asphalt pavement contractor in Toronto. We’ve worked all over Toronto and the GTA to install, maintain, and repair asphalt pavements and drainage systems. Our work comes with a comprehensive seven-year warranty to guarantee longevity and service quality. We’re also a family-owned and operated business that takes great pride in the work we do throughout our communities. Contact us today to book a consultation.