Rebar rust concern? (houses, new construction, bars)

[armour787]

I've recently watched some horrifying vidoes on youtube that the foundation of some houses were cracked and rebar rusted, they had to dug a trench around the house and fix the stem wall.

Is this a real concern in Florida too? I guess those vidoes probably show the worst case, but for new construction, should I be worried or is this only a problem with older houses?

Some folks are recommending galvanized rebar, some suggest the brand new fiber glass(not fiter glass covered, but it really made of fiber glass) bars. Any experience.

[laramik]

I'm a union ironworker up north and can attest that rebar does indeed eventually rust if exposed to moisture. Particularly salty moisture like on roads. We coat our rebar that's used on roads with an epoxy (much cheaper than fiber rebar). That being said however, roads/bridges in the south that are not exposed to salt use regular rebar. Unless you're house has serious structural problems that is allowing moisture into the concrete then you should not have any issues with your rebar rotting out. If regular rebar is good enough for the bridges millions of cars drive on every day then it should be more than adequate for your home. Last year I built a 67 story skyscraper in Chicago and all of that was made using regular uncoated rebar so you should be a-ok.

I definitely would not spend extra money on coated rrods. I don't think you'd ever need it.

[armour787]

Thanks! That's the exact kind of expert opinion I was looking for!