It is that time of the year when the temperatures are dropping and snow is looming on the horizon. Many home and business owners often question whether to use rock salt on their asphalt driveways and parking lots. There are several advantages to using rock salt, however, before doing so, you will want to educate yourself on the effects.
In short, rock salt does not directly cause damage to asphalt surfaces. Asphalt is engineered to withstand the most harsh of conditions and is not affected by deicing agents. That being said, there are other elements and ways the asphalt can be damaged during the winter.
Prevention Starts With Maintenance
If your asphalt is properly cared for, rock salt should not cause any damage during the winter months. Asphalt maintenance should be done during the summer to ensure your parking lot or drive is protected all year long. Sealcoating, crack filling, and general repairs can help protect your pavement and minimize water invasion. During the winter, as rock salt breaks down ice that has formed, the water can find its way into the untreated cracks. This can cause significant damage to your asphalt.
Potholes Are Not Created From Rock Salt
This is one of the biggest misconceptions about rock salt and asphalt because many potholes are exaggerated during the winter. However, the use of rock salt does not actually cause pothole formation. By the time a pothole is formed, there is already significant damage done to the pavement.
As the rock salt melts the ice, the water finds its way into the lower layers of the asphalt. With many parking lots or roadways being plowed by large, heavy trucks, a pothole is easy to form in the already weak pavement. So, while rock salt isn’t the direct cause of potholes, it can exaggerate the formation.
Use Plastic Shovels
Shoveling a driveway or walkway by hand is not fun. Being out in the cold and moving heavy shovels full of snow is tiresome and unexciting. Nonetheless, it needs to be done. When doing so, it is always recommended that plastic shovels are used instead of metal. Metal can easily scrape the surface of an asphalt driveway leaving marks and scratches. Areas where the asphalt is loose can further be damaged by a metal shovel. If you are responsible for clearing your driveway, consider using a plastic shovel over metal.
Rock Salt Is Harmful To The Environment
While rock salt is beneficial in preventing accidents and breaking down ice during the winter, it is harmful to the environment. The amount of salt in water runoff affects the animals and plants that benefit from natural water sources. Using rock salt to help clear ice and snow from roadways and parking lots increases the salinity in local waterways.
If you want to help protect local wildlife, minimize the amount of rock salt you use. By shoveling or plowing a majority of the snow from the surface you are reducing the amount of runoff. Additionally, using a small amount of deicer or trying not to use any at all will help prevent the amount that finds its way into the environment.
In Need Of Asphalt Repair?
While repair and maintenance is difficult during the winter months, it is never to soon to get on the schedule for maintenance in the spring. Contact Toste Construction for a FREE consultation on any necessary repairs or maintenance.
Toste Construction specializes in sealcoating and crack filling to ensure you and your customers have a smooth surface to drive on. We are your Mooresville asphalt and pavement maintenance company. Our services include asphalt sealcoating, striping, patching, pothole repair and crack filling for both residential and commercial projects throughout western North Carolina.