Can it rain on a new driveway?
- Thread starter 87GN
- Start date
zero issues with asphalt , infact I've seen people put a sprinkler on it to help cool it down .
crews will also use water to make sure run off is good.
crews will also use water to make sure run off is good.
stevied916
Well-known member
They use water on the roller compactors when they pave roadways. You will have zero issues.
wssix99
Well-known member
Rock-Paper-Sizzors...
Water can't dissolve asphalt. No problems.
Water can't dissolve asphalt. No problems.
DSS
Well-known member
Water is the best thing that can happen. The sooner it cools, the sooner it hardens. I tell people to put a lawn sprinkler on it, if it was paved in real hot weather. 25 yrs in the industry
ace10
Well-known member
There's something like eight million miles of paved roads in the US. Your driveway will be just fine. 
bbbarracuda
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jun 1, 2008
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weather permitting.
Probably the crew doesn't work in the rain
Probably the crew doesn't work in the rain
Bighead38
Well-known member
Did they actually say weather permitting or it’s just on the paperwork?
Either way the instances I can think of right now that would prevent work are:
Cold weather and the associated precipitation which isn’t an issue in the summer
Lightning which is very possible and prevents work or stops it
Torrential rain which is possible and prevents work or stops it.
if it's pouring rain the crew doesn't want to get wet . if it rains , it won't hurt the asphalt
They won't pave it in the rain or if they use binder on the subbase than it needs to be dry or the binder won't stick. If it's a driveway on dirt or rock though a little rain won't hurt. You can't pave anything on mud and expect it to work out well though. But yes, rain after it's paved won't be a problem.
jack stand
Well-known member
This is a good sign that your selected contractor is concerned about long term quality and performance of your asphalt. Rain during or just before paving is not good.
Rain during will prematurely cool the mix prior to the final compaction. Generally the hotter the mix going into the paver the better. There's usually a "knockdown" pass of the roller not to far behind the paver, then subsequent passes that finally roll out the "roller marks". This is impractical sometimes on driveway work, so the hotter the longer that better. A lot of guys would just work through it regardless for the sake of the schedule. Then there's paving on a wet subgrade... similar reasons as above but there's more than those concerns.
The 90* temps are ideal for driveways and once the final rolling/compaction is finished let it rain all it wants.
Be cautious the first few months of "steering" while not moving-like turning around, especially on a sunny hot day. I don't know the science behind this, but even though it's cooled, it seems that time still "settles it down" and this is almost contradictory to my above statements but I've seen it enough to make it a rule.
Lightening …???????
Jim_No_Garage
Well-known member
I got a bad batch of asphalt when they paved my driveway a few years ago. It's rained the day BEFORE they paved so the aggregate at the Asphalt Plant was wet and they didn't heat it enough to fully dry it before adding it to the mix. We were getting aggregate popping out of the top layer even though it was properly compacted.
The asphalt company sent a representative out and they provided a topping coat of something for the driveway but it was a half assed patch. They didn't even pay the paver to apply it - I ended up paying him for doing it.
The paver was caught in the middle - and he didn't wouldn't push back against the Asphalt plant, so I got a sub-par driveway.
Cheers
Jim
The asphalt company sent a representative out and they provided a topping coat of something for the driveway but it was a half assed patch. They didn't even pay the paver to apply it - I ended up paying him for doing it.
The paver was caught in the middle - and he didn't wouldn't push back against the Asphalt plant, so I got a sub-par driveway.
Cheers
Jim
Thanks all. They came last Thursday and removed the old driveway and put down the base coat. It was in the mid 90's. Friday they did the top coat, probably in the high 80's- low 90's. Rolled it then rolled again after an hour or so. Driveway is shaded most of the day this time of year. Temperature was approx 275 degrees coming out of the spreader. This driveway should last longer than the time I have breathing, I hope.
jack stand
Well-known member
It sounded like he had a good contractor from the first post when he shied away from paving with the threat of rain.
A base layer will have larger aggregate and in generic terms, is as "structural" as asphalt gets. 19mm stone (3/4") is a decent base for residential work, much bigger than that and a heavier roller is required and the maneuverability is a problem.
I may be using the wrong wording. They paved the driveway with 2.5" ID-3 airport blacktop mix and compacted it with a roller then paved with 2" of ID-2 top and compact with a vibratory roller.
I've seen them do it around here occasionally when they completely rip out the old driveway. Most don't have a driveway completely ripped out though.
Here they put 2-2.5" of asphalt in one coat and that's it for driveways. Was $$ too. In the area of 15k if I did it now, and that's with me tearing out the old.
Until I had mine sealed, at a cost of almost $2000, it was hard to sweep or clean because of the course aggregate.
Looking at tearing it out and redoing in concrete. It's cracking up all over plus it's getting destroyed from parking on it. Anything parked for more than a few days, especially if it's heavy, ends up sinking.