Why Potholes in Calgary Don’t Stand a Chance Against Infrared Asphalt Repair

Our climate in Calgary is hard on driveways and parking lots. They may get less traffic than roads, but they are exposed to the same freeze-thaw cycle as them, which means these private spaces can get just as many cracks and potholes as the roads, sometimes more. It is important to get your potholes fixed properly before they cause damage to your vehicles and your guest’s vehicles. Here is why you should focus on repairs and choose infrared asphalt repair as your method of choice against potholes.

Damage From Potholes

Driving over or, worse, parking in a pothole can cause serious problems for your vehicle. Even small potholes create forces and stress that vehicles are not designed to handle. The common types of damage your vehicle may develop from potholes include:

• Tire issues: Depending on how fast you’re going, running your vehicle into a pothole can damage your tires. They may go flat or develop other problems with the rubber-like bulges and tread separation. 
• Suspension problems: You can break parts of your suspension system by hitting potholes, especially repeatedly. The ball joints, shocks and struts may all break.
• Wheel damage: The rims and other elements of the wheel may also be impacted by potholes. If they are bent out of shape the whole tire won’t roll properly, which can make your vehicle unsafe.
• Exhaust damage: Deep potholes may cause the underside of the vehicle to scrape along the ground. This may damage different parts of your exhaust system, which can significantly impact the function and the safety of your vehicle.  
• Body damage: The bottom of the body of the vehicle can also be damaged if the pothole causes it to scrape along the ground. It doesn’t affect how well your vehicle drives but it doesn’t look good either.

What is Infrared Asphalt Repair?

While most asphalt repair methods focus only on adding in new asphalt, infrared asphalt repair also acts on the asphalt already in the ground. By heating this asphalt and adding rejuvenator oils to it, this process allows the new and old asphalt to knit together as if they were poured at the same time. This eliminates seams, making the repair’s final surface more consistent and more resistant to future damage.

Infrared asphalt repair ultimately creates a level, seamless surface which is perfect for vehicles and will also be less vulnerable to the freeze-thaw cycle than a traditional patch repair would, which just causes the pothole to reappear over again.