3 Year Old Home – Should my metal awnings be rusting?
Hello, I’m looking for advice here. I’m in Phoenix and my home is 3 years old and I have these metal awnings. From the beginning I have had a problem with rusting which, when it rains, results in rust stains on the pavers below my awnings.
I believe I have a window where I can get the contractor (a production builder) to fix this still. I have made several problem reports and each time they sent someone out and I’m not sure what they did really, but they assured me the problem was taken care of but it was not. Now they say they are done and that this is normal.
I need to determine if this is indeed normal or if they should have made these awnings differently. If it’s normal I’ll drop the issue, but I don’t want to let the builder off the hook if these are defective. See the pictures.
Thanks!
Replies
What was the framing of these soffits made of?
Actually, give the details on all the parts, rust in the desert seems odd. Some dissimilar metals corrode on contact.
I'm not sure exactly what you're referring to but I believe it's all made from the same metal and I believe it's all steel. Now I know that steel will rust but to rust this much this fast seems to tell me that they didn't properly coat or paint it. I would hope and expect these are powder coated but I have no way of knowing. I just want to make sure I'm being reasonable and correct if I insist on having them fix this.
You need to know the type of metal to ensure it’s truly rust, I know that sounds odd. But only metals with iron or iron oxides truly rust. Aluminum can corrode, as can stainless steel if the protective coating has been scratched. Ever use a stainless steel screw and seen the head begin to form what appears to be rust?
Do you have documentation of each time they’ve come out and said they fixed it? Ask the builder for the name of the manufacturer and find out what their warranty is. Does the manufacturer say their product is powder coated? I’ve had powder coated items fail in an handful of years, usually due to improper prep work before the powder coating goes on. Also ask what they did exactly to remedy the situation. They may need to use a marine grade paint.
To me, it looks like water has been sitting with no way to escape, most likely rain water and with the pollution in Phoenix now as opposed to when I was young, a good amount of acid rain. You can’t combine metal and water without some form of rusting or corrosion occurring. Some like copper, just take a longer time. There are products on the market to deal with acid rain the more expensive products cost more.
The contractor should have a ladder or scaffolding to properly access the awnings. I would strongly suggest they use that route rather than coming into your home and hanging out a window. You really don’t want to be tied up in a lawsuit because someone leaned out too far and fell.