• Ratchets breaking strain: Exceeds 1,900 pounds
• PET Strap breaking load: Exceeds 1,300 pounds-force
• Stack Strap Chimney Mount brackets are stronger than traditional Y and Z chimney mount brackets
• Over 200,000 brackets sold without injury or damage

• Manufactured by Blake UK an ISO 9001 accredited manufacture
• Steel conforms to BS En 10025
• Welding conforms to BS En 15614
• Galvanizing conforms to BS EN IS O1461

There are many ways of protecting metal from the weather. Common methods adopted for protecting antenna mounts and brackets include painting, zinc electroplating or passivation and hot-dip galvanizing.

Painting can be the lowest-cost method but usually gives relatively weak protection. One industrial method adopted for painting steel brackets is to immerse the component in a bath of ‘paint’ (actually a specialist coating formulation). This process may be preceded by a degreasing stage and followed by draining and drying, the latter being either natural air drying or accelerated by the use of ovens.

Electroplated zinc and passivation (“zinc & pass.”) provides good protection, but with a fairly limited lifetime when used outdoors. Electroplated coatings are thin and will corrode away, typically in under ten years. Chromate passivation is a chemical post-treatment which is nearly always used in conjunction with electroplated zinc finishes. Passivation imparts the familiar greeny-yellow colour. Thinner passivation can give a white or shiny finish; this looks cleaner when new but is less effective. Although passivation improves corrosion performance in salt spray tests, it does not greatly increase the lifetime of a part such as an aerial bracket in typical outdoor conditions.

Hot-dip galvanizing is the process of dipping steel components into a bath of molten zinc, following a chemical cleaning pre-treatment. The zinc reacts with the steel to form intermetallic alloy layers, ensuring intimate metallurgical bonding between the substrate and the zinc outer surface. A galvanized zinc coating is very much thicker – possibly an order of magnitude thicker – than a passivated electroplated zinc finish and has a correspondingly longer lifetime.

Section 17 of the CAI Code of Practice for the Installation of Terrestrial and Satellite TV Reception Systems states that hot dip galvanized brackets should always be used. This is for good reason; the installer will have peace of mind that a good job has been done if dip galvanized products have been installed. A galvanized bracket or mount will always be considered to have superior protection compared to a painted or plated item. Use of the inferior finishes inevitably leads to rusting once the coating has failed – and this in turn can lead to unsightly staining of brickwork and masonry, as is all too often seen!

Brackets/mounts that are supporting a substantial amount of weight should, ideally always be galvanized. Weld strength will be maintained and the life span of the component will be greatly extended if the product is galvanized. The installer should recognise that a galvanized part is always the best choice, especially when bearing in mind the wind loading on a bracket/mount when the antenna or dish are installed.

Chimney Mounts are proudly manufactured and protected by hot-dip galvanizing.

Manufacturing
Blake UK Brackets are manufactured either in house or by a small combination of high quality overseas manufacturing partners. All partners manufacture brackets to the same rugged designs and high quality standards to ensure that the brackets are correct and optimised to the job they are designed for. You can easily identify Blake UK brackets by the trade mark.

Products
All Blake UK products are designed to be fully fit for purpose and Blake UK has over the years designed innovative brackets to meet new requirements in terms of aerial, commercial and domestic satellite requirements. The Blake UK range has a bracket to meet almost all needs.

Bespoke Products
As Blake UK continues to design and manufacture in house the company is able to offer a bespoke design and manufacturing service. Specific or unusual requirements can be discussed with the Blake UK design team and brackets, satellite mounts or any other fabrications can be made either exactly to your specification or to meet your needs, whether as individual pieces or full installations, in any volume required. Enquiries for this service can be made by phone or email through the Contact Us page.

Quality
All Blake UK products are made to the relevant standards and specifications. Steel conforms to BS EN 10025, the welding conforms to BS EN 15614 and galvanising where required conforms to BS EN IS O1461.

Blake UK has ISO 9001 accreditation and for your peace of mind ensures that all its suppliers and sub suppliers conform to the same standards of quality and traceability. Blake UK also insists that its suppliers and sub suppliers, whether UK based or overseas conform to UK style standards of Health and Safety and environmental policies.