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It is common practice in the domestic building industry for carpenters, builder’s, handymen and many house re-stumpers alike, to use 75mm x 75mm steel house columns and it is very common for them to refer to them as "galvanised steel" column posts or supports or steel house stumps. But; DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE PAYING FOR, OR GETTING FOR THAT MATTER?

It is common practice for the 'El cheapo' contractors to use ''DuraGal'' steel columns or ''SupaGal'' steel columns, rather than 'hot dip galvanised steel', as 'DuraGal' & ''SupaGal'' are of a lower quality coating and far less expensive than the top quality, hot dip treated galvanised steel columns that I use and recommend.

Hot dip galvanised steel columns, which are the best money can buy and really are the kind that you should use if you're going to replace or change your old house stumps from wood or concrete stumps to steel columns, or replacing rusted out steel columns.  And if you live within 5 kilometres from any salt water or salt air; Do you or any of your neighbours within 5 kilometres have a salt water pool, or have a river within 5 kilometres of your home?

I would not use anything but Hot dip galvanised steel columns!

The four types of steel house columns:  

...There are four types of steel house columns, which I will list here for you and in order of quality from best to worst.  I shall also explain the reasons as to why this is, and how price can differ between the qualities of the house columns and how they are manufactured.

Ø      'Hot dip galvanised' steel columns : These are THE BEST money can buy!

They are manufactured from non-treated square tubular steel.  Top and bottom plates are welded onto them.  There are two 12mm holes drilled into both the top and bottom plates & centre of the tube.  They are then sent away to the galvaniser, who then acid bathes them, to rid them of any grease, dirt and oils...Once this is done, the column is removed from the acid bath, dried and then submerged into the hot liquid galvanising mixture, where the column is treated with a coating of galvanising - 45 microns thick - inside and out - as per 'Australian standards 1650' which will prevent any rusting what so ever!

Ø      'SupaGal' steel columns ARE NOT acid bathed and are nothing more than a sprayed on zinc coating over the steel column, from the supplier after it was manufactured.  The fabricator will weld non-treated top and bottom plates onto the column, then treat the welds with what is called 'a zinc stick', then cold galvanising paint, then sprayed with silver paint to make the column look as though it is galvanised steel, as per Australian standard 1650/2.

Ø      'DuraGal' steel columns are the same; not acid bathed or dipped! It is merely a zinc coating sprayed only on the out side of the steel - not coated inside.  Again; The fabricator will weld; non-treated top and bottom plates onto the column, then treat the welds with what is called a zinc stick, then cold galvanising paint and then sprayed with silver paint to make the column look as though it is galvanised steel, as per Australian standard 1650/2.

Ø      Standard steel columns The same; not acid bathed or dipped; the welds are not zinc sticked and are only painted with one coat of blue or red oxide paint, outside only, including top and bottom plates - No Australian standard applies! 

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Do you know what steel house columns you’re getting or paying for?

The photos below are of GENUINE 'hot dipped galvanised' steel columns - Identifiable by;        

                Bottom plates                                                    Top plates

ü      Two holes in the top and bottom plates at the centre of the tube

ü      Are rough to the touch    

 ü Should have light and dark speckles all over the column with odd and uneven shapes to coating.

 ü     Should be all one uniform colour top to bottom and should not show any signs of silver paint anywhere on it at all and should not have any grey under-coat type of paint on them.

ü   ü  Should not be silky smooth to the touch when you run your hands over it and there should not be a high gloss silver shine to it.     

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The photographs BELOW are of INFERIOR 'SupaGal' & 'DuraGal' steel columns - Identifiable by;

·         They are very shiny and very smooth to the touch.

·         No 12mm holes drilled into the top or bottom plates.

·        Are not a uniform colour top and bottom - plates will be sprayed with grey oxide paint, or silver paint and the colours will not match, as shown below…Of course they may also be painted in blue or red oxide paint.

·        Another not commonly known fact, is that Duragal / Supagal columns are not zinc coated on the inside where it is most important; They SHOULD BE COATED, as it would add a little longer lifetime to the column, but they are NOT!

The manufacture of 'SupaGal' & 'DuraGal' commences with flat sheets of steel, which are untreated against rust and are assembled through a system of rolling and pressing into shape.  They are then seam welded to complete the process.  The trouble IS; even the welds are not coated to prevent rusting!  You can see by these photographs; that even this fairly new section of 'SupaGal', is ALREADY forming surface rust both externally & internally!

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Do steel columns rust and what is the life span of a column?

The answer is; YES - a standard blue or red oxide painted column will rust and the life span on a standard blue or red oxide painted column such as this, is around 10 to 12 years only.  It also depends on where the column is positioned at your home, as if it is on the outer walls of your home, the rusting posses is much faster due to condensation build up inside of the column and the water will fill the tube to ground or concrete level and sit there, then rust out your column from the inside out!  By the time you DO notice it, it is far too late, as there will be a large hole through it and a build up of rust flake around it as well.

'SupaGal' steel columns & 'DuraGal' steel columns are prone to doing just the same thing, but over a longer period of time, but they are much the same as the standard blue or red oxide painted column - they will fill with water (condensation) - as our following video clearly shows!

The photos below are of standard blue oxide painted and Duragal / Supagal steel Columns. 

When you have looked at these photos, think about it and ask yourself "how can that water penetrate steel?"  The answer is, it cannot.  The water and rust that you see in these steel house columns is caused by condensation building up in the bottoms of these columns for many years; the water built up to ground level, so that means that these columns have filled up to 750mm with water, as that is how far they were put into the ground!

...So you tell me; if the columns have a top and bottom plate welded to them & the weld integrity is good - what other way can water gain access to the inside of the columns - other than by a build up of condensation?

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Hot dipped Galvanised steel columns will not rust and water build up and condensation will not affect a true 'Hot dipped galvanised' steel house column : I have NEVER seen one rust out yet!

...After looking at the photos above and reading about the types of house columns on the market and knowing what you do now - THE TRUTH about steel house columns, why would you take a cheaper price and have installed cheap quality materials, when Hot dipped galvanised steel house columns are the best quality you can get and are only around $30 more to buy than the cheaper quality of 'SupaGal' & 'DuraGal' steel?

 ...Do you know what is holding your home up?

Condensation

What causes condensation to rust out a steel column?

Due to the extreme heat of days in Queensland and the cooler temperatures of night, this causes condensation (moisture) to build up and run down the inner walls of the steel column and well at the bottom.  Over time, the well will fill up to ground or concrete level, sit there & cause rusting.  As a steel column is sealed top and bottom, no water can run away to keep the inside of the column clear of water and the ensuing rusting that will take place relatively quickly.

Are all steel house columns the same price, or why is there a difference between prices from contractor to contractor?

This will explain why this is so;

One contractor may (as I would), quote to put in only the best quality he can get, so the job is done right first time and this contractor will not short cut on quality over price for lesser quality materials, therefore this is reflected in his total costs.

So this contractor will quote for using Hot dipped galvanised steel house columns that are 75mm x 75mm square x 4.5 mm thick and allow for Hot dipped galvanised steel wind/movement cross bracing which is 12mm thick to ensure that the quality and strength is there and that the job is of top quality and will not have to be done again!

Whereas contractor number two, MAY NOT CARE about quality (and this is sadly the most common attitude these days!), just as long as the quote is cheap, so he gets the job and your money!  He does not have your best interests in mind, so this contractor will use 'SupaGal', 'DuraGal' or standard painted blue or red oxide steel columns, which are 75mm x 75mm square x 3.0mm or 3.5mm thick, and use mild painted or unpainted 10mm or 12mm steel wind/movement cross bracing and just welded to the columns or not use any cross bracing at all!  So this is a much cheaper quality job and will cost far less to do, so this will reflect in his total price against the other contractor who does care about his name, his reputation and the quality of his workmanship.

Yes, it is true that steel house columns come in different thicknesses, but are a standard size, which is 75mm x 75mm square.  However thickness is the main thing to seek, as it is very common for cheaper contractors to use thinner steel to cut down on price.  It is all too common to see the cheap builders to use 2.5mm, 3.0mm & 3.5mm thickness gauge steel house columns, rather than pay the little extra money and get the thicker gauge of 4.5mm which the thickness gauge of steel that you can get in 75mm x 75mm domestic house columns...

I have seen while driving to work - even houses in the same street where I’m working, where the house has been lifted and restumped, all on steel house columns, many of these homes are well over 2.4 meters high and have been sat on 75mm x 75mm 'SupaGal' or 'DuraGal' steel columns!

Now the building code law states, that if the supports under a building are 2400mm or more, above ground level to a timber bearer or a steel beam;

the steel house columns are to be no less than 100mm x 100mm square (4 x 4 inches) and no less than 5.5mm in thickness and if it is a concrete stump; the stumps are to be not less than 230 x 230 square (9" x 9"), 250mm x 250mm or (10 x 10 inches) with extra 12mm round steel reinforcing rods.

...Sadly, as I said; many contractors want your money, so will work cheap and compromise on quality just to get a job, which is a shame, as it takes exactly the same amount of time and effort to do the same job using top quality materials which will give you a long lasting trouble free finished product!

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The image below, shows you how to pick 'duragal' and 'supagal' steel house columns, from hot dip galvanised steel house columns...This photo is a 'supergal' steel house column; how can I tell?  There are three tell tail signs that I will point out to you here;

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Below, is another duragal or supagal steel house column, on the outside wall...You may like to note the rusting on the top of the column, where the top plate has been welded to the column.  You may also like to note; where the 'cold gal' paint has weathered away, allowing this rusting process to occur.

You may think; "well, it is only on the top and I can sand it back and repaint it..."  YES, YOU CAN!  But if you do sand or rub this back in any way, you will also remove the zinc coating over the steel column there, which will greatly hasten the rusting process, if you do not repaint the column on a regular basis. 

You may prevent the top of this column from rusting, as the same process has been used, not only on the top plate of this column, but also the bottom.

Now as the column is set in concrete, and in the ground; the ground will retain moisture to a point and concrete due to its porous nature, is known to also 'suck up' ground moisture...This means that the column is subject to continuous moisture contact below ground level where the same process will occur...

A little known fact about concrete, is that it contains some corrosive compounds, such a lime.  When lime comes into contact with the 'cold gal paint coating' on the bottom of the column when the concrete is first mixed and placed into the hole; these corrosive compounds will eat away the cold gal paint coating - simply said; protection gone ~ rust starts!  However, you are not able to treat what you cannot get to - so the column will rust out and the job you paid good money for, thinking that you will never have to do again, WILL have to be done again!

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THESE PHOTOGRAPHS BELOW - ARE GENUINE HOT DIPPED GALVANISED STEEL HOUSE COLUMNS AND STEP STRINGERS

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The photographs below, are 'duragal' & 'supagal' steel house columns; 

You can notice the difference in quality - this is the cheaper, poorer quality product.

Painted with cold gal paint to try and prevent rusting, as this builder obviously liked to sacrifice

Quality for price.  (I'd bet that he did not sacrifice quality for price on his home and used the best!)

REMEMBER THIS;

“QUALITY” DOES COME AT A PRICE! 

~ The cheaper the price, the lower the quality of the materials and the “QUALITY” of the work.  If a builder quotes to do work on your home and you get three or four prices and three are around the same in value give or take $ 1,500.00 either way and the last quote is lets say for arguments sake

$2,175.00 cheaper than the lowest quote from the first three, I would be very concerned as to the quality of the workmanship as well as the materials this person is going to use.  For if the materials did not 'fall off the back of a truck', or this builder did some 'midnight shopping', you're going to get a very poor “QUALITY” job and materials personally picked out of the seconds bin...which is only a few steps away from the scrap metal bin!

JUST BECAUSE 'DURAGAL' AND / OR 'SUPAGAL' STEEL HOUSE COLUMNS HAVE THE WORD “GAL” IN THE NAME OF THE PRODUCT; DO NOT THINK FOR ONE MINUTE THAT YOUR GETTING A GALVANISED OR HOT DIPPED GALVANISED STEEL PRODUCT INSTALLED IN YOUR HOME,  AS YOU'RE NOT!  WHAT YOU'RE GETTING, IS NOTHING MORE THAN A ZINC COATED PRODUCT.  THE CONTRACTOR IS NOT TELLING YOU THAT YOU'RE PAYING TOP DOLLAR FOR SECOND QUALITY MATERIALS.  IF THE STEEL COLUMNS ARE NOT “HOT DIPPED GALVANISED” - YOU'RE NOT GETTING THE BEST AND YOU'RE NOT GETTING QUALITY, BUT YOU ARE PAYING TOP DOLLAR FOR THE INFERIOR PRODUCT!

...I WOULD FEEL SOMEWHAT CHEATED TO KNOW THIS...

AS THE HOME OWNER, IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO ASK THE QUESTIONS, DO THE HOME WORK FIRST AND TO KNOW WHAT YOU'RE PAYING FOR!  AND IT IS UP TO YOU TO SATISFY YOURSELF THAT YOU ARE GETTING VALUE FOR YOUR MONEY AND THAT YOU ARE GETTING TOP QUALITY PRODUCTS FOR YOUR HOME!

AS THE HOME OWNER; WHENEVER YOU'RE HAVING PLANS DRAWN UP FOR BUILDING IN UNDER YOUR HOME, IT IS UP TO YOU TO INSTRUCT AND INSIST TO THE ARCHITECT, DRAFTSMAN OR ENGINEER, TO CLEARLY STATE IN THE PLAN THAT ONLY 'HOT DIPPED GALVANISED STEEL' PRODUCT ARE TO BE USED!

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The photograph on the left, is an inside view of a house column...Take a good look and tell me what you see?  Yes that’s right, it is rust that you see. 

You may ask; "How can there be rust on the inside of a sealed column?"

> The rust in this column is caused by condensation building up over the years.

Click on photographs below, to view our amazing

videos of just HOW MUCH water & muck CAN & DOES

collect INSIDE of a steel column!

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Glenn Palframan House Restumping.
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Revised: 09/12/11.