Do you have to redo the gutters in a house near the sea? And do you want to know what is the most suitable material in this type of environment? Let’s see together the answer of our expert Alessandro to one of the readers of our blog who asked us this question.

The question.

Our reader asks if AISI 304 stainless steel can be a valid material for gutters to be assembled in a house located in a maritime area. Of course, the answer must be preceded by some important premises.

Gutters for a house near sea. Which steel to choose?

In this case, it is necessary to have more detailed indications than the proximity to the sea of the house we’re talking about. If this is very close to the sea, in fact, it could have problems with salt or suffer aggression from a saline environment. In this case,  AISI 304 stainless steel is not the most suitable solution. Our expert, in fact, suggests the use of the AISI 316 stainless steel or, even better,  the AISI 316L. The latter, in fact, is ideal for use in saline environments or near sea areas for limited exposures (for example: not permanently in contact with salted or submerged water).

Why choose the AISI 316?

The AISI 316 L stainless steel is thus the most suitable for several reasons. Let’s see what:

• Molybdenum present in the alloy (with a percentage between 2 and 3%) helps chromium oxide to improve the protective film. The passive layer, thus, is more resistant to the attack of chlorides (such as the sodium one).
   
• Thanks to a carbon content not exceeding 0.03% (“L”, in fact, stands for “Low carbon”), it can guarantee excellent corrosion resistance (even after reaching certain temperatures, necessary, for example, to weld) avoiding the risk of precipitation of carbides.

   

Visit our website and discover how easy it is for businesses to buy online our stainless steel products.

Fasteners, marine hardware, fittings and fixing systems for photovoltaic installations.

Do you want to read more articles? Click here.