Part TWO
In part one of this article, we looked at what causes the phenomenon commonly called "sea blast" and how it can be reduced by the use of trees plus the use of fencing material that withstands sea spray.
Fencing at the sea side
In addition to the fence material, care has to be exercised with regard to the ties that are used to hold the chain link to the tension wires. If regular ties are used, as the wind blows and moves the fence, these ties will braid the PVC coating and eventually wear it away allowing the salt to get at the actual wire and rust begins. Therefore, PVC-coated ties should be used with this type of fence.
Along with the fence material, attention has to be paid to the type of posts that are used. Normal iron posts will rust at a fast rate next to the sea and you would have a situation where the fence will be good but the posts are leaning or fallen because the rust has weakened the post.
To avoid this situation, galvanised iron posts should be used. An alternative to galvanised iron posts is to use large PVC pipes that are filled with concrete as the fence posts. The concrete provides the strength for the posts while the outer PVC protects the concrete from the salt.
In erecting these posts, the holes for the fence tension wire should be drilled in the posts after they are erected but before the concrete is poured and wire run through the holes when the concrete is poured. In this way, the tension wire is in place while the concrete is hardening. Also, after the concrete has hardened, a cap should be placed on the top of the posts.
Lighting fixtures at the sea side
With regard to lighting fixtures, powder-coated brackets and housing should be used to prevent corrosion of these fixtures.
Doors at the sea side
The most common anti-burglary recommendation relating to doors is to have external steel doors. In the majority of cases, it is recommended either hollow steel doors, wood steel fronted doors or ribbed steel doors. In a coastal environment, however, solid wooden doors made from a durable hard wood such as mahogany, mora, green heart or thick pitch pine planks that have been treated for termite and wood rot are actually preferred because the wooden doors are not affected by the salt air. Thus, a solid wooden door made of hard wood will not only block intruders but last for many years without having to be replaced.
In the construction of the doors, whenever possible, iron nails should be avoided as these nails will rust and eventually weaken the overall construction of the door. It is preferred that copper or brass nails be used as these have greater resistance to corrosion from salt spray.
Burglar proofing at the sea side
Where steel is used, as in burglar proofing for doors and windows, the burglar proof should be on the inside of the door and window. By having the burglar proof on the inside, the door or the window pane gets most of the impact from the sea blast when the door or window is closed, thus protecting the burglar proof.
Painting at the sea side
All steel in a coastal environment should be painted and it should be painted with special paints. The undercoat used should be a zinc-based primer. The second and third coats should be tar-based epoxy paint. Common household paints are not suitable for painting steel in a marine environment because they age very quickly when exposed to the sun's rays and once they age they lose the protective strength allowing rust to form under the paint.
By making these changes one's physical security measures will last for a much longer period thus ensuring that the investment is not rapidly eaten away by the wind and sand.
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