Why you should use gal fencing this season
Highly resistant to strong winds and pest damage, gal fencing has a number of advantages that make it the perfect choice for your fencing needs. Here, we take a look into the different coating types, knot types and benefits of gal fencing. Ensuring you have the correct product will make your fencing tasks that much easier!
Coating types
Edcon Steel stocks a range of Southern Wire products with various coating types, each with its own benefits. These include:
- Premier50 offers the best protection against corrosion, with a zinc/alloy coating of 300g per sqm.
- Heavy galvanised, which is traditional fencing wire and renowned for its durability. It has 240g per sqm of zinc.
- Standard galvanised is the cheaper fencing alternative and only has 40g per sqm of zinc, which is 80% less than the heavy galvanised option. While it is less expensive than the heavy galvanised option, it does not offer the same long-term value.
By comparison, Blue Wire has a blue coating finish and around 125 grams per sqm of a zinc/aluminium alloy.
Southern Wire also has a variety of knot types available, to suit the various needs of our customers. These include:
- The Griplock (Fixed Knot): the strongest knot available and is ideal for areas that encounter high levels of vermin and feral animals.
- FarmFence/Fastlock (Square Knot) – the new version of ring joint. Minimises the chance of vertical wires slipping along horizontal wires and is an easy product to strain. This product is suitable for most fencing applications and gives the best value for money.
- Ring Joint – An old style of knot that the Square Knot is gradually replacing.
- Hinged Joint – Another old style of knot used in ‘suspension fencing’, where you clip the joint to top, middle and bottom support wires. Without these support wires the fence will tend to concertina.
Longevity
Made from galvanised steel, gal fencing has a protective zinc metal coating that increases its corrosion resistance.
The process of zinc coating, known as hot-dip galvanising, involves dipping the steel into molten zinc, then allowing it to cool, which permanently bonds the zinc to the steel.
The process forms a chemical bond between the zinc top layer and the steel below, so there are no gaps in the coating, leaving a uniform layer of protection.
Because of the metallurgic properties of the galvanised steel used in gal fencing and its strength, there is minimal chance of damage during transport and installation.
This strength and protection continue over the life of the fence, with the zinc coatings offering protection from corrosion.
This layer of protection is so strong that gal fencing can last up to 50 years in rural environments and up to 25 years in more severe urban or coastal environments.
Save money
Gal fencing not only has a lower initial cost than other materials, but offers low maintenance costs across its life.
Because of the nature of the chemical bond between the zinc and the steel, the zinc will corrode sacrificially and protect the steel. There is no need for costly maintenance while the zinc is present.
For more information on Hot Dip Galvanising see here.
Save time
Not only will the maintenance of gal fencing be relatively inexpensive, it is incredibly easy. While it is important that you clean gal fencing that is exposed to the elements, you can do this just once annually with a simple alkaline water solution that will increase its longevity.
In addition to the time saved on maintenance, gal fencing also offers minimal installation time as it comes ready to use. It won’t require any further treatment or preparation and you can install it immediately. You can inspect the material by eye and it requires no thickness testing.
A sustainable choice
You can recycle any type of steel indefinitely, without any effects on quality. As such, it is one of the most recycled materials on the planet.
You may not realise just how much of a consideration sustainability and steel recycling are in the production and use of steel.
Gal fencing offers additional sustainability benefits as it requires fewer resources over the course of its lifetime than other fencing alternatives.
Learn more about the steel recycling journey.
Edcon Steel’s gal fencing
Edcon Steel is Australia’s most comprehensive online steel and metal superstore, Edcon Steel offers a range of livestock and fencing products., from gal posts and pipe to cattle rail, mesh and Wstrap.
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