A small crack in your asphalt driveway is how it starts. Then water seeps in below the base, which leads to even more cracking and bigger and wider gaps and, eventually, potholes. Before long, really big potholes appear. To keep cracks in check, and to stop potholes before they start, apply an asphalt sealer every 3 to 4 years. Also known as emulsified asphalt, these sealers are available in 5-gallon ready-to-pour buckets. While it's great for patching and filling small cracks, larger cracks should first be filled with a heavier and thicker asphalt caulking compound. Still wider cracks -- those more than a half an inch -- should be patched and filled with a paste made of sand and emulsified asphalt sealer. And, those really big potholes and larger repairs, like missing chunks and broken edges, should be made using an asphalt cold-patch material. If you catch problems early or keep up with them once you've made big repairs, you'll have a driveway that's worthy of a man without cares. And that's the On The House tip for today.