To ensure that any crowd control barriers you purchase will have a long-life span, make sure they are hot-dip galvanized.
Barriers that are only painted, rather than hot-dip galvanized, will begin to rust quickly. And rust is most frequently seen at the point where the bases meet the frame.
The Tamis Corporation, manufacturer and supplier of Blockader crowd control barriers, recently communicated with a site that was looking for replaceable bases for some of their barriers. They were not Blockader barriers, but Blockader’s bolt-on replaceable bases can often be used with other barriers.
In this case, the replacement bases were not able to be successfully affixed. The original conclusion was that the bases were not compatible with the frames. But further analysis showed that the reason the bases didn’t fit was that the barriers were seriously rusted at the place where the base would bolt onto the frames. No replaceable bases would have worked.
Their barriers were not hot-dip galvanized, only painted. Rust was inevitable. These barriers can no longer be used.
With a hot-dip galvanized barrier, if there is a broken base that needs to be replaced, that is an inexpensive fix. But for a barrier that has been manufactured with the express purpose of cutting costs by bypassing the step of galvanizing, any damage will mean that the entire barricade will have to be replaced.
Hot-dip galvanized steel lasts four times longer than steel which is merely painted.
The galvanizing process pays off in the long run by significantly increasing the barrier’s life span. Hot-dip galvanized steel lasts four times longer than steel which is merely painted. Galvanized barriers can remain corrosion-free and rust-free for up to 40 years. Painted steel will corrode from both inside and out when exposed to moisture or corrosive elements. Galvanizing forms a metallurgical alloy as zinc flows inside the tubing as well as outside.
Experienced buyers of crowd control barricades know the difference between cheap knock-off barriers and high-quality products that meet the standards established for use at U.S. events and public facilities. But first-time customers can be misled by a product that looks good in a color photograph – one in which the quality deficiencies cannot be seen. Whenever you are in the market to purchase barriers, get assurance that they are hot-dip galvanized.