I will be recording some more sealing and crack repair videos soon. The big thing is I want to make this as cost effective as possible for everyone without having to buy a lot of equipment. These will be as much diy as possible so everyone can save some money!
It seems long overdue Brian as I believe this video may be many years old But thanks for the video anyway, although you do say this repair type was ultimately a fail & you would be trying another method 👍
I've used that on my driveway and it works great love it i live in Michigan and i used it on a cement diveway about 7yrs ago still good got it at home depot
Thanks for watching! Great to know this lasts a long time. I can not believe I never saw these before. I like how well they bond to the material around it.
You can hold the pli stick and melt it with the torch like you would a candle and let it drip into the crack. Works far better on small crack where the pli stick won't fit.
You can go back over it to both smooth it out and heat it up for the bond. Just did the drip method with small torch on the small cracks and plan to go back over with the weed torch when all cracks covered. Way easier than stuffing hole.
Thanks for watching! Glad you enjoyed it! Actually I just bought a larger torch also to speed up the process. I think it will make the job go much faster!
I guess this is one of the best ways to repair. Sealing coating alone or the liquid crack fillers are useless. I am sick of trying everything only to see more cracks every next summer. Hope I can do it this year, before freezing white stuff shows up again to enlarge the existing cracks and show more for the next season.
Thanks for watching. So far this has been working well for me but I want to see over time how it holds up. I know I was sick of the liquid fillers or the ones you spread. It seems like those crack a few weeks later every time.
Product works great, I use a long handle weed torch goes quicker as its about 3 times larger flame. Only gripe is the heat damage / color change of the driveway from the torch.
jasonseiders, the key is to use the Pli-Stix first, just before you apply sealcoat to the drive; no issues with color change that way. You are correct that a garden/weed-torch is better for melting Pli-Stix than a normal plumbers torch as shown in this video. I use the kind that is J shaped, like a walking cane.
Thanks for this - I like the idea of avoiding troweling goo everywhere to fill a crack. Any idea if a heat gun gets hot enough to melt the stuff? Might reduce the scorching of the surrounding surface although I don’t want to wait an hour for it to generate enough heat to melt. Trade offs I guess.
Thanks for watching! I will have to try a heat gun to see how long it takes and let you know. I know my heat gun now I think is 750-1000 degrees depending on which setting. It does take a while to heat up though.
@motorv8N - After two years of trying the liquid and paste crack fillers I tried this. The others wouldn't last a single year without coming out; an absolute total waste of my time and very infuriating. Was hesitant because of how time consuming it looked but gave it a try. Gotta tell you I'm totally convinced this is going to work for a long time. When heated, it is so sticky and rubbery that you know it is going to adhere to the asphalt. IMO Brian overheats the material almost to the point of death. After some experimentation my technique is to use a fairly large screwdriver and hold the stuff in the crack and heat it and spread it with that also. You get much less waste and it goes faster. However it is not fast. Some use the weed torches so you don't have to bend down but the problem is containing the material in the crack. If the crack is smaller than the material it's not going to stay put. So I did small sections and just accepted it would take time, the final result being that I'm VERY pleased. I don't write reviews but this product (Crack Stix or Pli Stix- both the same) work extremely well. I then sealed the driveway and the result is both visually and functionally great. Hope this helps.
@Print2shoot Since I'm retired I would have done it regardless but that doesn't help you so I'll try to answer what I know you are seeking. Much of the answer depends on whether you like to do things or have someone do them for you. When I was working I may not have dedicated the time to do this. The cost was probably about $35 to fill the cracks and then maybe 10 buckets of sealer @ ~$28 per bucket so a total cost of around $315 or so. I did two coats of sealer. The last time I had someone fill the cracks and apply sealer the cost was similar and it was accomplished in one morning. The downside is it didn't last but 1-2 years and the crack filler didn't set properly and we ended up tracking it on our carpet- it was beige before the project. As for the time to finish, I did mine in sections as I have a U shaped driveway; did one half then the other. The crack filling is the time consuming part but you don't have to rush it as you can drive over it in about 20 minutes. So if it takes you a month to fill all the cracks it is no big deal. I would say it takes about one hour to do about 20 feet of crack, the thinner the crack the faster it goes. I'm very impressed with how it adheres. Time will tell if it is as good as I anticipate.
I took a welding class recently. That looks quite a bit like you are welding the asphalt. Difference is in welding, the stick isn't pressed into the crack. You dab the stick of asphalt into the crack and create a puddle of molten asphalt moving it forward
inhibited, "welding" is melting two items so that their molten areas flow into each other. With Pli-Stix, the asphalt driveway does not melt, only the Pli-Stix melts. This make it more like soldering/brazing, or hot-melt gluing.
lipmanderek, I have found that one "normal' sized propane bottle, like the one shown in this video, has enough gas to melt nearly two rolls of Pli-Stix.
Thanks for watching. I would imagine that you can use it in colder weather. If it was me I would heat the ground around the crack a little extra so both the crack and the outer asphalt were the same temperature so it bonds good.
So far it is holding up really well. I am in the northeast so we get a lot of weather changes. Probably will do a review on it after a year to see how its doing. Thanks for watching!
@@percyfaith11 cracks always open up. It's a constant struggle with fixed structure on a shifting planet. If the Crack is opening up sooner than 3 months with no drastic temperature or rain events/seasons you could have water leak underground or traveling to the area from somewhere 🤔
@@functionalvanconversion4284 Yes, but the point is that the cracks reopen just as much and just as quickly after using Pli-Stick as they do when using a bottle of crack sealer that is poured in the crack. The bottle is much easier to apply and if it works as effectively as the pli-stick, the stick has little advantage.
I need to try out the aquaphalt to give an honest opinion. I do feel the stix bond really well. Maybe on a future video I can try the aquaphalt and then do a comparison over time.
I was having trouble with my benzomatic propane torch sputtering doing this. They told me when I tip it 90 degrees, that liquid enters the chamber and causes problems. They told me to get an extension line for $21 from home depot. The stuff seems to work well, but I don't know how winter weather will treat it
inhibited, don't mess with a torch hose; the best kind of torch for use with Pli-Stix is the "J" shaped, or "walking cane" shaped torch, which is typically sold for use in gardening and such. This way, the propane gas bottle stays upright, and you can stand while melting the Pli-Stix, rather than squatting and tilting the bottle.
@@youtuuba I would take that advice except I live in an area where people pay others to fix stuff. They look down there noses at DIY folks. They are already looking at me like they might report me to the police for burning the road at the edge of my driveway with a flame. I need to have a small flame from a torch, not a large flame from that device. I like your idea though.
@@youtuuba Benzomatic people told to either get an extension or get an asphalt melting torch . I got an extension and so far it's fine, but thanks for the advice
It has actually been holding up really well. I think since it is torched it bonds a lot better. I am going to try a big propane torch next to see if I can do the job faster. Will update later in the year how it is holding up. Thanks for watching!
There’s another way to repair the rack. Thanks. But it takes a long time to fill the rack. Not recommended I think better way and fast to buy asphalt liquid to fill them easily.
Thanks for watching. I updated the video showing the use of a large torch and it does melt faster overall. You are right it does take a while to do a larger job. I used to use the liquid all of the time but it does not bond well in my experience and cracks again fairly quick. I guess in the end these are all temporary repairs trying to make the driveway last longer.
The "liquid asphalt" is not asphalt, or even asphalt-like. It is just some caulk-like stuff in a more liquid form. It does not bond at all with the asphalt, and thus quickly separates when the asphalt expands and contracts. That is why those liquid crack fillers seldom last very long, at least not in climates with wide temperature differences over the year. For asphalt driveways, Pli-Stix is "the" way to fill and seal cracks. It bonds firmly, and remains elastic enough to still hold tight when the crack changes shape with temperature over the year. I have never had a crack that was Pli-Stix'ed open up again, even after many years in the upper midwest.
Thanks for watching. Bondo is not very flexible with the temperature changes and will crack. This product stays flexible in a sense and will move with the temperature changes throughout the year.
Thanks for watching. I know some people use sand but I do not. For me sand does not pack down so in my opinion there is a greater chance of the patch not bonding and could come loose over time.
I just did Crack-stix 125 ft with about 1 grill size tank of propane and weed burner torch. This stuff works better on high temperature but with a gradual heating. The core seems to resist melting and it's easy to burn.
@@KevinLyons-gn7eu thanks for watching! I am sure you could probably use a heat gun. It would just take a little bit longer to melt the material. I know one of the heat guns that I have goes up to 1500°
Ive used this product. It doesn’t work. After a few months, the crack is again visible. The product doesn’t go below the surface of the driveway, and the crack is the full depth of the asphalt. Doesn’t work
Thanks for watching. Did you heat it to the point that you watched it ooze down in? Even though the top will bubble and liquify until the bottom gets hot enough it will not travel down into the crack.
Hey Brian. I sure did. I noticed if the product is overheated, it will start to separate. Some cracks are really narrow and it's difficult for the melting product to flow into the crack, due to the productviscosity. I also noticed it's quite time consuming when you're trying to address many cracks. Imagine using this product for 200+ feet or cracks! Will take weeks!
It’s amazing how many people that have no experience do something for the first time on u tube. We do 1 million lbs of crack sealant a year and I can tell you this presentation is ridiculous
I have plenty of experience. You are comparing a company to a regular person without your equipment. Most of these videos are geared for the regular person who does not have the equipment and allows them a way to do it. Your crack sealing equipment is probably a few grand and I highly doubt a homeowner is going to buy that to use once every few years.
Thanks for watching. The hardest part of doing videos is the video usually takes longer than the actual work. Even though this does take some time to heat up it is a little quicker to get the actual job done. I did try a larger torch and melts almost instantly. I just did not get a chance to upload showing that yet.
Thanks for watching. Yes the flame will turn it black. Even if you do the paste out of a bucket it will still change the color. Usually when I am fixing any cracks I will be sealing over top of this anyhow after I am done.
![PASULOL รามเกียรติ์ ตอนที่ 4 นนทกพบรัก [Ramakien Ep.4: Nonthok in love]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/tMUQgmZzf_A/mqdefault.jpg)
I will be recording some more sealing and crack repair videos soon. The big thing is I want to make this as cost effective as possible for everyone without having to buy a lot of equipment. These will be as much diy as possible so everyone can save some money!
Thanks so much…
It seems long overdue Brian as I believe this video may be many years old
But thanks for the video anyway, although you do say this repair type was ultimately a fail & you would be trying another method 👍
I've used that on my driveway and it works great love it i live in Michigan and i used it on a cement diveway about 7yrs ago still good got it at home depot
Thanks for watching! Great to know this lasts a long time. I can not believe I never saw these before. I like how well they bond to the material around it.
I got some at HD and just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything....nice job...thanks for the video!
Thanks for watching. Hope it went well!
You can hold the pli stick and melt it with the torch like you would a candle and let it drip into the crack. Works far better on small crack where the pli stick won't fit.
Right on 👍
Nice. I might try that!
I don't know, but I am guessing when you melt the pli stick, you also want the asphalt in the crack at the same temperature . That way they bond
You can go back over it to both smooth it out and heat it up for the bond. Just did the drip method with small torch on the small cracks and plan to go back over with the weed torch when all cracks covered. Way easier than stuffing hole.
Great video I just found this pli stick this morning . I bought one of those big torches with a propane tank. Hope that isn’t overkill!
Thanks for watching! Glad you enjoyed it! Actually I just bought a larger torch also to speed up the process. I think it will make the job go much faster!
Great video. I’m going to go this route. I’ll probably use the MAP yellow torch to make the job quicker.
Thanks for watching! I ended up doing the same and it goes much faster.
What is the MAP yellow torch?
I guess this is one of the best ways to repair. Sealing coating alone or the liquid crack fillers are useless. I am sick of trying everything only to see more cracks every next summer. Hope I can do it this year, before freezing white stuff shows up again to enlarge the existing cracks and show more for the next season.
Thanks for watching. So far this has been working well for me but I want to see over time how it holds up. I know I was sick of the liquid fillers or the ones you spread. It seems like those crack a few weeks later every time.
Product works great, I use a long handle weed torch goes quicker as its about 3 times larger flame.
Only gripe is the heat damage / color change of the driveway from the torch.
jasonseiders, the key is to use the Pli-Stix first, just before you apply sealcoat to the drive; no issues with color change that way.
You are correct that a garden/weed-torch is better for melting Pli-Stix than a normal plumbers torch as shown in this video. I use the kind that is J shaped, like a walking cane.
Nice. I never seen this product before.
In New Hampshire I find that the cracks open up again by spring.
Do the areas next to the crack stay dark after torching and cooling or does the old asphalt cool/lighten?
it depends on what the grinder grade is and what winter temperatures you have
Hey thanks for this!
Thanks for watching! Glad you enjoyed it.
It works better when it melts in the air and we let it drip in the crack , unless the crack is big .
Thanks for this - I like the idea of avoiding troweling goo everywhere to fill a crack. Any idea if a heat gun gets hot enough to melt the stuff? Might reduce the scorching of the surrounding surface although I don’t want to wait an hour for it to generate enough heat to melt. Trade offs I guess.
Thanks for watching! I will have to try a heat gun to see how long it takes and let you know. I know my heat gun now I think is 750-1000 degrees depending on which setting. It does take a while to heat up though.
@motorv8N - After two years of trying the liquid and paste crack fillers I tried this. The others wouldn't last a single year without coming out; an absolute total waste of my time and very infuriating. Was hesitant because of how time consuming it looked but gave it a try. Gotta tell you I'm totally convinced this is going to work for a long time. When heated, it is so sticky and rubbery that you know it is going to adhere to the asphalt. IMO Brian overheats the material almost to the point of death. After some experimentation my technique is to use a fairly large screwdriver and hold the stuff in the crack and heat it and spread it with that also. You get much less waste and it goes faster. However it is not fast. Some use the weed torches so you don't have to bend down but the problem is containing the material in the crack. If the crack is smaller than the material it's not going to stay put. So I did small sections and just accepted it would take time, the final result being that I'm VERY pleased. I don't write reviews but this product (Crack Stix or Pli Stix- both the same) work extremely well. I then sealed the driveway and the result is both visually and functionally great. Hope this helps.
@@joetraxel7822 - thank you for the info - great to hear your experience and ideas.
@@joetraxel7822how long did it take you to finish your driveway? Would you have paid someone to do it for you, given the price was reasonable?
@Print2shoot Since I'm retired I would have done it regardless but that doesn't help you so I'll try to answer what I know you are seeking. Much of the answer depends on whether you like to do things or have someone do them for you. When I was working I may not have dedicated the time to do this. The cost was probably about $35 to fill the cracks and then maybe 10 buckets of sealer @ ~$28 per bucket so a total cost of around $315 or so. I did two coats of sealer. The last time I had someone fill the cracks and apply sealer the cost was similar and it was accomplished in one morning. The downside is it didn't last but 1-2 years and the crack filler didn't set properly and we ended up tracking it on our carpet- it was beige before the project. As for the time to finish, I did mine in sections as I have a U shaped driveway; did one half then the other. The crack filling is the time consuming part but you don't have to rush it as you can drive over it in about 20 minutes. So if it takes you a month to fill all the cracks it is no big deal. I would say it takes about one hour to do about 20 feet of crack, the thinner the crack the faster it goes. I'm very impressed with how it adheres. Time will tell if it is as good as I anticipate.
I took a welding class recently. That looks quite a bit like you are welding the asphalt. Difference is in welding, the stick isn't pressed into the crack. You dab the stick of asphalt into the crack and create a puddle of molten asphalt moving it forward
inhibited, "welding" is melting two items so that their molten areas flow into each other. With Pli-Stix, the asphalt driveway does not melt, only the Pli-Stix melts. This make it more like soldering/brazing, or hot-melt gluing.
@@youtuuba I know, but it reminds of it because you still have to follow the puddle flowing when doing the job
Great video. Seems like you would need a lot of propane to fix a bunch of cracks though
lipmanderek, I have found that one "normal' sized propane bottle, like the one shown in this video, has enough gas to melt nearly two rolls of Pli-Stix.
Can you use this product in the cold weather?
Thanks for watching. I would imagine that you can use it in colder weather. If it was me I would heat the ground around the crack a little extra so both the crack and the outer asphalt were the same temperature so it bonds good.
I just used it today, how has this product held up? Thanks for the video
So far it is holding up really well. I am in the northeast so we get a lot of weather changes. Probably will do a review on it after a year to see how its doing. Thanks for watching!
@@BrianWingard just did another job right now using your method, way better with more heat. Thanks so much👍
I find that the cracks open back up.
@@percyfaith11 cracks always open up. It's a constant struggle with fixed structure on a shifting planet. If the Crack is opening up sooner than 3 months with no drastic temperature or rain events/seasons you could have water leak underground or traveling to the area from somewhere 🤔
@@functionalvanconversion4284 Yes, but the point is that the cracks reopen just as much and just as quickly after using Pli-Stick as they do when using a bottle of crack sealer that is poured in the crack. The bottle is much easier to apply and if it works as effectively as the pli-stick, the stick has little advantage.
Do you feel this is better product than Aquaphalt 4.0? Firing with the torch is time consuming as I have a lot of long cracks.
I need to try out the aquaphalt to give an honest opinion. I do feel the stix bond really well. Maybe on a future video I can try the aquaphalt and then do a comparison over time.
Thanks!
Thanks for watching!
I was having trouble with my benzomatic propane torch sputtering doing this. They told me when I tip it 90 degrees, that liquid enters the chamber and causes problems. They told me to get an extension line for $21 from home depot. The stuff seems to work well, but I don't know how winter weather will treat it
inhibited, don't mess with a torch hose; the best kind of torch for use with Pli-Stix is the "J" shaped, or "walking cane" shaped torch, which is typically sold for use in gardening and such. This way, the propane gas bottle stays upright, and you can stand while melting the Pli-Stix, rather than squatting and tilting the bottle.
@@youtuuba I would take that advice except I live in an area where people pay others to fix stuff. They look down there noses at DIY folks. They are already looking at me like they might report me to the police for burning the road at the edge of my driveway with a flame. I need to have a small flame from a torch, not a large flame from that device. I like your idea though.
@@youtuuba Benzomatic people told to either get an extension or get an asphalt melting torch . I got an extension and so far it's fine, but thanks for the advice
Great. Thanks.
Hows it been holding up 👍
It has actually been holding up really well. I think since it is torched it bonds a lot better. I am going to try a big propane torch next to see if I can do the job faster. Will update later in the year how it is holding up. Thanks for watching!
Using a larger torch/more heat above MAPP gas can destroy the surrounding asphalt.
cracks open back up. I was disappointed
There’s another way to repair the rack. Thanks.
But it takes a long time to fill the rack.
Not recommended
I think better way and fast to buy asphalt liquid to fill them easily.
Thanks for watching. I updated the video showing the use of a large torch and it does melt faster overall. You are right it does take a while to do a larger job. I used to use the liquid all of the time but it does not bond well in my experience and cracks again fairly quick. I guess in the end these are all temporary repairs trying to make the driveway last longer.
The "liquid asphalt" is not asphalt, or even asphalt-like. It is just some caulk-like stuff in a more liquid form. It does not bond at all with the asphalt, and thus quickly separates when the asphalt expands and contracts. That is why those liquid crack fillers seldom last very long, at least not in climates with wide temperature differences over the year. For asphalt driveways, Pli-Stix is "the" way to fill and seal cracks. It bonds firmly, and remains elastic enough to still hold tight when the crack changes shape with temperature over the year. I have never had a crack that was Pli-Stix'ed open up again, even after many years in the upper midwest.
Why can't you use Bondo
Thanks for watching. Bondo is not very flexible with the temperature changes and will crack. This product stays flexible in a sense and will move with the temperature changes throughout the year.
It does crack. The pli stick rubber tears or opens again with weathering. Not a permanent solution.
True. But to be fair, a driveway is not permanent either.
@@Junoncross well to be fair, it's more permanent than pli sticks
Should fill in some sand so the crack isn't so deep for this material to sink through? How many feet of crack stix would that blue can of gas melt?
Thanks for watching. I know some people use sand but I do not. For me sand does not pack down so in my opinion there is a greater chance of the patch not bonding and could come loose over time.
And honestly not even sure on how much a blue can. I have only done 2 packs at once and still had plenty of gas.
I just did Crack-stix 125 ft with about 1 grill size tank of propane and weed burner torch. This stuff works better on high temperature but with a gradual heating. The core seems to resist melting and it's easy to burn.
@@BrianWingard could you use a heat gun instead of propane torch
@@KevinLyons-gn7eu thanks for watching! I am sure you could probably use a heat gun. It would just take a little bit longer to melt the material. I know one of the heat guns that I have goes up to 1500°
I wouldn't like the burn it leaves on your driveway
Ive used this product. It doesn’t work. After a few months, the crack is again visible. The product doesn’t go below the surface of the driveway, and the crack is the full depth of the asphalt. Doesn’t work
Thanks for watching. Did you heat it to the point that you watched it ooze down in? Even though the top will bubble and liquify until the bottom gets hot enough it will not travel down into the crack.
Hey Brian. I sure did. I noticed if the product is overheated, it will start to separate. Some cracks are really narrow and it's difficult for the melting product to flow into the crack, due to the productviscosity. I also noticed it's quite time consuming when you're trying to address many cracks. Imagine using this product for 200+ feet or cracks! Will take weeks!
Not the best way!
Thanks for watching. This is geared for more diy on a budget. Would love to hear your options and price that are better.
It’s amazing how many people that have no experience do something for the first time on u tube.
We do 1 million lbs of crack sealant a year and I can tell you this presentation is ridiculous
I have plenty of experience. You are comparing a company to a regular person without your equipment. Most of these videos are geared for the regular person who does not have the equipment and allows them a way to do it. Your crack sealing equipment is probably a few grand and I highly doubt a homeowner is going to buy that to use once every few years.
Way to spread the love lol😅
It seems like you spent a lot of time on fixing only a 6 inch long Crack.
Thanks for watching. The hardest part of doing videos is the video usually takes longer than the actual work. Even though this does take some time to heat up it is a little quicker to get the actual job done. I did try a larger torch and melts almost instantly. I just did not get a chance to upload showing that yet.
not very impressive ,the area gets black?
Thanks for watching. Yes the flame will turn it black. Even if you do the paste out of a bucket it will still change the color. Usually when I am fixing any cracks I will be sealing over top of this anyhow after I am done.
@@BrianWingard I did this and sealed over it when I was done. It still shows the scorch marks.