# Problem with electro-galvanized fasteners



## jar546 (Jun 30, 2016)

Looks like Florida has found a problem.  Houston, we have a problem.

IRVING, TX—South Florida roofing contractors recently got an unwelcome surprise. In mid-March, building officials in Miami-Dade County received a memo from the Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources (the office that oversees building code enforcement) warning them that as of April 1, the approval listings of certain electro-galvanized fasteners were suspended and therefore would not be approved for permit or use in new construction in Miami-Dade County. The suspension applied to several brands of 1¼ in. electro-galvanized coil roofing nails, the most common type and size used by roofers. Manufacturers who wanted their nails re-listed for use in the County would have to have them tested at an accredited testing lab.


As of early May, Miami-Dade officials have confirmed that PrimeSource Building Products Inc.’s coil nails, including its industry-preferred Grip-Rite®-branded nails, are the only ones that have been re-certified for use in Miami-Dade County.


The action was prompted by a test of seven electro-galvanized nail brands conducted by researchers at the University of Florida Engineering School.* Miami-Dade requires that all nails pass a performance test based on standard TAS 114, which measures corrosion resistance to salt water. It’s an accelerated test that includes 280 cycles of wetting and drying by a salt spray at a specific pH. Any fastener with corrosion over more than 5% of its surface at the end of the test will fail.


According to Kurt Gurley, the professor who directed the research, in addition to documenting TAS 114 compliance his researchers also rated nails on a scale of 1–8, according to how much corrosion they showed. He stresses that neither he nor the University made any recommendations on what to do with the results. However, enough fasteners showed unacceptable corrosion levels that the County decided to require all manufacturers to get their fasteners re-tested.


PrimeSource representatives applaud Miami-Dade’s action and believe that it will raise the quality of nails used in that market. “We understand why they decided to go ahead with the de-listing,” says Drew Sundholm, the company’s Director of Collated Fastening Systems. “This will protect consumers and roofers alike by ensuring that subpar nails that don’t perform are kept out of the County.”


Sundholm says that corrosion resistance is directly tied to coating thickness: better-performing nails have thicker coatings. While a 3 to 5 micron thick coating is typical for electro-galvanized fasteners used in most of the country, PrimeSource’s coating target for Grip-Rite nails are far above our typical coating standards so these fasteners meet building requirements in Miami-Dade County. “We do a lot of our own random testing and are very consistent in meeting that goal,” he says. “The coil roofing nails we sell in Miami-Dade have always been tested and approved by an accredited facility.”


He says that Grip-Rite 1¼ in. electro-galvanized coil roofing nails are now available through the usual distribution channels.


For a summary of the University of Florida study, go to http://www.rcasf.org/upload/UF FBC 3-2-16 Fastener Corrosion.ppsx



http://www.primesourcebp.com/us/en/news/community/press-release-may-25th-2016-miami-dade


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