Is galvanization important for metal gates and railings？

Is galvanization important for metal gates and railings？

Is galvanization important for metal gates and railings? Yes, galvanization is very important for metal railings and gates. They are always installed outside, exposed directly to sunshine and rain. It might cause rusty easily without any protection, and rust will go like cancer. Galvanization is an excellent way to stop iron from being rusty or corrosive.

What bad conditions speed up iron rusty?

As we know, exposure to oxygen will make iron rusty; it will speed up iron rusty in some bad surroundings. What bad conditions speed up iron rusty?

Humid condition

When oxygen and water meet on iron, these two factors react, then rust occurs. We can not avoid oxygen since it is everywhere, so we can find some ways to keep the irons far away from water or make the iron dry in a short time after it meets water. We will not install iron gates and railings in a very humid place if possible. Since the metal gates are always installed outside, we’d better wipe off the water after rain to prevent it from corrosion.

Acidic condition

When acid attacks iron, it dissolves iron, and the dissolved iron will react with the oxygen in the air; iron oxide occurs, then rust happens, and once rust happens, it will continue to attack the iron. Thus more rusts occur. So the metal gates and railing should keep away from acid.

Salty condition

Salt can also corrode iron and speed up rust; we should keep the metal railing and gates far from salt substance.

What is galvanization?

Galvanization, also called Hot Dipped Zinc galvanization (HDG), is a process of making zinc react chemically with iron. Typically, we put the welding-finished metal gates and railings into the bath filled with melted zinc. The metals gates and railings are always acid-washed to get rid of the surfacing oil and rust firstly, to make sure the metal gates and railings are clean, the clean metals are easier to react with zinc and let the melted zinc coat them tightly than the dirty ones, then we submerge the metal gates and railings into a bath filled with melted zinc, the melted zinc will enter into the underneath of the iron to form an alloy, zinc and iron alloy, and also coat a zinc layer on the surface of the metal gates and railings when hanging them out from the melted zinc bath.

Why can galvanization keep the metal railings and gates rusty-free?

The coating zinc layer on iron gates and railings can insulate the metal from water and oxygen; these are two necessary factors for metal rusting. Even though the coating zinc layer is broken down, there is still an alloy of zinc and iron, and this zinc-iron alloy can slow down sharply of rusting. That’s why it can prevent the metal gates and railings from being corrosive.

Pre-galvanizing and Hot-dipped galvanizing, which is better for a metal gate?

Instead of HDG, using galvanizing pipe for metal gates or railings is a cheaper way for anti-rust; we call it pre-galvanizing. The only difference with HDG is to galvanize before welding. The tubes, bars, spears, and other accessories of the metal gates and railings are galvanized separately before welding in pre-galvanizing. There are always some connected places and welding points without galvanization, and rust might occur in these places. The life of a pre- galvanizing metal gate will not be as long as a genuinely HDG gate.

How long can a galvanized metal gate live?

In ordinary conditions, it is 50 years. It can have an expected life of 20 years in bad situations.

How to know the metal gate is galvanized?

 when you get the metal gates or railings from the manufacturer, use something hard and sharp to scratch the paint. If you can see a shining or silver color under the paint, it is galvanized; if there is no shining or silver color, that is not galvanized because the silver color is the original zinc color. Here I want to give you some advice about scratching place; please scratch on the installing feet of gates and railings but do not scratch anywhere. The feet will be installed under the tiles or earth and can not be seen, so you need not take much time recovering the scratch; take a quick repaint since you will not see the scratched part after installation.

Conclusion

The exposure to the oxygen will cause iron gates and railings to become rusty, so the iron products are always painted to protect the iron surface. But paint can only stop iron rust in a short period; when rust happens, it will go like cancer, peel off piece by piece. The galvanization process will be vital for iron gates and railings to be anti-corrosive; the zinc covers the iron’s surface and penetrates the deeper inside core of the iron tubes or iron bars. Contact us to see the secret of rust resistance.