Pothole Repairs - Black Tar

One of the services that we offer here at Black Tar is pothole repairs. There is nothing more frustrating than driving down the street or onto your driveway and hitting huge holes in the ground. It looks unsightly and it can be dangerous - someone walking along is not necessarily going to be looking down and can trip and fall, or worse, they can sprain their ankle.

It is also one of the most damaging things for your vehicle. If you hit a pothole, even one that does not appear to be too deep or at a low speed, you can cause significant damage to your steering alignment, tires and wheels. That is just a car; for motorbikes and pushbikes, hitting a pothole can have some devastating consequences.

It is important, therefore, that potholes are repaired as soon as they possibly can - and Black Tar can do this quickly and efficiently using Infrared repair techniques.

What is an Infrared-and-Patch pothole repair?

Infrared technology allows for a quick and easy repair of potholes and defects in asphalt in as little as 15 minutes per repair. The process of mixing fresh asphalt with infrared heated existing asphalt to produce a joint-free integral patch is known as infrared thermal bond bituminous pavement patching. The machine will heat the current asphalt to a depth of around two inches without oxidizing it or burning it. The facility also includes chambers that can store up to four tonnes of fresh bituminous materials at a constant temperature. This makes the process much quicker and much more cost-effective.

The end result of the infrared technology to carry out a pothole repair is seamless, making it much more cosmetically appealing, which is the finish that everyone wants. Furthermore, having no seams means there are no cracks for water to enter, meaning less damage by the freezing and thawing process.

What is the process for infrared repair technology?

  • The area is swept and dried
  • The infrared heater is placed over the area at 350 degrees, for five to ten minutes. 
  • The heater is then removed and the softened asphalt get lightly raked
  • New asphalt is added to the mix and levelled out to the desired elevation and slope.
  • A vibrating roller or compactor flattens it out and helps it to fuse with the rest of the asphalt

What was used for Pothole Repairs before the introduction of infrared technology?

Before companies such as Black tar started to use infrared technology for pothole repairs, a method known as ‘cut and patch’ was used, and essentially, it was as the name suggests.

The damaged piece of asphalt was cut out of the surface and replaced by the new asphalt. While it worked okay as a short-term fix, in the long term, it was less than effective. For starters, the newer patches were obvious, which is never a good look. However, more important than the aesthetics of it was the fact that moisture could get in between the joints of the old and the new surfaces. When water freezes and thaws out, it warps the cracks even further, and when this happens continuously, it is not going to be long before it needs repairing. It may cost less in the short term, but in the long term, the old way of cutting and patching up the asphalt costs more in time and money.

Not only that, but in terms of sustainability, constant ineffective repairs are less than ideal. It uses more manpower, can be much riskier as more of the repair is done manually, often in the middle of a busy road. It involves multiple road closures or redirections, which causes frustration for motorists and is not going to be helpful towards reducing carbon emissions and noise pollution. 

When you look at the myriad of advantages that infrared technology has over the cut and patch technique, it is easy to see why we have adopted it here at Black Tar.

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James Parker
James Parker
2023-01-30
Very happy with how this project turned out. We’re usually pretty fussy when it comes to getting renovations done mainly because of how unresponsive contractors are, but Black Tar always picked up my calls within a few seconds, which made this whole process such a good experience. Overall, the customer service was great and the paving job was just as good!
Marian Cunningham
Marian Cunningham
2023-01-30
Aziz and his team did a great job on my driveway, I got an infrared and patch and a sealing. Much cheaper than full paving and it looks great.
Paul Reddin
Paul Reddin
2023-01-30
I originally had some complications with the estimate, I had 4 neighbours that requested an estimate but 3 were provided. I contacted their customer success team, they did a great job rescheduling the salesman to provide my fourth neighbour with an estimate within 2 business days. The price is fair and the job looks fantastic! Thank you Black Tar!!
Laura Lee
Laura Lee
2023-01-28
I originally got 4 estimates, Black Tar was the most professional and the lowest priced! I thought it was too good to be true but everything went flawlessly from beginning to end.
Daniel Timm
Daniel Timm
2023-01-27
5 Stars, great ramp and sealing work!
Christy Brooks
Christy Brooks
2023-01-26
Got my driveway paved by a different company two years ago (not going to mention any names), they did a horrible job so I hired Black Tar to rectify it and they did a good job. I wish I would went with you guys to start. Oh well, now I know for next time
Bob Mathis
Bob Mathis
2023-01-24
I heard about Black Tar from several neighbours and friends. They are usually very busy which I guess is a good indication of their service. I got a quote in 2019 but they were already fully booked for the year, so I decided to wait another year and got another quote in 2020. Beginning to end, I now understand why they are recommended by many. The sales process with fantastic, the prep team was courteous and organized, the paving team was just as good as the rest of them. I too now will start recommending Black Tar. Thank you Remi, Brittany, and Sean.

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Customers Love Our Company

James Parker
James Parker
2023-01-30
Very happy with how this project turned out. We’re usually pretty fussy when it comes to getting renovations done mainly because of how unresponsive contractors are, but Black Tar always picked up my calls within a few seconds, which made this whole process such a good experience. Overall, the customer service was great and the paving job was just as good!
Marian Cunningham
Marian Cunningham
2023-01-30
Aziz and his team did a great job on my driveway, I got an infrared and patch and a sealing. Much cheaper than full paving and it looks great.
Paul Reddin
Paul Reddin
2023-01-30
I originally had some complications with the estimate, I had 4 neighbours that requested an estimate but 3 were provided. I contacted their customer success team, they did a great job rescheduling the salesman to provide my fourth neighbour with an estimate within 2 business days. The price is fair and the job looks fantastic! Thank you Black Tar!!
Laura Lee
Laura Lee
2023-01-28
I originally got 4 estimates, Black Tar was the most professional and the lowest priced! I thought it was too good to be true but everything went flawlessly from beginning to end.
Daniel Timm
Daniel Timm
2023-01-27
5 Stars, great ramp and sealing work!
Christy Brooks
Christy Brooks
2023-01-26
Got my driveway paved by a different company two years ago (not going to mention any names), they did a horrible job so I hired Black Tar to rectify it and they did a good job. I wish I would went with you guys to start. Oh well, now I know for next time
Bob Mathis
Bob Mathis
2023-01-24
I heard about Black Tar from several neighbours and friends. They are usually very busy which I guess is a good indication of their service. I got a quote in 2019 but they were already fully booked for the year, so I decided to wait another year and got another quote in 2020. Beginning to end, I now understand why they are recommended by many. The sales process with fantastic, the prep team was courteous and organized, the paving team was just as good as the rest of them. I too now will start recommending Black Tar. Thank you Remi, Brittany, and Sean.

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890 Churchill Ave. S, Ottawa, ON

K1Z 5H2

(888) 424-5455

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