Rusted Galvanized Steel Wall Studs - Question...?

Would probably take years, depending on the climate, and how often the studs are exposed to moisture.

If the studs are continuously moist 24/7/365, and the temperatures in the area is fairly warm, It could conceivably happen in less than 4 years if the studs are thin sheet metal. Like, the thickness of a car door or a steel food can. keep in mind that water and condensation can be trapped between the concrete and the edge of the metal studs, even if the rest of wall appears dry.

IF the crack in the extension wall also existed before you bought the home, then it's reasonable the rust problem also existed previously. You'll need to be able to prove the former, though. Repair issues like this are usually buyer-beware if you only have your own word for it.

Also if the problem with the sprinklers was a chronic problem, and not a one-time thing, you'd have reason to believe that the rust issue was previous to you buying the home. That depends on the previous owner's level of disclosure, and whether you identified and documeted the problem before the house was bought.

Will Galvanized Metal Rust

I disagree with your first responses. Corrosion can happen quite fast. I am not sure what corrosion studies have been done on sheetmetal studs but, in a perfect world, somebody should have done some, ideally, the company that first developed them which may be the company that still produces them (It is probably a company that sells these whoelsale).

I suspect they are stamped from galvanized steel sheet so the cut edges expose some ungalvanized steel and the corrosion protection may not be that good. In the presence of water, particularly water that is seeping through concrete, corrosion could be very accelerated. Under these conditions, the pH of the water is likely to be different than 7.0. There could be various chemicals (fertilizers, termite pesticides, etc) in the water. The studs could be in electrical contact through the water with other metals like copper pipes or an electrical ground from the building power panel. Electrolytic corrosion can occur quite rapidly.

If any of these conditions exist, it could easily be days or weeks rather than years.

Years.

Sorry, I couldn't tell you exactly how many, obvioulsy guage of metal, amount of galvinization, and conditions metla is in would play a role.

The galvanized metal studs are coated with zinc, this acts as a sacrificial annode, and must be rusted off before the steel itself can begin to visibly rust. this takes some time, definitely more than months, maybe in really bad conditions under a year.

Once the galvanizationn is rusted off, the steel will rust fast, being thin guage steel it will soon disintegrate

RE:

Rusted Galvanized Steel Wall Studs - Question...?

Thanks in advance. I'm looking for information regarding the rusting of metal wall studs. I'm trying to get an idea realistically how long it would take a metal wall stud to rust so badly it not only comes off it's foundation, but is left in a completely disintegrated state.

I...

IF the rust is superficial, then use that wire brush and some sandpaper to get it down to the metal. Then use a good metal primer on the entire trailer. Go right over the paint that is already there. Give it two days to really dry well. Then use an EPOXY-based paint. Or, if you can find the facility that does it, go to a powder application epoxy facility, and get it powder-coated with epoxy. But in either case, use an epoxy based paint. Allow a week for complete setup of the paint, and you will have a trailer that will never rust again!! Enjoy!!

It takes a long time. Galv. is used for precisely that reason. When a galv. post is scratched through to the steel the scratch tries to heal due to the anode-cathode effect making it very hard for rust to progress. You might like to Google "cement and corrosion", for some answers as to how it may have happened.

As for the studs, they are easy to fix. Cut out the damaged pieces and using them as templates have new bits made. Alter the position of bolt holes to miss the original ones. Have the new bits heavily galvanized. Grind off the galv. on the original and new next to the join for welding. Weld in place. The first one always takes the longest.

Using a disc cutter saves effort, remember to support any load. Luck.

Corrosion rates of steel in concrete