DIY cold tar- just for potholes?

[Crofter]

I've got water runoff from the main road causing erosion on my access, and I need a way of intercepting it. I could dig in some sort of channel but tbh I would just see that clogging up. Easier, I think, to make a raised hump- essentially a speedbump- that diverts the water off the driveway surface. It would need to be about 5m long and laid on the existing tarmac bellmouth, just before the tar ends and the stone surface begins.

 

I have asked a couple of contractors to do this, but getting fed up waiting- it's clearly such a small job that they aren't prioritising it.

 

I could make a concrete hump, cheap and easy, but I don't think it's a good idea to lay concrete on top of tar. Probably fine until a bin lorry or sludge tanker goes over it. Obviously as this is at the start of the driveway, it's only ever going to be driven over at about 5mph, but my gut feeling is that concrete laid on tar will crack under a heavy load.

 

So what about those tubs/bags of cold tar that are designed for pothole and driveway repair? Can they be used to build up a speedbump, or are they really only intended to fill holes?

[Declan52]

Your problem is bonding it to the surface underneath. It will just be sitting there and will move if you turn the car on it. It doesn't really compact and harden like hot tar either. It will eventually go hard but your talking weeks. 

[Onoff]

Ready made and CT1 the edges?

 

https://www.pittmantraffic.co.uk/speed-ramp-complete-kit-50mm-economy.html

 

Would probably need the heavier duty kit.

 

The gulley / channel and just regularly sweep?

 

 

Edited April 17, 2018 by Onoff

[Onoff]

What about using a half round gutter and filling with SBR laced concrete maybe with a reinforcing rod up the middle? Paint it yellow when finished. Stick it down. 

[Crofter]

My thoughts about a gully are that surely it becomes a bigger job than it initially looks. You'd want to dig down, into sub-base, to lay a concrete strip found to bed the gully into, and then build up either side of it with sub base again. And I worry about getting the level right, as with a loose road surface I expect to be throwing more material down every few years, at least until I have saved up the £8k that I need to spent to tar the whole thing.

Or maybe I'm over-engineering it, and the gully can just sit directly in the bottom of a rough trench in the sub base? I just think that's far too likely to move and sink with vehicles driving over it.

 

I'm not needing this to be trafficed for another six weeks or so, so if cold tar needs a bit of time to set and bond, that's OK. I can see how it might struggle to stick to the existing tar- maybe fire a big blowtorch at it? Or stick some diesel on it? (or if I'm feeling stupid... do both  )

[Onoff]

If you try the cold tar idea I wonder if you could jig saw the required hump shape out of say a bit of 8"x2" to make a tamping board?

 

Then lay the cold tar medium down and form into shape a line of the stuff. 

 

How about bonding a rubber cable protector down to what's there? This sort of thing:

 

https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/CAFC83Y.html?

 

Or

 

https://dotty-deals.co.uk/product/rubber-floor-cable-wire-cover-tidy-protector-safety-trunking/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIoLKEzIXD2

Edited April 18, 2018 by Onoff

[Crofter]

I like the idea of the shaped tamping board. Work on a little section at a time and then I might not need such a big blowtorch.

Cold tar is certainly looking like the cheapest option so far- about £40 in materials (had to remember how to calculate the area of an arc segment for that one... OK I just googled it actually)

 

Sticking down something on top could work, depending on the bond to the existing tar- I wonder if some of the plastic/rubber speedbumps would let too much water through underneath? Likewise the rubber strip, I think the weak point will be how I stick it down. Could be an easy option though.

[Russell griffiths]

What you need to do is sit the hump into the surface not just on it, so dig a trench downwards and then fill it back up with the cold tar, this will use more materials but will in effect not have it just sitting on top 

 

can you not form a shallow drain in concrete by digging out a strip of drive and concreting back up to just under level with a slope left or right to catch the runoff and direct it to the side, you could paint it black if it looked a bit odd. Or it will probably fill with gravel that would still catch the run off and direct it away. 

[Crofter]

I'm not sure how deep the existing tar is- makes me a bit hesitant about digging down into it.

I also want to place the drain/bump very close to the edge of the tar (only the bellmouth is tarred- the rest of the drive is just stone) so if I cut down into it I'm leaving a weak little strip of tar.

I could move the line of the drain/bump but of course as the bellmouth widens, the required length increases significantly- and anyway due to the way the ground slopes, and where I need to redirect the runoff to, there are limited options for where to place it regardless.

I'll maybe upload a photo so that this makes more sense...

[Russell griffiths]

How about a nice cobbled strip. 3 rows of blocks laid as a strip with a slight dish to act as a drain. 

[Gone West]

We had the same problem years ago with runoff from the road coming onto our drive. I asked the Highways Dept. if they could do anything as a temporary measure until we started the build. They put a 6m long ridge of asphalt about 100mm wide and 50mm high on top of the edge of the road surface. It lasted several years and was a sod to remove, but it was hot asphalt.

[SteamyTea]

While on this subject, almost.  What is the easy way to sort this out.

 

[Ferdinand]

Are there not versions of road humans then are put in with fixings eg like thunderbolts?

 

That plus sika at the joint?

 

eg 

 

https://www.barriersdirect.co.uk/traffic-management-c1220/speed-bumps-flow-plates-c1098/speed-ramp-complete-kits-p708

 

Edited April 18, 2018 by Ferdinand

[Russell griffiths]

That would be a way to keep the population down @Ferdinand

[Ferdinand]

13 minutes ago, Russell griffiths said:

That would be a way to keep the population down @Ferdinand

 

I hate iPads and their spelling incorrectors. Gerard Hoffnung would have been redundant had they existed in 1938 (from 3:00).

 

Still think that “disposing of old widows can be an expensive business” (windows) was a better one, mind.

 

F

 

Edited April 18, 2018 by Ferdinand

[Crofter]

I assumed that 'road humans' was simply @Ferdinand using a non-gender-specific term for sleeping policeman!

[Ferdinand]

4 minutes ago, Crofter said:

I assumed that 'road humans' was simply @Ferdinand using a non-gender-specific term for sleeping policeman!

 

That would normally be more like "f&^%$£$ w&^%$"$ c*(^%£&> roadhumps".

Edited April 18, 2018 by Ferdinand

[Crofter]

Ok as promised a pic of the affected area:

[Cpd]

Get some roadside crash barriers, the corrugated type, cut out the desired line with a road / brick saw, dig out the trench - put a load of cement into the trench and insert the crash barrier on its side, cement or tar the edges and you got yourself a maintenance free very long lasting drainage channel. You could make one out of larch but it wont last as long. Also consider where the water is going to end up..... be a shame to flood the new build. @Russell griffiths Cobbles would look great but its a longer job and very few people are going to appreciate the effort.  

[Onoff]

How about a sliding gate track? I got my gate track from here and they do 5m lengths:

 

http://www.barrier-components.co.uk/gate-hardware/sliding-gate-hardware/sliding-gate-rails.html

 

I went for the raised one:

 

 

You'll see on the link they do a low profile one.

Edited April 18, 2018 by Onoff

[Crofter]

Some interesting options for digging a channel in, thanks. I might well need to have one or two channels further down the drive on the stone surface area.

Not feeling a whole lot of love for my cold tar idea from the forum... But I'm loath to cut down into the relatively thin tar of the bellmouth, as I think it will leave a small and weakened strip on the downhill side.

Has anybody here actually worked with cold tar?

[dpmiller]

Yes, but not in a trafficed area. It does take a long time to go off, and it pays to use fresh stuff and put it down when the weather is hot.

[Mr Punter]

9 hours ago, Crofter said:

Has anybody here actually worked with cold tar?

 

Yes.  It is crap compared to hot.  Sticks to shoes so you can spend months walking it through the house.  Very soft.

[Declan52]

Whatabout using something like self leveling compound. Put  a bit of lath down each side and leave it about 300mm wide andn pour the mix into the gap. It will cure hard enough to drive over.