Residential Monolithic Footing Exposed Rebar

[JRoutley]

Recently ran into a foundation contractor who pours his footing + stem walls monolithically and uses horizontal rebar set directly ontop of his footing forms to hold up the stem wall forms. After the pour he has essentially #4 bar that will forever stick out of the stem wall and beyond footing face by 1"(after forms are removed). I have never seen anything like this however he claims he has done it this way for 30+ years and no inspector or engineer every questioned. Per builder the bar is not used as reinforcement and doesn't make contact with structural bars inside wall to avoid corrosion. Thoughts?

 

[ANE91]

The metals don’t need to make physical contact. Contact via an electrolyte is sufficient. A moist concrete matrix provides for a good electrolyte.

Further, the surface around the protruding bars provides a locus for freeze-thaw damage and the penetration of chlorides and sulfates.

As always, the application matters. I wouldn’t blink if I saw this on a house. You’re lucky there’s steel in the foundation, at all. The “structural bars” are probably sitting on the dirt and corroding away, anyway.