What is Chinese Drywall?Today drywall has replaced plaster as an interior building material in 95 percent of United States homes. Due to its widespread use, the flawed shipments of this material have created many problems in the home building industry. During a home inpection we look for signs of this drywall.
Homeowners who have had Chinese drywall have reported these problems:
Chinese drywall is defective drywall made in China that contains potentially harmful substances. This problem is especially prevalent in Florida where 7 ports received shipments of the drywall. The material imported internationally, primarily between 2004 and 2006, has been used in tens of thousands of U.S. homes and is known to contain many harmful compounds. The Florida Department of Health has discovered a significant amount of strontium sulfide in the Chinese drywall, and it is also known to contain iron sulfide, hydrogen sulfide, carbonyl sulfide, sulfur dioxide, and carbon disulfide.
We can look for the signs that the defective product MAY be present in a home, but many times only a portion of the home contains Chinese Drywall, so full detection may be quite difficult. Aside from the obvious rotten egg smell this material may produce, our trained home inspectors attempt to identify Chinese drywall from other indicators as well. By examining the drywall along with the electrical wiring and air conditioner coils, we will be able to find any discoloration, blackened areas and spots that could be a result of Chinese drywall used in the home. Short of extremely invasive procedures we can only make our assumptions based on what our normal inspection techniques allow.
The first indicator of the compounds used in Chinese drywall is the odor. The chemicals present in the defective drywall produce an odor described as a ‘rotten egg’ smell when exposed to warm temperatures and moist air. The strontium sulfide found in the drywall has been reported as harmful. When the chemical is exposed to humidity, it releases corrosive gases. The compounds found in Chinese drywall have the ability to corrode piping and wiring in a home, destroying appliances and electrical wiring as well as air conditioning coils. On top of this, the gases released have also been known to have adverse health effects. Many reports have been made of Chinese drywall causing respiratory and skin problems.
Those with asthma may experience worsened symptoms and long exposure to the chemicals found in the material is not advised, as worse problems may occur. We also provide New Home Warranty Inspections. If you have any concerns about potential harmful drywall being used in your home, give us a call today.
