Deltona Home Inspection Blog by a Florida Licensed Home Inspector: December 2012

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Chinese Drywall (Part II)

Since southern homes are exposed to higher temperatures and humidity signs of drywall will show up sooner on your copper pipes and air-conditioning coils. Anything containing copper will be affected; plumbing, electrical wiring, electrical components, TVs, computers, electrical motors in mixers, blenders, drills, and on and on.

I would recommend anyone purchasing a home or suspecting they have Chinese drywall have their home inspected. A ridiculous range of 2003 to 2007 is often tossed around. New construction or home repairs and remodels from 2001 until 2010 can be effected. It can be one sheet or your entire house covered with Chinese drywall. Pyrite oxidation may be the source of the sulfur compounds released by Chinese drywall.

I have done many inspections in Central Florida and always look for the signs of pyrite oxidation on copper plumbing and system components. Google Chinese drywall and you will get thousands of articles about class action lawsuits, health issues, effects, problems, signs, property damage, and decreased home values. This issue is far from over in fact it is only just being discover what the effects of Chinese drywall are. Chinese drywall has been link to developmental problems with children, radiation studies, and other disorders.

Homeowners should be aware of and attempt to avoid the following scams which builders have reported to the Attorney General’s Office:

Sale of bogus test kits. These can be expensive, often costing thousands of dollars, and are generally ineffective. The presence of defective imported drywall can only be determined through visual inspection.
Solicited home inspections costing thousands of dollars by “experts” with no apparent qualification. Homeowners should beware of cold calls and door-to-door solicitors.
Sale of sprays and applications which allegedly claim to miraculously cure the corrosion problem. Not only are these products ineffective, the addition of moisture may accelerate the corrosion problem.
Sale of ozone generators. Ozone will actually increase the chemical reaction between the drywall and copper and the corrosion will be accelerated.

Consumers who wish to file a complaint about these scams may do so by calling the Attorney General’s fraud hotline at 1-866-9-NO-SCAM (1-866-966-7226) or by filing a complaint online at http://myfloridalegal.com .

Chinese Drywall (Part 1)
Chinese Drywall Additional Information

Frank Carr is the Owner / Inspector at First Choice Home Inspections in Deltona, FL serving Volusia, Seminole, Orange and Lake Counties. Formerly in the building trades, Frank’s focus is a safe home in the Orlando Metro and Daytona Beach areas of Central Florida and building FCHI. We believe that consumers have the right to expect the highest standards of thoroughness, fairness and effectiveness from their home inspector and that is exactly what we provide.

First Choice Home Inspections

Residential Home Inspections in Central Florida

(386) 624-3893

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Saturday, December 22, 2012

Chinese Drywall (Part I)

This topic has been going round and round again. Everyone has an opinion about Chinese drywall but the plain fact is 90% of the people giving the advice are not qualified inspectors and have something to gain by giving one-sided advice. Stories featured in the New York Times, Orlando Weekly and other newspapers have followed the woes and the law suits related to Chinese drywall.

Chinese drywall began arriving in the United States in 2001 and was imported in larger quantities after the 2004 - 2005 hurricane repairs and continued in quantity until 2007. Chinese drywall continued to be imported and used in home construction throughout the US. Feb 2009, Senator Bill Nelson of Florida requested a ban on the defective drywall, and a bill urging the Consumer Product Safety Commission to recall Chinese-made drywall and temporarily ban its import. It was only in Nov of 2009 that the CPSC issued its report about Chinese drywall. Chinese drywall was installed in an unknown number of new construction projects throughout the US. I have seen numbers like 100,000 homes built with and half a billion pounds of drywall imported after 2006.

US Congressman Bill Posey, “The problems experienced in homes with the bad drywall include sulfuric odors and corrosion of certain materials. The corrosion seems to affect copper air conditioning compressor coils, electrical wires, fire and carbon monoxide alarms, and brass fittings used in natural gas furnaces and other electrical appliances.”

Southern States are more affected because high temperature and humidity cause copper surfaces to turn black and powdery, a chemical process indicative of reaction with hydrogen sulfide. Copper pipes, wiring, and air conditioner coils are affected, as well as silver jewelry. Homeowners have reported a variety of symptoms, including respiratory problems such as asthma attacks, chronic coughing and difficulty breathing, as well as chronic headaches and sinus issues.

Chinese Drywall (Part II)
Chinese Drywall Additional Information