Can You Asphalt Pave During The Rainy Season?

Find The Answers To Your Issues From The Experts 

Can you asphalt paving during rain? Many people are at loggerheads with the decision to do asphalt paving when it is raining.  However, the fact remains that Asphalt paving in the rain is not ideal. The reason being, rain negatively affects the road outcome if done when it has recently rained or raining. Therefore, it is advisable to wait for the rain to stop or schedule the task after the rains stop.

In this article, we shall discuss how rain affects asphalt paving and the possible outcomes of asphalt paving in the rain.

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How Rain Affects Asphalt Paving 

Rain disrupts almost every construction project, and Asphalt paving is no exception. Water is a natural enemy to Asphalt. Here is how.

Compromises on output quality

Rainwater reduces the quality and longevity of a newly done Asphalt driveway. It weakens its strength because fresh Asphalt pavements are weak and vulnerable; thus, rain expedites the weakening further. Once water seeps through pavement cracks, the structure becomes weak.

If this continues, the water underneath starts to accumulate and may solidify when the temperatures go down. This compromises the Asphalt paves the way to look because of the bumps and compromises on the stability of the Asphalt structure too.

Oil repellency

Working on an Asphalt pavement when it is raining can cause quality concerns when oil repellency occurs. When water falls on an ongoing Asphalt construction, it causes oil contained in Asphalt to separate.

Oil on the recently laid Asphalt will separate and repel water, thus causing the formation of cracks. If oil repellency continues, then holes start forming and eventually will form portholes.

Possible Outcomes Asphalt paving during rain

We now know that it is not a good idea to do asphalt paving in the rain.

That said, compromise in Asphalt paving’s integrity is a common occurrence if it meets water. If you are constructing Asphalt pavement during a rainy season, beware of the rapid cooling of the top layer. Once rapid fall in temperature occurs, trapped steam condenses into water molecules fast.

Apart from rapid condensation, working in the rain reduces the adequate compaction to make a proper Asphalt bond. These two outcomes further undermine Asphalt’s integrity.

In conclusion, it is not a good idea to work on Asphalt paving when it has recently rained or raining because it causes quality damage to the finished Asphalt pavement. Therefore, it is wise to wait for the rain to subside then commence with the work.