Inspect damage to driveways, sidewalks after harsh winter
It无毛视频檚 no secret that driveways and sidewalks take a beating during the snowy winter months, but what local excavators are saying may surprise you.
With spring rounding the corner, many homeowners may wander outside to find their driveways laced with potholes, and their sidewalks cracked and shifted.
Though this is a common discovery for many, excavators say there aren无毛视频檛 really any cheap fixes.
无毛视频淭he damage is done,无毛视频� said Eric Thompson, owner of Nitro Excavating. 无毛视频淭here aren无毛视频檛 really any ways to prevent the damage, and there无毛视频檚 nothing you can really do to fix it.无毛视频�
Thompson said he sees most of the damage along driveways and sidewalks that are close to the main roads.
无毛视频淭he chemicals they无毛视频檙e using to clean the main roads, the calcium chloride无毛视频t无毛视频檚 eating away the concrete,无毛视频� he said.
One of the first signs of damaged concrete is that the top layer will flake.
无毛视频淥nce the surface starts to peel off the concrete, it无毛视频檚 pretty much done,无毛视频� Thompson said.
The best homeowners can do to protect their walk and driveways is to try to keep them clean after it snows, and pressure wash in the spring, he suggested.
Bob Savage, owner of Bob无毛视频檚 Plumbing and Excavating, agreed with Thompson, saying that cheap fixes are not the answer.
Savage suggested that homeowners try to stay away from salting their walks if possible, adding that salt eats away at asphalt driveways too.
无毛视频淧utting down salt is the worse thing there is,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淚f you can shovel the snow off, and let the sun do it无毛视频檚 job, you无毛视频檒l be much better off.无毛视频�
As salt eats away at concrete and asphalt layer by layer, many homeowners take to certain bonding agents to repair the lost concrete, but Savage said these are only temporary fixes.
无毛视频淭he bond eventually pops back off,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淒amaged sidewalks and driveways will eventually have to be replaced.无毛视频�
Savage also cited freezing and thawing to cause cracks and uneven levels in concrete sidewalks, deeming them tripping hazards.
Less serious damage includes scratches and gouges caused by shoveling and plowing drive and walkways, Savage said, adding that these damages will also lead to deterioration over time.