Preventing water from forming droplets at the rear of wooden exterior stairs and rusting riser

Question

Context:

I have exterior stair that lead up to the second floor in a triplex that I purchased. The stairs are to be redone by sanding them and repainting them. The steps are wooden and the risers are made out of steel and painted. I have observed that there a few rusts spots on the risers that I will need to sand out. I noticed that the areas with the most amount of rust are because water would pool at the rear of the steps and run down the metal.

Question:

Besides changing the grade of the step is there anything I could do that would reduce the likelihood of water forming at the rear of a step and pooling at around the metal?

Answer 1

Short answer no.

You could build a dam at the rear of the stairs and make sure that it is sealed to hold water. However that work is probably more difficult that changing the pitch of the treads.

Pooling water is also a hazard to anyone walking up or down the steps and a liability to you the owner.

Either change the pitch to the front, or better yet, seal the metal. In the long run, repair or replacing some stair parts will be cheaper than a lawsuit from someone falling because the stairs were not shedding water properly.