Asphalt Driveway Crack Fillers

If left un-repaired, water will penetrate under the driveway and begin to erode the soil under the asphalt. In time, the asphalt will sink in where the soil has been washed away.

If the water freezes underneath the asphalt driveway the asphalt can also heave and then settle as the water unfreezes. In one winter, due to the constant freezing an unfreezing of water, an asphalt driveway crack can very rapidly grow in width and cause the surrounding area to break up.

In addition, plants and tree seedlings can also end up rooting in the asphalt driveway cracks. If left unchecked long enough, the growing root systems of these plants and trees can also begin to break down the asphalt driveway. There are several different types and applicators of asphalt driveway crack fillers to choose from and it is important to use the right type based on the width of the crack. In general, however, asphalt driveway crack sealers fall into two camps, cold applied asphalt emulsions and hot applied sealers.

The cold applied asphalt emulsions which include polymers and latex additives are the most common types of asphalt driveway crack fillers as they simply need to be poured or extruded into the crack. For cracks less than 1/8 inch in diameter you can use a pourable jug asphalt driveway crack filler. For cracks up to ½ inch in diameter use a caulking tube of asphalt crack filler with a caulking gun. For wider cracks you can use a trowel to spread the crack filler from a pail.

Hot applied sealers, on the other hand, are generally applied by professional asphalt repair service companies. This said, Dalton Enterprises offers a do it yourself hot applied asphalt driveway crack filler product. Their product, known as Pli-Stix, is a rope type piece of elastomeric self leveling sealant that you push into/over the asphalt crack and then melt into place with a propane torch. For best results when repairing asphalt driveway cracks use a high quality asphalt driveway crack filler. Higher quality asphalt fillers have longer life times and include more solids in them.

They are also more expensive however their costs pale in comparison to having to replace the asphalt driveway.

Usually the fall season is the best time of year to repair asphalt driveway cracks as the weather is still warm and it is usually drier. In addition, the repairs should hold up well during the winter months where freezing water can cause the most damage to your driveway.