www.emseal.com

Snow Removal and Maintenance of Parking, Plaza and Stadium Expansion Joints

I. GENERAL MAINTENANCE
In general, little if any maintenance is required for EMSEAL's parking and plaza deck expansion joint systems. The following practices, however, will aid in extending their service-life.

A. Once a year, the joint should be swept out, vacuumed and inspected for any damage. If any component of the joint system is damaged, EMSEAL and/or the qualified installing contractor should be contacted to evaluate and perform the necessary repairs.

II. SNOW-REMOVAL
Snow removal poses the greatest hazard to the long-term service of expansion joints as well as other deck elements such as traffic-bearing deck coatings, sealants, toppings, and even the concrete itself.

For this reason, warranties on EMSEAL's materials when used in decks or roadways are contingent on the use of rubber-tipped snow plow blades. In addition the snow removal practice recommendations made by EMSEAL follow those of the National Parking Association, and the Precast Prestressed Concrete Institute, i.e.:

--From: "Parking Garage Maintenance Manual", National Parking Association.

"The snowplow blade must not be allowed to damage the concrete floor, sealants, toppings, or expansion joints. A heavy rubber cutting edge may be fitted to the bottom of the plow's steel edge,.... A snow-broom attachment is useful for light snowfalls."
 

--From "Maintenance Manual For Precast Parking Structures", PCI-Precast Prestressed Concrete Institute, Publication MNL-136-04, 2004

"Plows and other snow removal implements that come in contact with the driving surface should have well-maintained rubber blades to minimize damage to the deck surface.

D. Snow Removal Procedures
The following guidelines should be followed during the snow removal process.
1. Snow plow blades should not come in direct contact with expansion joints, deck membranes, or joint sealants. Blades should be kept a minimum of ½ in. above these sensitive materials. Blades should also not impact vertical offsets between adjacent deck surfaces. Plows must be equipped with well-maintained rubber blades to minimize impact damage.
2. Reduced equipment driving speed should be used at changes in floor slopes, such as the ends of ramps, washes (i.e., raised areas of the deck surface), at the ends of double tees, and at handicapped ramps.

The following recommendations must be followed to minimize damage to expansion joint systems.

A. Whenever possible, remove snow from the expansion joints either by sweeping, shoveling or snow-blowing.

B. If snow plows are to be used, the blades must be equipped with suitable rubber edges. It is also recommend that the location of the joints be clearly marked and the plow drivers instructed to lift their plows slightly when crossing the expansion joints.

C. Never plow with the length of the blade parallel to the joint. Either plow down the length of the joint with the length of the blade perpendicular to the joint or plow across the joint with the blade at an oblique angle to the joint.

D. If possible, it is wise for owner's include in snow plowing contracts that the snow plowing contractor is responsible for any damage to the expansion joint caused by plowing not in accordance with the recommendations herein and for any expenses that may be incurred in repairs as a result of voiding the expansion joint warranty."

Expansion joints and precompressed joint sealants by EMSEAL

1-800-526-8365 -- 508-836-0280 --  techinfo@emseal.com -- Fax: 508-836-0281

EMSEAL JOINT SYSTEMS LTD. 25 Bridle Lane, Westborough, MA 01581
EMSEAL LLC. 120 Carrier Drive, Toronto, ON M9W 5R1

Copyright © 1998-2010 by EMSEAL Joint Systems, Ltd. All rights reserved.
This document may not be reproduced in whole or in part without permission.