CHINESE DRYWALL

If you own a home you've probably heard about the concerns over Chinese drywall.  We at Wagner Home Inspections are doing everything we can to help homeowners dealing with this issue.

At this time, very little is known other than the effects of Chinese drywall.  Homes are at risk are those that were built or significantly remodeled between 2003 and 2007.  Chinese drywall releases a sulfurous smell in the home and is corrosive to copper and other metals.  This is of particular concern because the cooling coils in the home's air conditioning system are copper, as is much of the electrical wiring.  Some homeowners have reported having to replace the cooling coils in air conditioning systems less than three years old!

Another concern voiced by homeowners are the potential health effects of Chinese drywall.  At this time, no health effects have been conclusively linked to this drywall.  Several homeowners have reported symptoms such as red, irritated eyes, runny nose, coughing, and other asthma-like symptoms.  However, as all of these symptoms can also be attributed to mold it cannot be stated for certain that they are caused by Chinese drywall.

One of the biggest mysteries is what exactly causes the problems with this drywall.  Several theories have been introduced, but as of yet the root cause has not been determined.  One of the prevailing theories at the moment is that humidity causes the sulfur in the drywall (sulfur is a normal component in every drywall) to offgas and produce both the odor and the metal corrosion.  Consequently, if you suspect you have Chinese drywall it is recommended that you do not wash your walls or steam clean your floors.

Because the exact cause of the problem has not been determined, no conclusive test exists that can tell you for sure whether or not the drywall in your home is Chinese drywall.  The Environmental Protection Agency, State of Florida Department of Health, and labs throughout the country are all working on determining the root of the problems so that a testing procedure can be developed.  Some labs, including EMSL, can test the drywall in your home and compare it to samples of drywall known to be safe.  This analysis can tell you if the drywall in your home is similar or different from standard drywall, but it cannot determine conclusively that it is Chinese drywall or not.

We are currently in the development stages of a visual inspection that can check your home for some of the warning signs of Chinese drywall.  This test will not be able to state with any guarantee that you do or do not have Chinese drywall, but it will be able to tell you if your home is showing any of the symptoms of it at the time of the inspection.  Based on the results of the visual inspection, further testing by a lab can be recommended.  Once this inspection becomes available, we will update our website and send out an email blast to existing customers announcing it. 

Be sure to check back often as we will keep this page updated with new information when it becomes available!  For further information, you may want to visit the following websites:

 
Wagner Home Inspections, Inc.
313 Williams Street, Suite 7  •  Tallahassee, FL 32303
800-7-WAGNER
contact@wagnerinspections.com