Sink holes and bird baths are usually caused by major settling of the ground after the driveway was surfaced with fresh asphalt. They are either formed by a poorly constructed base (foundation) or the base has washed away over time and heat from the sun has warmed the asphalt enough that it contours to the missing base. In colder climates or high traffic areas, these depressions will stress the asphalt and cause it to crack which eventually leads to potholes.
The minor sink holes called bird baths are usually 1-2 inches deep and they can use similar repairs as alligator patch, but the really deep sink hole repairs tend to vary. It might be as easy as adding pothole patch or it might require some pretty extensive repairs like cutting the bad area out and adding new pothole patch. We'll let you be the judge if you want to tackle driveway sink holes.
Now that we have explained the main symptoms, now would be a good time to reflect on the problems you have with your blacktop asphalt driveway to determine which repairs you will need to make. (If you need to get up and go check, we'll stick around and wait.)
Preparing The Driveway For Repairs
First thing's first, we need to prepare the driveway to make the repairs. This is just a matter of thoroughly cleaning the affected repair area and making sure it is clean from dust, debris, vegetation, water or anything that will keep the repair materials from adhering to the existing asphalt. This is especially important for alligator asphalt.
Removing Dirt and Dust
Method 1) Using a stiff bristled broom, simply sweep off or around the areas to be repaired. If you don't have a stiff bristled broom lying around the garage, any broom should work just fine. You can usually find a cheap broom at the local hardware store or you can always pick up a professional grade broom from us and make things easy by getting everything in one place.
Method 2) If you decide to use water (from the hose or a pressure washer), you want to make sure the area is completely dry before making repairs. Keep in mind, the problem with using water is that it will seep into cracks of the asphalt and if you cover the cracks up, there's no way for the moisture to escape. This can cause problems down the road... So, if you decide to use water we recommend only using this method on really hot summer days and waiting at least 24 hours before applying any material.
Method 3) Some of you might have a backpack leaf blower or even a walk behind push blower that will make your life REALLY easy... If you do use a leaf blower and can't seem to loosen dirt from an area, use a stiff bristled broom to loosen the area then try again with your leaf blower. If you don't have a leaf blower but always wanted one, we have a handful to choose from and we would love to sell you one!
Removing Vegetation
Method 1) If you're on an tight budget and have a triangle shaped gardening hoe lying around, chances are you can use the sharp angled tip to get rid of vegetation from cracks which you will probably find mainly in alligator asphalt or wide cracks. Simply stick the angled part in the crack and pull it toward you. Repeat until the vegetation is gone. This tool should work fine too for pot holes or sink holes. If the gardening hoe turns out to be your wife's and she actually uses it for gardening, you might consider going to the hardware store and picking up your own. Assuming you aren't on a tight budget... Gardening hoes are usually a thinner material and might not stand up to the job. What you'll want to look for is a thicker steel triangle hoe that will take the abuse against the hard asphalt driveway. If you're the type who tends to go all out and get the best money can buy, we can sell you a professional grade crack hoe which is designed with a heavy duty tip when compared to the typical gardening hoe.
Method 2) If you're the type who loves to play with fire, we have just the tool for you! For around $100, we sell a tool that spits out an extremely hot flame and roasts vegetation in seconds. Our asphalt crack torch runs on standard propane and it's also great for drying up wet spots or even melting snow in the winter which makes it a pretty universal tool. If you're more on a budget and just want to stick to the basics, that's OK too. Our heat flame crack torch isn't absolutely necessary but for some of you with big driveways or a lot of vegetation, it might pay off in the long run to have one.
Asphalt Driveway Repairs
So how do you repair pot holes, alligator cracks and sink holes? Most of the repairs are pretty painless and simple, but they do require a bit of elbow grease and some hard work. If you don't have any elbow grease or don't like hard work then you might want to look for a professional. Otherwise, if you don't mind getting your hands dirty, let's move on!
Now that you've prepared the asphalt surfaces by removing the vegetation and cleaning any debris, we'll look into the tools and materials you'll need to repair your asphalt driveway with ease and confidence.
Pothole Repairs In Driveway Asphalt
Let's find out if you need to repair potholes in your asphalt:
1) Do you have missing chunks of asphalt in your driveway?
2) Are the holes at least 2" deep?
If you answered "yes" to either of these, then continue reading. Otherwise you can skip to the alligator asphalt section.
Driveway Pothole Repair Materials
In order to repair a pot hole, you'll need pothole patch and an asphalt tamper.
While we do sell asphalt patch in large quantities, you can just as easily pick up cold asphalt patch at your nearest lumber store for pretty competitive prices. Most of the asphalt patch aggregate that is available is pretty much the same but you can always look online for reviews on the various brands available. Most companies sell 50 lb bags of aggregate
A pothole tamper has a flat square head that is usually about 8" square. The pothole tamper we sell is about 8 lbs.
How much pothole patch material do I need?
Most cold patch asphalt repair aggregate will cover 12" x 12" x 1" hole per 10lbs. So if you're hole is about 12" diameter give or take and the depth of the hole is 4" plus 1" to 2" for overfill, you're looking at around 50 lbs to 60 lbs for that one hole.
Driveway Pothole Repair Instructions
The first thing to check for is whether or not the pot hole goes past the bottom of the asphalt layer. If the hole goes deeper than the asphalt itself, you'll want to fill the hole with sand, gravel or dirt so the hole isn't quite as deep. Sure you can fill it with pothole patch but that's a waste of material unless you're into that sort of thing... If you're asphalt is 4" thick and the hole is 8" deep, fill up the hole so you only have about a 4" deep hole. A good rule of thumb is to try and always have a 4" to 5" deep hole. This will keep you from wasting material but ensures there will be enough bonding between the old layer and the new pothole patch. You might have potholes that are more like "dips" or too shallow to really add patch to. If you have these, check out the alligator repair instructions in the next section.
(For the guys who have a flame torch) If you're the type who likes to play with fire and you went out and bought a flame torch despite your dog's best judgement, now is a good time to pull it out and heat up the asphalt surrounding the pothole. This will help bond the patch aggregate with the existing asphalt and helps make the repair last longer. Just make sure you don't scorch or over heat the surrounding asphalt which can damage the oils and cause more problems later.
Now that the hole is prepared, open the bag of pothole patch and simply pour the aggregate asphalt into the hole. Make sure you overfill the hole by about 1" to 2" from the ground surface. If you spill outside of the hole opening a little bit, that's OK and won't hurt anything. If you have a flat head shovel or a garden rake, these can come in handy for spreading the material out over larger pot holes. The side of your foot will work too if you're on a bit of a budget or don't have a flat head shovel handy.
Once the hole has been filled with material, take your pothole tamper and begin "pounding" the asphalt aggregate to flatten it out. This process will compact the pothole patch material into the hole and keeps it from breaking up as easily later. If the original overfill of 1" to 2" wasn't enough, you will want to add more patch material to help level it out properly.
I need to note that if you wait until the hole is completely compacted only to find out you need more, the new layer isn't going to compact as well with the layer you just compacted which might cause the top layer to break apart sooner over time. Just take care to watch the patch level, adding a little more aggregate as you go. On the flip side, if you add too much aggregate, you'll end up with a bump on your driveway. If it looks like you've got too much, use your hoe or flat shovel to scrape some of it away before it's completely compacted. Don't worry though, you'll be fine. It's like filling a hole in your yard with dirt and adding just enough dirt that it levels out flush with the rest of the ground when it rains.
Are you done pounding already?? You can probably pound a little more... The more compact the pothole patch is, the better it will hold up later. Repeat this process for all of the potholes in your driveway. If you have any left over, you can save it until next time but keep in mind that the oils in the aggregate will dry up and break down over time once air reaches it, along with any exposure to prolonged freezing. The shelf-life of cold asphalt patch is usually around 3-6 months if it's been opened and 8-12 months if it's still sealed in the bag. You might get a little more shelf-life if you can put it into a seal-able 5 gallon bucket.
If you have a bunch of potholes in your pavement that need attention, and you have a few extra buck lying around, you might consider renting a vibrating plate compactor instead of using a pothole tamper. The more compact the asphalt aggregate is, the longer it will hold up and a vibratory plate compactor works perfect for this job. Plus it saves you some back work from the manual tamping. Rental of a plate compactor will run you about $50 - $100 a day,
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