Do Steel Beam Headers in CMU need to be galvanized? 3

[Revv]

Hey Guys,

So just wondering if I need to spec my steel beam lintels in CMU Walls to be galvanized. Seems like maybe I should but wanted to see if this is common practice or not?

Thank you!

 

[driftLimiter]

What is the exposure condition of the header?

 

[Revv]

@driftlimiter

It is embed in an exterior CMU Wall with the only exposed section being part of the bottom of the bottom flange since the rest will be wrapped in CMU.

 

[dik]

If the bottom is exposed, and it's not an interior installation, I'd likely HDG the lintel. Protection can be accomplished by other coating, but this is often neglected over a period of time.

So strange to see the singularity approaching while the entire planet is rapidly turning into a hellscape. -John Coates

-Dik

 

[driftLimiter]

Agreed with @dik. Pretty much if it isn't totally inside then you gotta do something to protect it.

 

[JLNJ]

I like using masonry lintels. Don't need to worry about corrosion or fire rating or setting steel pieces.

 

[Enable]

In my experience it depends. In residential it's 99.5% of the time primed only. In commercial it's about 50/50 if it's galvanized or not. My preferred option is to present the trade-off to the Owner or client and let them decide.

 

[dhengr]

Revv:
They can be galvanized, and in a salty air environment, maybe they should be. But, in 50 years of design, I couldn’t begin to count the number of steel lintels, usually with primer, which I’ve spec’ed. and designed. What a waste of extra scheduling, project time and total cost. They could also be painted with a zinc rich paint/primer system, which would more than likely offer enough protection for normal exterior applications, at considerable savings. And, we wonder why bldgs. have gotten so damn expensive, everyone wants solid gold fixtures, but nobody wants to pay for them. And, we are always the goats for making bldgs. cost so much. After all, all bldgs. need to be maintained, from time to time, after they are built, and a few steel lintels are no exception. Yes, give the owner the choice.

 

[XR250]

I rarely see galvanized lintels. I do see some non-galvanized ones in old houses having corrosion jacking issues which wreaks havoc on the brick veneer. Usually only on houses with a lot of rain exposure, however.

 

[hokie66]

It would be nice if everyone had access to galvanized lintels as a commodity item. In Australia, Galintels are common.

https://www.galintel.com.au/products/lintels/

 

[JoelTXCive]

Here is an exterior ~20 year old lintel South of Houston. We have a pretty humid environment...

I bet it was not painted until after the rust really took hold.