Issues with water drainage, problems with asphalt compaction or problems with your sub-base can all cause puddles to form all over your parking lot. The following questions and answers will provide you with a better understanding of this situation so that you know how to react:

What causes puddles in parking lots, and can it be the result of cars that are parked in the same spot every day? 

Puddles can be caused by the stationary weight placed on the asphalt over extended periods of time. While this may not be the only cause, parked cars will affect the situation to some extent. Using asphalt pavement for parking lots is a great idea because asphalt is flexible, so it allows for natural movements caused by the forces of nature and can withstand cracking and deterioration. This flexibility can also deform the pavement over time if stationary weight is repeatedly placed in the same spot. This is called rutting and is characterized by indentations along the wheel paths of cars.

Grade depressions, which are characterized by sections of the pavement settling lower than the surrounding pavement, can also cause puddles. You will be able to identify this issue easily because water pools in the depressions will be visible whenever it rains.

What causes rutting and grade depressions in asphalt?

There are a number of factors that can cause rutting, including poor compaction during the installation process. Proper compaction is important because it’s the only way to ensure the pavement is durable and strong. If a commercial parking lot is compacted with a roller that is too small, the surface will not get the compaction the pavement requires, and this can result in both rutting and grade depressions. You would not be able to tell the difference aesthetically, but problems will start to appear down the road, and your parking lot will experience rutting and grade depressions a lot sooner than it normally would.

What is the solution, and how can water stop pooling?

This will depend on the condition of your parking lot. If the pavement is in decent shape, you could mill a strip and apply a tack coat adhesive so that you could pave a new surface layer where you have milled. Another option would be to perform a series of infrared heats all along the lot where there are puddles. Sealcoat would then be applied to the parking stalls to blend in the infrared patches with the surrounding pavement so that it looks presentable. This would also seal the infrared areas from environmental oxidation as well.

Bortolo and Sons can provide you with more details and can help with all of your asphalt and concrete paving needs. Whether you need driveway pavers or seal coating, we do it all, so if you are in the Burnaby area, give us a call today!