Tips For Driveway Maintenance During Winter Season
Winter season can take a toll in your driveway. The driveways suffer a lot due to extreme variation in temperature during the winter season. Snow, freezing rain and ice can wreak havoc on the driveway and deteriorate their condition.
The small cracks immediately transform into potholes due to pressure exerted ice on the driveway foundation during the winter season. You should have to wait for springtime to repair your driveway. You can do it right now!
Read the following point and use them to maintain your driveway in good condition during the winter season.
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Remove Snow Before It Pile Up
You should immediately remove snow from your driveway before it starts accumulating. When the snow starts accumulating over your driveway, then due to sudden temperature variation it will start melting down and freeze up again. The melting snow will move inside the cracks on your driveway.
Again when the temperature falls, then it will freeze one more time and exert pressure on your driveway. The frozen water will make smaller cracks big potholes. Therefore, it is a good idea to immediately remove snow from your driveway.
2. Hire A Renowned Professional
You should hire a trained and experienced professional for removing snow from your driveway. It is one of the efficient and convenient ways to get work done.
But, make sure the snowplow blade should be positioned at the right height by the driver. If the snowplow blade positioned very low will scrape the top layer of the driveway as well. This will leave a bad impact on the driveway.
3. Reseal The Driveway
You should reseal your driveway to keep it in good condition during icy cold weather. The sealant will form a protective layer on your driveway and does not let water seep inside cracks. This way you can prevent the transformation of cracks into big potholes.
4. Use Right Snow Shovel
The snow shovel help to remove the snow on your driveway. But, it is important to make sure that your shovel is in good condition. If you are using a metal shovel that has bent or crumble corners, then it can damage the surface of your driveway.
The snow shovel must have straight edges and the corners of shovel should be intact. Therefore, we recommend you to inspect your shovel before you start using it to remove the snow.
5. Do Not Use Rock Salt For De-icing
Using rock salts to remove the ice patches on the driveway may look tempting but it can severely harm your driveway. When you throw snow over the ice, then it will mix with the ice and transform it into saltwater mush.
Gradually, the saltwater mush will seep inside the small cracks on the driveway and expand pressure on it. This expansion leads to the formation of potholes on the driveway. The potholes need a good time and investment for repair.
Once the potholes formed, then you have to wait for springtime to fix them by calling a professional such as pothole repair Sydney contractors.
Therefore, rather than throwing rock salt on the ice over the driveway, you should sprinkle sand. The sand will not help in melting the ice, but provide traction and let you drive your car easily.
6. Use Bristled Broom After Light Snowfall
If there is a light snowfall, then you do not need to take out the snow shovel or hire a professional. You can use the bristles broom to remove snow from your driveway.
The bristles broom will not effect your driveway and let you clean it easily. Using a bristled broom is a good method to remove from your driveway rather than using a snow shovel.
7. Make Use Of Snow Blower
The snowblower is the best machine to remove the snow from your driveway. If you do not want to use the traditional shovel, then snow blowers can be a good replacement.
Various types of snow blowers are available in the market. Some snow blowers are gas-powered and some are electrically powered.
You can choose the right one as per your requirements. The snowblower machine can efficiently remove the snow in less time. This can remove huge layers of snow on your driveway.
Final Words:
Always remember that if you put effort to remove the snow before it starts piling up. If you immediately clean few layers of snow from your driveway, then you do not need to deal with various layers of snow that have covered your driveway.
This is one of the best ways to keep your driveway in good condition during the winter season. If you put effort during winter, then you do not have to spend a lot of maintenance and repair of the driveway during spring.
