3 Things You Can Learn from Driveway Cracks

by Kevin Smith Author

Over time, your driveway will inevitably develop cracks. This might be due to age or the weather. Most of these cracks are harmless but can deepen over time and become a problem. There’s a lot that you can learn about your driveway by looking at the cracks in the cement. This will tell you whether you need an immediate repair or other work done to your driveway. Here are some things you can learn from your driveway cracks and tell if you need a concrete driveway crack repair.

Linear Cracks

A small crack may not be an immediate problem but can become one if it’s not addressed. As the driveway continues to age and is exposed to the weather, dirt and water can make its way into the cracks and create problems. When the weather gets colder, the cracks can expand which will allow more debris to enter. Adding an overlay to the crack won’t do much good as the cracks will simply go through it. Instead, cracks need to be cleaned out and a sealer needs to fill them. This will keep them from expanding and becoming a bigger problem.

Spiderweb Cracks

Spiderweb cracks are those that spread out from one central location in several directions. There are two main reasons why this might be occurring. Either the asphalt installation was not done properly or too much sealer was used. Sometimes, multiple layers or sealer may have been added which can cause this type of cracking. To solve the problem, the crack-filled asphalt must be removed, recompacted, and filled with new material.

Wavy Asphalt

If your driveway has wavy asphalt or buckles underneath you, the likely cause is either loose ground or a heavy vehicle. In cold climates, frost heave causes the saturated soil to expand when it freezes. As the ground underneath the driveway expands, it causes the driveway to move. This problem might also occur if oversized vehicles are parked on the driveway. Most vehicles won’t cause this problems and a brief stay by an oversized vehicle won’t either. The usual cause of this is an oversized vehicle repeatedly driving or parking on the driveway.

It’s normal for cracks to form on a driveway so you shouldn’t be immediately concerned if they occur. However, the type of cracks that form can tell you a lot about your driveway. Understanding what causes these cracks will allow you to determine the type of concrete driveway crack repair needed.