APE September 2020 | Page 24

EXPERT ADVICE { } A little bit of smoke isn’t bad because there is a certain amount of steam from the water, but if there’s continuous smoking it could be that something is definitely burning. smoke. A little bit of smoke isn’t bad because there is a certain amount of steam from the water, but if there's continuous smoking it could be that something is definitely burning. Contractors must remember that when using infrared machines they are responsible for controlling the heat. If when working a patch and it starts to cool off, it can be reheated, as long as the glue has not been burned. A caution when looking at a problem area. There are situations where contractors misdiagnose the pavement. Take a heavy alligatored parking lot, sometimes it is obvious to point right to a base failure, but it could be a situation where the paver was a little thin with the asphalt so it didn’t handle it structurally; it wasn’t strong enough. If that‘s the case, the area can be gone over with infrared heat and add more asphalt to make a thicker, more durable matt. Overall, when asked to solve a broad variety of pavement issues, contractors should advance slowly into the heat or no heat solution. It is important to proceed gradually, while understanding the best results will often come from the contractor's own experience level. www.callape.com [24] 1.800.210.5923