PavemanPro Forums

Now is the time to “Kick it up a notch” with sealer additives!

2011-10-05T14:11:52-05:00

Well Pavemanpro the leaves are turning and fall soon will be dishing out questionable days, and cool nights. For you professional pavement maintenance companies this means that you will be adding Fass-Dri pavement sealer additive or FSA to your sealer mix to “Kick it up a notch!” Adding Fass Dri or FSA will help dry and firm up the sealer film in cool weather. FSA has been incorporated in everyday sealers all across the world since 1938! FSA and Fass-Dri PSA does so many things to help the sealer perform. The proprietary ingredient’s in Fass Dri and FSA are designed to enhance the sealer film and reduce the curing time in these type of fall temperatures. All sealer manufacturers who stock Maintenance inc. Fass Dri and Fsa realize that these additives truly are the contractors friend. Our Distributors know that once FSA or Fass-Dri additives are put in, the contractor will have an extended season compared to those who don’t. It is a fact that has been time and time again relayed to me thru phone conversations, face to face conversations, as well as forums like Pavemanpro. Contractors are fighting the weather everyday starting in October. The adding ratio for FSA should be min. 2% of your raw sealer volume, so if you put in 400 gals. of raw sealer, (Coal-tar or Asphalt-Based). You would add 8 gallons of FSA to “Kick it up a notch.” to your over all mix design. Some contractors tell me that they have gone as high as 4% and could open up to traffic the same day in 55-60 degree days with min. sun. If you are using Fass-Dri PSA you want to add 2 gal.s to every 150 gals. of raw sealer. adding a bit more will also help on those real iffy days. Remember that in the fall you should NEVER seal at night or late in the day and expect your sealer to perform.. When daylight savings time is upon us remember to start sealing early and end early. Timing is so important in fall pavement maintenance. I also recommend that you put one coat down if the property has to be opened early, and if a second coat is required just do it another day the same way. By incorporating FSA or Fass-Dri pavement sealer additive into your sealer mix will not only extend you spring and fall work time, but will give your sealer the benifits as stated previously. FSA and Fass Dri truly are the contractors friend. If you have not tried Maintenance Inc. additives, contact your sealer supplier and ask for FSA or Fass Dri. There is no equal, and there is no copy to them out there.. Ask for the “Original” additive by Maintenance Inc. and see for yourself. Well i hope all you have a great fall rush, as we had a poor May and half June with rain. Between hurricanes floods and an early fall you all must be slammed with back up work. I hope you all get to your sealer supplier and try FSA and Fass-Dri additives.

Wet cracks and high humidity..solutions!!

2011-06-01T11:04:31-05:00

Well Pavemanpros, i suspect you are all out on the lots bidding like crazy! i have been seeing a big jump in my additive sales this last month, so thats a great sign. I want to mention we lost a great industry friend, Bernie Schlake former National sales director for Neyra Industries many years ago died last week of brain cancer. Those of you veterans that were around during the 80-s 90-s pump wars will remember Bernie. Bernie was a wonderful individual that had so much information to help contractors, not to mention he was a great friend to those who personally knew him. Bernie rest in peace my friend. We also lost this week Peter Dalton form Dalton enterprises. Peter was a great industry visionary that helped shape our industry. Peter always was so stellar in formula designs as well as creating the various lines that Dalton sells today. Peter rest in peace! I wish all the families my condolence’s.
On a lighter note, the weather has been so ridiculous all over the country with rain and more rain.. watch the humidity when sealing and be sure to put FASS DRI or FSA in you sealer. and at this time the ground water is so high, moisture will be present in the cracks. When you have so high a water table, you almost have to wait to crack seal as the water will play havoc on hot rubber applied over these cracks. i remember using a heat lance to dry the cracks, then when i applied the hot rubber, the heat pulled the water up to underside of the rubber cracksealant. It all rat tailed up in a long line mess!! i had a crack 100’ long and i could pull on one end and pull it up all the way to the end. That is what happens when you have wet cracks and high water tables this time of year. make sure you can adequately dry the crack. Routing always is a plus this time of year also. Now is the time to stock up on your additives for your sealer, see your sealer supplier and get your hands on some FSA or Fass Dri pavement sealer additive. well pavemanpros, i hope you all have a great season-start and until the next post! Happy Sealing.

Colored Sealers

2011-05-23T22:41:48-05:00

We are starting to come across opportuiities where customers are looking for colred sealer. In most cases it involves stamped asphalt areas. Even though I’ve done the research and am confident that we can provide a quality job, I would be interested in hearing any helpful suggestions from experienced contractors or distributers (quality products, pricing, application meathods, etc).

Thank you,
Chad
http://www.ahsealcoating.com

What can we expect for the 2011 season..

2010-12-15T10:50:56-05:00

Hello Pavemanpro’s. Well the 2010 sealing season is about wrapped up in the Northern parts of the country, the Holidays are upon us as well as Old Man winter. It has been a while since i remembered such a sustained cold so early and long. My Grandpa always told me that if December is very cold with a lot of snow, Jan. and Feb. tend to be much warmer and less snow.. i guess i will see if his wisdom is correct. Well now that the season is over, you need to be focusing on 2011. My take on 2010 was moderate to good for the most part.. Industry wide we avoided product shortages for the most part, however some of the prices were inching up on select industry products, but thank God the fuel prices were at least stable for most of the summer. In my conversations with many large road contractors, some had much work to do, and some were on a waiting list to start projects, but due to Fed. monies not being released as promised or completely eliminated, there is a feeling those contracts pending will now never materialize. I am wondering if the Fed’s. are truly looking at our infratsructure and the poor condition of our roads and bridges in sincerity? I see potholes and lack of line striping all over the place. The only shortage was in the paint supply.. some said it was due to a fire at a producers plant, some said it was a pigment shortage, whatever, it became hard for some parkinglot contractors to get paint sometime or another this summer. Although it was short lived, it created quite a mess for some. We as pavement maintenance professionals rely on the Fed., State, and local contracts that keep the BIG pavers on the streets and off the parkinglots. It is nothing new when times are tough the Big pavers resort to performing smaller projects including sealing parkinglots. So i feel in 2011 with our new congress elected by the people to assist the small businesses in creating jobs thru good sensible spending and tax cut incentive’s, will be a plus for our industry. The tax cuts mean more money in the pockets of small businesses, who will have more money to maintain their parking facilities. You should expeirience at least moderate growth in 2011, i would be tight with your money and spend what you need to do your upgrades in equipment, get rid of you high dollar maintenance equipment if it is constantly down and upgrade. The NPE show is in Nashville in Feb. this year, always a great place to chat and kick the tires on a new piece of iron. Trade shows are a great place to create new relationships, as well as mend the ones that may have went south. new ideas, new materials, and the latest greatest always are in the forefront of the NPE show. After the Show, i will be again be updating you in the things that i observed that may be of benefit to all my fellow Pavemanpros out there. In the mean time make sure all your additives and perishables are put up in a warm place for the winter. I want to wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a happy and safe New Year! Talk to you all again Next year!

Additives and heat

2010-08-03T09:24:40-05:00

Hello Pavemanpro’s! Well its mid summer and i have been all over the place seeing as many of my distributors as possible. I have been asked to explain why some contractors have an issue putting in an additive in hot weather? Well the thrust of that question always gets my blood pressure rising because for the last two seasons on the road speaking and meeting, giving demo’s and actually laying juice with many of my distributors contractor base. We put in additive and let them see for themselves the marked deference in the sealer than without additive. Sealer like any chemical composition reacts to what you put in it. It is a myth that additives should be used only when a contractor wants fass dri, or for night sealing or in marginal weather! We at Maintenance Inc. have always promoted the use of the right additive for what the contractor wants his sealer to do. If the contractor wants a thickener, then Targel-Plus or FSA Plus. If the contractor wants faster drying time, then use FASS DRI PSA, or FSA. We have an additive for what ever the contractor wants. I get tired of hearing that “I only use additives in the spring and the fall?????” Say what? Any contractor that is giving his customer the very best mix design for their sealing application has an additive in the mix. WHY? Additives do so much more than thicken the mix or dry the sealer film. Certain costly problems occur when the ambient temperature in parts of the country exceed 90 -100 degrees. The pavement can reach 140 degrees and is at a particular softening point that can cause wheel depressions from heavy vehicles as well as terrible cutting and scuffing and tracking of the down pavement sealer. Additives thru their chemical make up retard the sealer re-softening issues from heat. Firming up the sealer film and reduce or even eliminate the common tearing of the sealer film.. there are additives that we make that incorporate polymer and synthetic rubbers to firm up the sealer film so you end up with a perfect seal and not a tore up mess. That is huge in hot weather. Additives help the striping paint retard bleeding thru the paint film and additives cause the sealer to dry and cure fast. There are so many advantages to the addition of an additive in your sealer mix design in super hot weather. Pavement sealer cannot handle the extreme heat and adding the right additive will make all the deference in the world. Ask your sealer supplier for Maintenance Inc. additives for everyday use in your sealer mix design. I think you to will be surprised of the great results especially in HOT weather. Well Pavemanpro’s i will be chatting again with you soon. Remember, additives are the right choice and when used properly, will set you apart from the competition in quality and the beauty of your sealing projects.

Diesel Fuel as and additive?

2010-04-23T11:46:30-05:00

I own a restaurant and had a contractor seal my parking lot. I think he cut the sealer with diesel fuel. Is this against any regulations and if so how can I tell. He claims he did not but another contractor said he did. He also claimed he used 750 gallons of sealer and charged me $3000 when the other contractor said it should have only taken 300 gallons. I still owe him $600 but really don’t think I should pay him. Any suggestions? I really want to know if it is a big no no to use diesel fuel and how to tell if he did. Thanks

Marc

Adding an additive to your sealer? The real cost in the tank and on the ground.

2010-02-02T12:21:08-05:00

Well pavemanpros, Nashville was a great show this year! I welcomed a couple new manufacturers on the scene who are making asphalt based sealers. Pitch Black from Albany NY. and Seal-tite from Missouri. Both companies were well represented with informative owners and staff, had beautiful booths and lots of info. on their sealers. Welcome to the Pavemanpro arena. I gave my additive seminar and had so many questions to answer, but they gave me only an hour and a half to present a lifetime of information!! Wow the time just flew.. one of my points that i did not have much time to elaborate on due to the time constraints was the ACTUAL COST of adding an additive to your sealer, and the true added cost to the square foot price on the pavement. I also will have this formula in the March issue of Pavement for all to see. Paveman pro’s here, will get an advanced look at the cost breakdown in actual numbers. The formula i used are based on my calling many contractors nationwide getting an average cost of a gallon of sealer, pail of additive. I did not figure any sand, there is such a range and cost swing for sand. So you will have to add your sand in the mix with what you are paying. This formula is how i determined my cost as a sealing contractor for many years.

FORMULA:
Based on ADDITIVE cost of $80.00 pail.
Based on SEALER cost of $1.90 a gallon raw.
Material diluted 30% water.
Sealer applied at .15 gallon per square yard.
Based on a typical 550 agitated sealer rig.
Note (RTU) ready to use sealer.
________________________________________
NO ADDITIVE

400 gal. raw sealer @ $1.90= $760.00
120 gal. water @ 0.00 =$0.00
Total gallons (RTU) sealer 520 gals.
Total cost of $760.00
520 gals. divided by .15 = 3,466 sq.yds. divided by 9 = 31,194 sq.ft.
$760.00 divided by 31,194 sq. ft. = .0244 or a material cost of 2,44 cents per sq.ft.
_________________________________________

1% ADDITIVE ADDED

400 gals. raw sealer @ $190 gal. = $760.00
120 gals. water @ $0.00
4 gals. additive @ $16.00 gal. = $64.00
Total gallons (RTU) sealer= 524 gals.
Total cost of $824.00
524 gals. divided by .15 gals = 3,493 sq.yds. divided by 9 = 31,437 sq.ft.
$824 divided by 31,437 sq.ft. = .0262 or a material cost of 2.8 cents per sq. ft.
Additional cost of only 18/100 of one penny per sq.ft. over no additive.
___________________________________________

2% ADDITIVE ADDED

400 gal. raw sealer @$1.90 gal. = $760.00
120 gals. water @ 0.00
8 gals. additive @ $16.00 gal.= $128.00
Total gals. (RTU) sealer = 528 gals.
Total cost of $888.00
528 gals. divided by .15 = 3,520 sq.yds. divided by 9 = 31,680 sq.ft.
$888.00 divided by 31,680 sq.ft. = .0280 or a material cost of 2.8 cent a sq.ft.
Additional cost of only 36/100 of one penny over no additive.

NOTE: Certain additives require a 1 to 1 dillution prior to adding to the sealer tank.

_____________________________________________

You can see that the addition of an additive is not going to break the bank, and will give your customer a better quality job. The addition of an additive makes sense and is truly an insignificant cost to the benefits you get from an additive fortified sealer mix design. Well there you have a sneak peak at the true cost of adding an additive to your sealer. If you are not currently incorporating additives and want to know more about it call your sealer manufacturer or distributor, or call Maintenance Inc. for a distributor nearest you. 800-892-6701 or look us up online at http://www.maintinc.com and we will be happy to point you in the right direction.
Mark McLeod/ Maintenance Inc.

fsa or fsa+ or fass dri

2008-04-15T20:40:22-05:00

whats the real differnce between fass dri and fsa whats blacker and whats better?

Stimulus money on the way? Are you ready? ready to work!

2010-02-25T09:56:45-05:00

Well Pavemanpro’s, Dropped by the World of Asphalt in Cincinnati to scan the isles and chat with all the exhibitors, there was pretty much the same exhibitors, but was pleased to see they had a “Pavement Maintenance Isle!” This is a good thing as Maintenance goes hand in hand with pavement. I hear that 2010 is the target date for the Obama administration to FINALLY release around 80 Billion in unspent stimulus bucks! Don’t really know why they have not releasedd it until now, but that’s what they are saying. So what does that mean for the Pavement maintenance contractor? Typically, when the road work dries up, the big paving companies trend to drop to there Maintenance program mode for work more intensely, opposed to when they are busy on road projects. Many of you i am sure are sub contractor’s that somewhat rely on the the big pavers for additional work. In Colorado many years ago as a pavement maintenance contractor, i was a sub for around 5 different pavers. They did not seal so it was a great addition to my work load. If you are not hooked up with a big paving company, now is the time to break bread and get them on board with your company as the Feds will release these funds to approx. create 24,000 new projects. This should keep them busy and they will be looking for new hires as well. Since speaking at NPE on additives, i have been invited to speak at a few open houses and new distributors that are opening in 2010. Contractors are realizing how critical a post added additive is for their quality and the cost truly is insignificant if you really break down the numbers. In the March issue of pavement i have broken down the real costs of adding an additive to your mix design. If you have additive in storage right now is the time i recommend a product check. Open up a pail and give it a stir to see if it may have frozen. All pail products should be checked now and maybe a shake or two will bring it all together. If you need anymore information on proper storage of your pail products over the winter call your distributor or us, and we will be happy to advise you on procedure. We all have heard the rumors of the so called ban on coal-tar and all these reports from some of the major news outlets. all i have to say is much more solid proof is needed to shut down a product that has been the staple sealer in the industry since sealing began.. there are many entities that disagree with the information and we are being told by the government again what is good and what is bad. I am not condoning the use of one sealer over the other, just disagree in the fact that the Gov. is involved in a matter like this. Look what the Gov. has done to the coal industry? The oil industry, the car industry, the banking industry and on and on.. guess it is the sealer manufacturers turn on the hot seat! I have an additive for all sealers so it does not effect me as much, however i have never seen Gov. help any situation it gets it hands on. Be patient in your conclusion’s about the so called “coal-tar bans” until all the information is compiled and digested and then the opinion on applying it should come from those who make and put it down. Thats my take. Well pavemanpro’s seasons around the corner and you should now be pounding the patching bids as we had a heck of a winter and the potholes are everywhere..we carry a great bagged pothole patch that can be put right in the hole, water and all. check it out on-line at http://www.maintinc.com or ask your distributor for it! I will be posting again as the weather warms. I think 2010 will surprise you on how much work will be available. Liability issues on there parking lots is in full force that’s for sure.. be sure you use that as a reason to stop and give them a bid! Big things come from a little patch.

all dressed up and no where to go!!

2008-05-21T15:20:56-05:00

I am again grateful for all the calls from you the contractors who are the reason we exist in the first place. As a former pavement maintenance contractor of 20 years, i can relate to all the concerns you have vented to me regarding this unseasonable weather. Yes it has been hard to “Get out of the barn as spring just does not want to spring.” I also am grateful for the straight talk and Q & A about additives and their proper use. I have joined this needed and professional site to further my business and meet you all on-line for sharing ideas, technique’s, and for impute on the performance of my additives you are using.I would like more of you to respond in this forum if possible instead of just calling me at work to have great conversations about the industry, i just cannot seem to remember all the great ideas and imput when we are talking. This forum is the cats meow for sharing ideas. we need to have these conversations here also. Then everyone will see as i do the tremendous pool of quality contractors that care about what they are putting down on the pavement nationwide. I was talking with a contractor that has a firm in the mountains. He has a very short season, he called to place an order, he uses my FSA-AE additive for asphalt base sealer. Chris tells me that he has already sealed with sucsess in marginal weather that we all are feeling right now. He tell me the additive hardens the sealer film and when the sun hits it if is dry. The nights have been dipping down into the mid 40’s and he has had good results. On the other hand i talked with a contractor that uses my FSA in coaltar in NJ. he told me that he put it in and it did not do a darn thing for his drying? After we talked awhile we determined that he needed to kick up the amount he was putting in by another percent. he did and said that it did the trick, so you can see that sometimes in this kind of weather, we need to pour the coals in the sealer for it to perform in this type of sunless, cold temps. Additives do have there limitations, but they also are a god send for those who night seal, do Walgreens that need to flip flop the lot in a very short time, as was the case here. Well i will look forward to all your imput in the forum and i do welcome your calls at work. I love to write in the evenings and then have the tme to share all your ideas with a very info hungry crowd in our industry. This is a great site! Dont you agree? Will be posting again next week, please post your questions as i so look forward to responding to all of you. thanks for taking the time to read my forum. mark mcleod / maintenance inc.