Protection For Outdoor Lighting Systems:
Pole Protection

Why You Deserve A Double Lighting Pole Protection

I often take care of my skin. During the winter I protect it against the cold. I use warm clothes to keep my temperature and avoid illness. During the summer I use sunscreen to avoid any sunburns. In the same way, the solar street lights poles are subject to environmental stresses. Like our skin, they must be protected from rain, sun, cold, etc. Only in this way they can have a healthy long life.

Protection for Outdoor Lighting Systems: Pole Protection

The most important part of maintaining an off-grid solar system is taking good care of the battery bank. This can extend the life of your batteries and cut down the long-term cost of your RE system.

How To Choose Outdoor Lighting Systems With Pole Protection

Solar street lights have become very popular in recent years. As demand increases, unscrupulous suppliers have begun appearing on the market. They undercut legit players with poorly made poles just to make a quick buck. These lighting poles tend to look good within the first month of installation but start to show rust after only half a year.

There are three things you should look for when choosing solar lighting poles:

• Material
• Galvanization
• Coating

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Strong As Steel

Steel is an alloy made of iron and carbon. Outdoor lighting poles should be made of steel because it is exceedingly strong compared to other metals. Other benefits of steel poles are:

• Steel is 100% reusable, making it fully compliant with cradle-to-cradle policy
• Steel is insensitive to galvanic corrosion
• Steel is highly suitable for welding
• Steel can withstand metal fatigue
• Production of steel requires relatively little energy
• Steel poles are less vulnerable to collisions
• Steel can be easily formed and shaped in a variety of ways

SunMaster installs street lighting poles that are made of Q235 steel. The Q235 classification is a structural steel grade that is usually used in bridges. The Q235 is equivalent to.
ASTM 36 in USA; S235JR as per EN-10025 standards; RSt37-2 as for DIN 17100 standards; Fe360B as per ISO standard.

Steel Q235 needs protection against oxygen, salt and moisture. In order for steel poles to withstand outdoor elements, they must be properly treated for preservation. Without treatment, steel will succumb to forces of nature and return to its original form: iron rust.
A well-preserved street lighting pole has a virtually limitless lifespan. SunMaster uses the two most common preservation methods: thermal galvanization and powder coating.

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Thermal Galvanization

Thermal galvanization is a physical process that involves submerging steel in molten zinc. Before a steel object is submerged in a hot zinc plating solution (450°C), it is de-greased, stained and fluxed. The entire thermal galvanization process is laid out in the EN-ISO 1461 standard. Thermal galvanization has two major advantages over other preservation methods:

1. Full submersion. Because the entire steel surface is coated with a hot layer of zinc, the interior of the pole and all vulnerable components surrounding the assembly hatch are also protected.

2. Amalgamated zinc. As zinc fuses with steel, it creates an inseparable layer. If the zinc surface is damaged, the cathode effect prevents the steel pole from corroding.

A thermally galvanized pole is guaranteed to last a minimum of 40 years without maintenance.
SunMaster street lighting poles – individual stems and their shelf – are galvanized with a minimum thickness of 70μm.

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Powder Coating

Powder coating is essential to lighting pole protection. It adds another sealing layer to the steel pole with an extremely high resistance to mechanical stress. The powder coating process starts with applying an electrical charge to thermally fuse the powder to the surface. The steel pole is then heated to 180°C in a furnace to make the powder stick completely. When the powder hardens, it forms a high-quality protective layer.

SunMaster steel poles are treated with a baked-on polyester-powder coating that provides the following benefits:

• Extremely smooth finish that is easy to clean
• Timeless attractive appearance
• Ability to withstand extreme weather changes without cracking or peeling

When it comes to lighting pole protection, one should never skimp on material and preservation techniques. Source your street lighting systems only from a supplier with experience and expertise in modern steel technologies.