Do puddles form on your commercial parking lot? Standing water can be an indicator of potentially serious structural issues. To help manage your parking lot puddle problem, here’s a helpful guide on the possible causes and solutions.
Potential causes of puddles on parking lots and how to fix them
Puddles in a parking lot can result from poor drainage or sub-base problems. The most common issues that can cause standing water to collect on commercial parking lots include raveling, rutting and poor drainage.
Problem: Rutting
Rutting, or depression of a surface, is often characterized by indented or deformed pavement and can either be mix rutting or subgrade rutting. Mix rutting is caused by poor compaction when installing the pavement, while subgrade rutting is caused by depressions created within the subgrade and the surface. These indentations collect water in commercial parking lots.
Solution
Whether moderate or severe, most cases of rutting require an expert investigation. Repair includes leveling, followed by refilling and overlaying. Minor rutting can easily be repaired with infrared treatments and a seal coat application by a professional.
Problem: Raveling
Have you ever encountered loose gravel and grit in a commercial parking lot? If so, you’ve experienced raveling. Raveling refers to the pavement breakdown due to the loss of asphalt or rocks. Over time, the pavement loosens, and once the gravel penetrates the asphalt, water seeps into the ground, creating a much bigger problem.
Solution
The first step to fixing a raveled parking lot is to eliminate all loose material. For the large raveled pavement areas, the pavement will need to be removed and overlaid. For smaller raveled areas, the problem area can be removed and patched.
Problem: Poor drainage
When the parking lot is installed without adequate drainage through drains, slope and grades, standing water will accumulate.
Solution
Poor drainage might require repaving of the parking lot or seasonal drainage management by an expert. Asphalt and subgrade structures without a proper drainage system will require complete repaving with an additional drainage system in mind. We also recommend seasonal drainage maintenance to avoid puddles.
Manage parking lot puddles
Still have questions about managing your parking lot puddles? Contact us today at A1 Professional Asphalt & Sealing LLC for a free repair estimate of your commercial parking lot.