Problems with tarmac drive - Lifting due to water/frost

[+Dan+]

I have a problem with my red tarmac drive which I had done 4 yrs ago.

I have just noticed that it has started to lift down one edge. It is possibly due to the fact that because of the extent of the driveway, it was tarmaced in 3 sections and each section edged with concrete edging strips. The part which is lifting is where two of the sections slope towards one another and rain water, etc runs down there frequently, and with the latest cold snap, it has made it lift.

Is there anything I can possibly do to prevent it from getting worse, for example something which I could do to seal the gap, etc?

Thanks in advance

[Dave_L]

Is the whole construction lifting? Was it just overlaid or was it full construction?

I think a photo of the lifting would be of benefit here.

Is there any sort of guarantee on the job?

[Tony McC]

Dave's right that a photie would help, but also a fuller description would be useful. Just what is lifting? The red surface course or the surface and the base courses? Was this a new construction (ie: base + surface) or an overlay (surface only)? Is there a seam at/near the lifted section where water could penetrate?

The most common cause of lifting is water penetration between base and surface due to a failed seam combined with poor or non-existent tack coating. If it's a failed seam, then re-sealing with cold pour jointing compound might minimise the risk of the problem developing, but generally speaking, once a bitmac surface starts to fail, it's a one-way process, and one that tends to accelerate with time.

[+Dan+]

Thank you very much for your response.

Here are a couple of links to my photobucket account showing pictures.

This one is a close up

http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o189/rach_1979/2007_02110044.jpg

This one I have circled the area which is lifting

http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o189/rach_1979/Drive1.jpg

So far to me it looks like it is just the top red surface which is affected and coming off. Yesterday with the cold weather it had literally lifted up by a fingers width from the drive, today it has settled back down but is slightly crumbly.

When it was done 4 years ago, it was completely dug out & done from scratch so to speak. We think it was dug about a foot down, hard core laid, then thin coating of red tarmac on the top. It is down the seam as you can see from the pictures where it has happened.

[lutonlagerlout]

philistine that i am, it looks like quite a nice job your drive, i would hazard a guess that there has been water ingress down the side of the edging then the water has frozen and expanded,causing the tarmac to lift
over to you dave===>
cheers LLL