What you'll notice
Rust streaks running down the wall below the dish, visible corrosion on the bracket, and bolts that are seized or crumbling.
Why it happens
Non-galvanised or painted mild steel hardware in an outdoor environment, dramatically accelerated within a few kilometres of the coast by salt-laden air.
Rust streaks down a wall are the visible warning; the structural problem behind them is further along than it looks, because corrosion attacks the bolt shank inside the wall where you cannot see it.
The coastal reality
Within roughly five kilometres of the sea, ordinary galvanised steel corrodes at a rate that surprises people from inland. Durban, Cape Town, Gqeberha, East London and the Garden Route all sit squarely in that band. Hardware that lasts fifteen years in Pretoria may last three in Umhlanga.
Specification, not brand
Hot-dip galvanised brackets and stainless fixings are the right call near the coast. Painted mild steel is not — paint chips, and corrosion starts at the chip. The difference in cost at installation is modest; the difference in service life is not.
The staining itself
Rust runoff on face brick or a painted wall is difficult to remove entirely once it has soaked in, which is a good reason to deal with a corroding bracket early rather than after another rainy season.
What we check while we are there
If the bracket has corroded, the F-connector at the LNB and the cable's outer sheath have been living in the same air. We inspect them at the same time — replacing a bracket and leaving a corroded connector means being called back for the same underlying cause.
How we fix it
We replace the bracket with hot-dip galvanised or stainless hardware appropriate to the location, treat the wall, and re-align. On coastal properties the specification matters more than the price difference suggests.
Still not working?
If the checks above haven't restored your dish mount & bracket, this usually needs a technician. Our Satellite Dish Installation service covers exactly this fault — from R850, quoted upfront.