The terms of this disclaimer are issued by Ozroofracks and complementary to our Warranty terms.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 87% of Australia's population live within 50 kilometers of the coast, which is more than 22 million people.
Any metal will rust and corrode if continuously exposed to moisture and saltwater or other corrosive conditions over time: galvanic corrosion whenever rain or high humidity dissolves salts or pollutants to produce an electrolyte, because steel is more active than tin bronze in the galvanic series. Corrosion products from the steel will stain the bronze with a rusty colour.
Salt air is corrosive because it's hygroscopic – it attracts water. The salt attracts moisture from the environment to the carbon steel substrate, which speeds up the oxidation (rusting) process. Salt is in the environment, which means the effects of salt can be found on the surface of your carbon steel asset.
Because steel is a mixture of iron and carbon it may rust.
As other car part or accesory our products require a regular maintenance due to the exposition to weather conditions. Here are some ways to prevent galvanic corrosion:
Recommended maximum tightening Torque for our hardware M8 is 25Nm (handtight).
Power tools are NOT REQUIRED to install our product/s.
By using power tools you will damage the thread and coating of our products and eventually your vehicle gutter.
We encourage installers to use a good silicone self-fusing tape, liquid sealant, silicone or lanolin spray, high density thread seal tape or anaerobic sealant if you're planning a low-maintenance and long-lasting installation.
Bunnings sells BOSTON 50g Liquid Sealant .
It's higly recommended to put nylon washers between the attachment substrate (bracket) and the stainless steel washer to avoid galvanic corrosion .
If your gutters are not protected, use a thin adhesive seal (around 20mm wide) to avoid contact between bracket and vehicle gutter.
Rust is a slow process.
Just by looking after your product and checking its condition every 2-3 months you can extend its lifespan.
If touch up needed, we recommend Dulux Metalshield® Epoxy Enamel spray paint (note that colours may vary).
Use good quality replacements when needed.
Bolt & Nut Australia provides a great range of compatible hardware as well as replacement for our M8 x 1.25p Metric Coarse Stainless A2-70 G304 Socket (6mm Key) Head Cap Screws DIN 912 / ISO 4762 .
Our products are manufactured following the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) guidance on the consumer guarantee as to acceptable quality, durability and safety and in Compliance with the Standard ISO 11154:2023. Public & Products Liability Policy GPM005959113 available as a Motor Vehicle Component and Accessories Manufacturer with AAI Limited ABN 48 005 297 807 AFSL No. 230859 trading as GIO. Unlike similar products on the Market ours are tested and insured.
The quality team on the production chain examinate every bracket and package for imperfections, but also there's an aditional inspection on Warehouse before sending your package (you will see an inspection label with my signature).
Ozroofracks design/s #202313123 and trade mark #2349058 are registered through IPAustralia intellectual property (IP) rights and legislation for trade marks, patents, design rights and plant breeder's rights in Australia.
Ozroofracks act according to Spam Act 2003 and the Scam Code Act (C661:2022 Reducing Scam Calls and Scam SMs) introduced by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) and I trade according to the law and following Australian eCommerce Guidelines, in compliance, with the auDA .au Eligibility and Allocation Policy, the Business Names Act 2011, ASIC recommendations and NSW Fair Trading standards and in compliance with the Programming Ethical Guidelines stablished by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) the world's largest educational and scientific computing society.
Our brackets carbon content is within the range of 0.05% and 0.6% by weight. This enhances the steels hardness and tensile strength wich makes it suitable for applications that demand high strength and wear resistance.
The environmental factors that cause the formation of rust include air, water, and friction. When metal is exposed to any type of moisture — even humidity in the air — the iron atoms in the metal react with the oxygen molecules in the air to form iron oxide, also known as rust. Rust can occur on any iron-containing metal, including steel, iron, and cast iron. Salt, or more particularly, salt solution, can hasten the rusting process by acting as an electrolyte, allowing the metal (iron) to lose electrons quickly so i.e. if you leave a wet object like a paddle or surf board on your van roof dripping you will be damaging the product.
Our products are micro sand-blasted before coated then dried in a controlled environment to ensure a high quality product finish. Environmental circumstances and/or product exposure to moisture is completely out of our Company control therefore customer have the responsibility to look after the product and prevent any rust from forming or implementing care treatments i.e. selant on bolt thread before installing, thin layer of WD-40 Lanolin will act as a barrier between the metal and the moisture in the air as well as a clear coat or other protective treatments.
Rust is a slow process, just by looking after your product and checking its condition every 2-3 months you can extend its lifespan.
Any manufacturer will state how it is important to define your project correctly to ensure the correct product is specified and the performance and warranty is able to be gained for your project. Both project type and the environment (conditions) will impact on the exposure of the powdercoat to elements such as UV, dirt and salt. For instance, marine and coastal environments are exposed to winds and sea salts, which have a long-term impact on the performance of coating systems due to erosion and weathering. It is essential that the choice of other materials that contribute to protection such as sealants should be made to ensure that our product warranty is not void due to not use sealants or look after the product as per instructions because our product have sharp edges and corners, flat surfaces in loose contact where moisture may be drawn in between them by capillary action or where water and foreign matter will lodge, as these areas may result in premature failure of the coating system.
Please be aware warranties shall not apply to areas where a failure is caused from post formed or post fabrication processes, such as metal perforation, welding, cutting, drilling or any other circumstances beyond the reasonable control of Ozroofracks Many post fabrication processes can impede achievement of a continuous layer of pre-treatment and the minimum film build of powder coating.
More information about high carbon steel
Galvanic corrosion can occur when carbon and steel are connected, and it can cause the steel to corrode and break down.
Galvanic corrosion occurs when three conditions are met:
When these conditions are met, an unbalanced oxidation reaction occurs at the surface of the metals. The metal that loses electrons will corrode, while the metal that gains electrons will be preserved.
Some examples of galvanic corrosion involving carbon and steel include:
Stainless steel and carbon steel
Carbon steel can corrode when joined with stainless steel, such as in a heat exchanger.
You might be thinking, "Wait, if both steels are iron-based, why is stainless steel resistant to corrosion?"
Stainless steel has a secret weapon: chromium.
Chromium can shrug off oxygen without corroding. The addition also pushes stainless steel higher up on the nobility chart.
So when stainless steel and carbon steel are connected, and an electrolyte such as moisture is introduced, stainless steel absorbs carbon steel's electrons. Carbon steel can deteriorate rapidly, become weak, and come crashing down.
How to Prevent Corrosion Between Carbon and Stainless Steel? A buffer, such as nylon washers or fasteners, can add a protective layer between dissimilar metals in bolts. Remember, for galvanic corrosion to start, there need to be two metals and an electrolyte. So keeping electrolytes at bay can slow corrosion. That means keep the product away from water/salt as much as possible.
Carbon fiber and steel
Carbon fiber is electrically conductive, so it's susceptible to galvanic corrosion when used with steel fasteners.
To prevent galvanic corrosion, you can try insulating dissimilar materials using non-conductive material coatings, greases, paints, treatments or primers. Optimal protection is offered by insulating both materials.
Applying a coating to the carbon product to prevent the carbon fibers from making electrical contact with metals (that's why we recommend clear coat or WD-40 Lanolin/Silicon spray over the bracket if you realise that it might be affect of corrosion).
Sealing off the assembly of the carbon and steel to prevent moisture from contacting them (that's why there should be always a nylon washer or sealants between the brackets and any bolt/nut more if you fit other accesories like awnings, hooks, eyelets, etc).
Read more about galvanic corrosion on carbon steel and how to prevent galvanic corrosion between carbon steel and stainless steel
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