Unfortunately, very wide cracks, cracks with large vegetation growth coming up from the cracks and alligator cracked pavement are all beyond the capabilities of rout and seal repair. At that point, saw cut and patch repair is your only option.
The longer amount of time you can give between sealing your cracks and applying sealcoat the better. At a minimum we like to see at least 72 Hours between these applications. For projects with minimal crack sealing to be completed, it can usually be accommodated on the same say as the sealcoat when necessary.
Hairline cracks, less than 1/8” in width are only surface cracks. At this point, they do not allow water to travel to the sub-base granular material and promote pavement failure. No action is required at this stage. Sealcoating of the entire pavement surface will fill in all of the hairline cracks. Please ask us for more info on our proprietary pavement sealcoat product.
Cracks over 1″ in width, usually require that an asphalt repair using hot mix asphalt be completed. We will advise you of any areas that may be of concern.
Crack sealer material is pre-melted in a large double wall, oil jacketed kettle, specifically designed to ensure proper heating of the crack sealer to the recommended application temperature. Crack sealer is then transferred from the kettle in a liquid state to the application carts with a holding capacity of approx. 10 gallons of material. The application carts have a no drip spout where the crack sealer flows to a strike off shoe. The strike off shoe allows the crack sealer to flow down to the bottom of the crack and routed reservoir. The shoe acts as a consistent bander that strikes off the material flush to the pavement surface, leaving an over-banding of sealer that is approx. 2.5” in width. Routing of cracks, along with the over-banding application of sealer has been proven to be the most effective process of sealing pavement cracks through numerous studies completed.
Most days our crews can rout and seal between 15,000 and 30,000 linear feet of hot rubberized sealer.
Pricing is based on a number of factors. These factors include volume of footage, how large of a property the cracks are spread out over, Season timing – spring, summer or fall. Another factor is Project timing – day, night, or weekend. Pricing starts at aprox. $1.25 per linear foot. With high volume projects, pricing can be as low as $0.65 per linear foot. We would be pleased to come and assess your pavement area and provide an estimated linear footage total and job specific pricing for your approval to proceed.
All of our crack sealants are hot applied at approx. 375 degrees F. Once they have cooled to the ambient temperature of the pavement, it is safe to open the area to full traffic. The time to cool is affected primarily by air and pavement temperatures. The cooler the weather conditions, the faster the crack sealer material will cool. Typically, areas can be opened as soon as 10 minutes after the application of the crack sealer. At times when the work in being completed in the higher temperatures of the summer months, it may take up to 1 hour or more for the Crack Sealer material to cool to the point of being able to open the area to full traffic. We will keep you advised on site specific timeline of reopening your work area to full traffic on the day of the project or provide you with an estimate of the approx. opening time expected during our pre-project site meeting. In vital areas where access cannot be disrupted, we can utilize an environmentally friendly, sprayable De-Tack liquid to the crack sealer to allow for immediate traffic to drive over the fresh crack sealer.
Once sealed, non-moving cracks can be considered permanently sealed for the life of the pavement. Moving cracks, cracks that flex and move with frost heaving can be subject to overextension and plow damage. If the sealer is damaged, it is advised to have the cracks sealed again to ensure that water does not infiltrate to the granular sub-base and promote pavement failure. Crack Sealing should be considered a part of your routine pavement maintenance plan.
No, not all cracks can be effectively sealed using the rout and seal process. The rout and seal process work exceptionally well on Cracks up to 1” wide.
The primary benefit of sealing cracks is to prevent water infiltration to the pavement sub-base granular material, thus reducing significant future asphalt repairs, as well as increasing the longevity of your existing parking lot or paved surface.
If moisture is present in the crack, it will prevent the crack sealer from properly bonding to the pavement surface and failure of the joint will be inevitable. Where, and when necessary, we are equipped to use a unit called a Heat lance to prepare the cracks after the routing is completed. This unit produces compressed air from a tow-able 175CFM compressor, combined with a propane torch to create high pressure, 3000 degree F. heat to the cracks to ensure they are completely dry and ready to accept the pavement crack sealer and promote bonding. Additional charges of $0.15 – $0.30 per linear foot apply for this additional preparation if necessary.
Crack routing is the process of grinding a channel, usually ¾” wide and ½” deep following the random crack line. This provides a clean, uniform reservoir in which the sealer is placed. This profile of sealant allows for the expansion and contraction of the crack, while preventing the infiltration water to the sub-base. Crack sealants will stretch when pavement movement occurs. This reservoir of material allows for the proper stretchability of the crack sealant product and minimizes tearing failures of the sealer due to overextension of the sealant.
The optimal temperatures to apply crack seal are between 10 and 30 Degrees Celsius.
As soon as cracks are noticed and larger than 1/8″ in width, they should be routed and sealed. The optimal temperatures to apply crack sealer is between 10 and 30 Degrees Celsius. In our region, crack sealing typically can be completed between May and November. It is best to have the work completed under dry conditions, avoiding late season applications, if possible.