Titan Post Anchor and application of gasket kit to prevent future rust.
Good morning Gentlemen,
Thanks for including me on this. I appreciate direct feedback from customers as they are my marching orders and guide me as my product line develops.
My site is being completely revamped now that I have a full time web master working beside daily. This update will go live in October. Many more things are in the works including more videos and pictures of which my distributors are free to use on their sites as well. So that is helpful feedback.
I read your comments on the gasket system and think I understand what you are getting at but if I missed the point please forgive me. The anchors (Primus and Fortis models) have a cavity underneath and so to achieve compression around the fastener entry points to the surface require the use of a high density spacer which closely matches the depth of the cavity so that it is compress onto the EPDM rubber gasket to get that seal. It is about the best concept for this kind of application I can think of. The ventilation issue you mention must refer to the air space in the cavity itself. Is this correct? Certainly it is not air tight. The corners are bent and touch each other but it is not a vacuum. So air, and humidity will get in there the same as around the outside of the anchor.
Weep hole are not a bad idea – perhaps on the sides somewhere and maybe even at ground or surface level. I like that comment and will think of this seriously over the coming weeks as I tweak my tooling etc. In the meantime I would not lose any sleep over worrying about humidity inside that air cavity causing rust or corrosion at any different rate or to any different extent than what you will be able to observe from the exterior because it is all hot dip galvanized – not electro-static galvanization and then powder coat painted. This is the very next best thing to stainless steel.
Now you mention you are from Maine and if you are in a coastal community the salt air may accelerate the corrosive effects on the anchors, even if hot dipped. However I still think you are going to see a very high level of performance with these give the specifications.
But as Robert mentioned I have the first run of 316 stainless steel (marine grade) 4×4 anchors arriving in about 2 weeks. This was a commitment I made after a 6 month online survey that confirmed without doubt the need and desire for a marine grade product particularly in the coastal regions of the country. So there it is. But these are very expensive to make so I can only imagine the market will be limited.
The next round of Titan anchors is the Titan Fortis – as the name implies it’s stronger and “beefier”. It has a wider and longer tube and thicker base and is used with a custom through barrel bolt I designed to give maximum strength against post splitting when under extreme horizontal load. Testing will be done this winter but it will be beyond the Titan Primus for sure. In addition, the next run of Fortis anchors with have an embossed surface on top that will be inside the periphery of the walls of the post and elevate the post base about 1/8″ above the surrounding base surface so the post bottom, which already is well above the wet deck surface, will stay even drier and dry off even quicker after rain showers.
I would be very pleased to send you a sample of the stainless anchor when it arrives. I truly believe it will be as close to a “final” solution for the coastal folks as technology will allow. And if it has my name on it nothing else will do.
Thanks for contacting me and all your comments. Very much appreciated. The Titan Post Anchor can be purchased at www.myocstore.com and can also be viewed with video and instructions at www.ottercreekforestproducts.com
