Chinese Drywall ?

[Blaine Wiley]

I found "bad" Chinese drywall in a home last Tuesday, built in 2006. The home was unoccupied. I was the first one on site, and when I walked in it smelled like someone had just lit a match. I announced who I was in case someone was in there, but no one was.

The ground wires and exposed portions of the conductors at the breakers were black. The exposed portions of the HVAC lineset in the garage were black. All of the copper parts of the evaporator coil were black, compared with bright copper at the condenser coil. I pulled cover plates off of several receptacles and switches in the home, and all of the exposed copper had turned black. After about 20 minutes in the home my eyes were burning, and I'm not sensitive to most chemicals, vapors or odors.

I had to look very hard in the attic to find any marking on the drywall, but finally did find "Knauf of Adjin China".

I would highly recommend to everyone that you include that you don't test for Chinese Drywall in your PIA, and that even if you don't see it, it's results or smell odors, that it could still be in the home in some areas.

Be careful out there, it's a rough world.

Blaine

[Humberto Carvajal]

Did you take any pictures Blaine? And, what did the Realtor or owner say when you mentioned it to them? Just curious.

Bert

[Steven C. Meyer]

Originally Posted by acox

I was just asked for the 1st time if I test for "that Chinese drywall". It took me by surprise, but luckily I had heard about it. i told him I would study more on the problem and be prepared for his inspection. Obviously, any inspection for "Chinese drywall" would be visual, and may or may not be thorough - after all, how many places can you visualize the back side of a piece of drywall. Of all sheets in the house, you can see 2...3...maybe - well enough to see the markings - to either confirm or rule out the presence of Chinese drywall.
From all I've read - suspicions should be aroused 1st by the symptoms - the "rotten egg" odor, black-corroded copper, blackened A/C coils... and then start looking for labels on the backside of the drywall.
So, your first step inside, smell all the drywall. That will surely be an icebreaker for your client - "Umm - what are you doing?" Smelling the drywall." "OoooKaayyy!."

I would say, do a random sampling of the dry wall, by ripping off large pieces to check the back side as to orgin of manufacture.This will also, if it is a plumbing wall, show any copper plumbing that may show signs. This would work great in the bath room, rip out the tile to look behind.

You have accomplished two things: 1. A fine job of inspection, thus limiting your liability, and 2. the employment of a drywaller (and tile contractor) to replace that which you have ripped out. What better employment stimulas package can one come up with?

Don't go with the "egg smell", how many houses have you been that have that smell, and it ain't the drywall??!!

To me. its a WIN, WIN.

[Greg Bell]

Lennar named in drywall suit.

http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbc...#pluckcomments

[Blaine Wiley]

Here are two of the evaporator coil.

The buyers and Realtor were naturally upset, especially in light of the fact that both had called the builder and he swore that no imported drywall had ever been used in any house he had built.