I have a part of my house with a 24 x 24 addition that is just one floor. The floor joists are 2x12 with a 4" steel I-Beam through the center (at the 12' point). There is a wooden post in the middle of the I Beam (right in the middle of the room), which I recently discovered is very loose and doesn't appear to be supporting anything. I think it was placed there originally because of a partition wall which has been torn out. I am wondering if the the steel I Beam will support a 24' span without this post in the center. H Hratchian

Well, there are 4-inch I beams, and then there are 4-inch I-beams...the weight of the beam can vary, and therefore the strength. There are two "S" type I beams, one "M" type I-beam, and one "W" type I-beam, so that is four different I-beams with four different strengths. The "M" and "W" beams have the same flange width (4 inches) and thickness and very close to the same strength. The two "S" beams have flange widths of 2 5/8 and 2 2/4 incjhes and have less than 3/4 of the strength of the "W" and "M" beams. This may help you identify the beam type, but in any case, a 4-inch deep I-beam will probably not be enough to span 24 feet, no matter what it is carrying. and you failed to give us any clue as to what it is actually carrying. Roof load? Ceiling load? Both roof load AND ceiling load? And then we would need to know what the required design roof load would be, according to the building code in your jurisdiction.

I would not remove the post without sound professional advice from a qualified design professional who has visited the site and taken into account ALL the existing conditions that would affect the beam and post.