If you’ve chosen pervious concrete over traditional poured-in-place concrete for a street, driveway, sidewalk or patio project, you might wonder how to maintain your pervious concrete system over the long haul.
One specific question often asked regarding these systems is this: Does pervious concrete clog?
The short answer is yes, but it’s mainly an issue of design.
If stormwater drains across pervious pavement from areas full of grass or exposed soil, fine materials can be introduced into the pervious system and cause localized clogging. Vegetation that collects on the surface of pervious concrete, such as leaves and pine needles, also can cause clogging.
Fortunately, simple concrete maintenance tasks such as sweeping, blowing or vacuuming the surface with a wet/dry vacuum should restore the porosity of the pavement to tip-top shape. Pressure washing, preferably once to twice a year, also can help return clogged pervious concrete to like-new condition.
Maintaining porous concrete is especially important during the fall, when leaves and debris often coat the ground after windstorms. Any time of year, but especially during the wet season, it’s ideal to inspect your pavement, ensuring that rainwater is properly draining.
Just like with traditional concrete, these simple cleaning tasks will ensure your pervious concrete stays functional and aesthetically pleasing for a long time.
In general, you shouldn’t use oil or other types of chemicals over pervious pavement. However, pervious concrete does help keep spilled oil from entering the groundwater system. Some studies have shown that between 97% and 99% of oils introduced to such pavements are trapped there and eventually biodegrade into the atmosphere, meaning they don’t reach and contaminate the soil around or beneath them.
Although we live in a temperate climate, we’re certainly not immune from freeze-thaw cycles during Pacific Northwest winters. Fortunately, successful application of pervious concrete in free-thaw environments means you’re unlikely to encounter any issues when the ground gets cold enough to freeze or when it warms up enough to melt the ice.
With numerous concrete installation projects completed throughout Whatcom, Skagit, King and Snohomish counties, CCC believes pervious concrete is a great choice for environmentally friendly hard surfaces.
Whether your next pervious concrete project is on private property or part of large-scale commercial and public works construction, Custom Concrete Contracting is known for getting the job done right the first time.
Locally owned and operated since 1997, CCC has crews with years of experience and top certifications in their fields. For more, call 360-676-1665.