I can replace this rusted post but before I do I have questions!
This is the context:
This construction is about 30 years old. I live in a coastal city so there's plenty of salt in the rain. The ground level was level with the place it's rusted through completely. However, it was probably painted down to that level and no further. My assumption is that it's galvanised steel, but only because that's what's commonly used for this type of construction.
Firstly I just want to confirm that this is likely to be caused simply by being in the ground for 30 years. It's possible that in the past there was water ingress through the screw holes in the roof panels. I had someone replace those fixtures 4 years ago, so those seals are new.
My second question is, am I supposed to use some sort of footing to avoid the same thing happening again in another 20 years ? Should it be in some kind of stirrup like this or are these only for timber:
My third question is, the current top plate / bracket is custom made with welded parts. I don't have a welder nor any experience with that. Should I expect to find a purpose built standard top plate from wherever I buy the post? I could use 3x right angle brackets but that just doesn't feel like the right approach. Presently it looks like this:
Thanks!
Steel seems overkill here, I'd honestly just replace that with an NTR-A grade pressure-treated wooden post. Make sure to put the factory-cut end into the ground or treat it with some tar-like wood preservative. Don't use anything water-based as it won't absorb into the already wet lumber.
On the top I'd just use angle brackets since those aren't bearing any load - they're just keeping it in place. On the bottom I'd bury a few concrete patio slabs into the ground and maybe use some kind of steel post feet to anchor it down.
Thanks.
You're probably right but there's several other metal posts so I dont want this one to be significantly different.
Thanks for your input on the angle brackets. That seems sensible, theyre not load bearing.