How Summer Heat Can Affect Building With Asphalt And Tarmac
Summer Fires and Asphalt Slumps. Summer? Yes it was hot on some days….
I took this picture of a building site next door to the one I am managing (…it would never happen on my sites!)
The day in question was 02 August, 2013. Shirts off for the labourers! Tarmac paths being laid and rolled to the rear of a property, whilst having to transport the tarmac from the front via a dumper.
Some release agent self-combusted between loads, much to the amusement of all trades on their site and ours. If the guy hadn’t already received a red face from the sun, he surely had one now from embarrassment and a lot of ribaldry directed his way.
On another note
Summer heat does have a deleterious effect on asphalt material. Especially when it becomes soft enough to slump!
The next picture is of asphalt used on South facing steps. Not the best use and location of this material.
Asphalt will slump when in proximity of other materials too, such as lead which attracts the heat. In this example the roof has been painted in white reflective solar paint which is a good idea, but this ‘thin’ water-based paint doesn’t weather well and you’ll be forever carrying out maintenance. The lead should also have a reflective coating. In this case the asphalt heated up behind the lead and slumped! You can see the previously painted white line where it started off!
I’d recommend a product called ‘Acryopol +’, a thick fibre based water-proof coating, in Solar White.
This product has the added benefit of filling up and water-proofing small cracks which inevitably occur in Asphalt. It can also be used in thicker layers to even out ‘troughs’ on a flat roof where water tends to pool.
Thoughts
Autumn would be a good time to get painting. It’s best done when the problem is front of mind and it should tide you over the winter months and prepare you for the next hot summer!
Happy painting.
Alistair Stewart
CLPM Building Project Manager for North and Central London Alistair Stewart
Alistair joined CLPM in 2013 and lives in Central London. He supports residential and commercial construction projects in and around London. He brings a wide range of skills to the CLPM London building project management team.
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