Simple solution saves bags of time

When it comes to asphalt repairs, Asphalt in a Bag® promises an easy, instant and permanent solution.

Asphalt manufacturers offer a multitude of options and, as technology improves and adds to the range of available products, it’s important to know what the differences are.

Roads in New Zealand are built using various mixes and one of the most common is Mix 7. This is a dense mix product, which essentially means that it contains a lot of fines such as cone dust and river sand. These fines are then coated in hot bitumen, laid and cooled to create the finished product.

“Our Asphalt in a Bag® cold mix is manufactured in exactly the same way,” says spokesperson Mark de Jong. “The only difference is that our specialised polymer additive allows the hot mix to cool and still be workable for up to two years in the bag and a year once the bag has been opened.

” When it comes to asphalt repairs, Asphalt in a Bag promises an easy, instant and permanent solution.

According to Asphalt in a Bag®, the product can be used in any weather conditions and will stay put.

“To our knowledge, Asphalt in a Bag® is the only asphalt manufactured in New Zealand using the Transit Mix 7 stone envelope,” says Mark. “It is also extremely dense and, when it comes to asphalt, the denser the better.”

Cold asphalt repair is available these days as a permanent repair product, because it is no longer manufactured using emulsion (a mixture of bitumen and water). Previously, cold asphalt repair mixes were made with emulsion, which breaks down quickly, and could therefore only be used as a temporary repair.

“That is no longer necessary as long as a high-quality dense cold mix, such as Asphalt in a Bag®, is used,” says Mark. The product is now available at all Placemakers outlets nationwide.

“One can find cheaper open or gap-graded cold asphalts on the market, but buyers should beware as the density of the mixture is very important,” says Mark. “Many similar products are not manufactured to stone envelopes that have a dense mixture.”

Mark says a dense mixture envelope is vital because, when a reinstatement is done or a pothole is repaired, it’s important to ensure as little water is introduced into the repair area as possible. Open or gap-graded cold asphalt allows water to enter the air voids, so when traffic passes over the repair, the water cannot escape and is put under pressure, causing the asphalt to break.  If the water freezes, the repair expands and again the asphalt breaks.

“Dense mix means less air voids, which in turn means less chance of failures. Asphalt in a Bag® has 72% fines and 6.5% binder to hold those fines together and the balance is 5mm and 6mm chip,” says Mark. “So, when it comes to driveway and pothole repairs, buy the dense mix and do it properly.”