10 GOOD REASONS TO GALVANIZE

The corrosion of steelwork in Australia costs billions of dollars in maintenance and replacement costs. The long term solution in most cases is to hot dip galvanize which gives a long lasting, durable and cost effective protective treatment. When you galvanize your product you are not only protecting it from the elements, but giving yourself peace of mind that the steelwork will outlast the project.

1. Competitive First Cost

For most applications the cost of galvanizing is lower than that of applying alternative coatings. Furthermore; galvanizing has been getting steadily cheaper compared with painting. The reason is simple: alternatives - particularly painting - are very labour intensive and time consuming compared with galvanizing which is a highly mechanised, closely controlled factory process.

2. Lowest Lifetime Cost

Low initial cost and long life span make galvanizing the most versatile and economic way of protecting steel for long periods. There are bonuses from no maintenance or extended maintenance intervals; fewer problems of access in remote areas, difficult terrain or when buildings are closely packed together; also when there are safety restrictions eg, electricity pylons.

3. Long Life

Well documented years of experience have proven the benefits of hot dip galvanized protection. At least 20 - 40 years are commonplace in industrial and marine environments, 50 - 100 years in less aggressive atmospheres.

4. Three-way Protection

Galvanized coatings protect steel in three ways. Firstly, the coating weathers at a very slow rate giving a long and predictable life. Secondly, the coating corrodes preferentially to provide cathodic protection (sacrificial) to any small areas of steel exposed through drilling, cutting or accidental damage. Scratches are sealed by weathering products from the zinc. Thirdly, the sacrificial protection prevents the sideways creep of rust which can undermine paint coatings.

5. Speed At Application

A full paint protection coating can be applied in a four coat system, which requires a week; whereas galvanizing cures immediately and can be finished in one day.

6. Ease Of Inspection

Galvanized steel simplifies inspection of the protective finish. The nature of the process is such that if the coating looks continous and sound, it is so. Thicknesses (weights) - specified through AS4680 can be easily checked with a magnetic probe (elcometer) or other simple non-destructive testing guages.

7. Reliability

The process is relatively simple, straightforward and closely controlled.

8. Faster Construction

Galvanized steel is ready for use. No further surface preparation, painting, touch up or inspection is necessay. Once erected the galvanized steel is ready for use; and cladding can begin immediately, thus accelerating the construction programme.

9. Coating Toughness

Galvanizing is unique: the hot dip process produces a coating which is bonded metallurgically to the steel. No other process has this feature and as a result galvanized steel has by far the greatest resistence to mechanical damage during handling, storage, transport and erection - an important factor where steelwork is to be shipped across the world. The toughness of this protection makes it particularly suitable for use in situations where abrasion could be a problem.

10. Complete Coverage

Because it is formed by dipping steel in molten zinc all parts of the surface of the steel are coated - inside, outside, awkward corners and narrow gaps which would be impossible to protect in any other way. In addition the coating builds up at vital corners and edges - rather than thinning out as do brushed, sprayed and other dipped coatings.