Chinese Drywall Gassing Your Home?
No so for unfortunate home buyers and owners in other parts of the country--especially Florida, Georgia and other Southeastern states.
Most of the sulphur-laden Chinese drywall was shipped in 2004-2005 to Hurricane Katrina-ravaged states that were trying to repair and rebuild their storm damaged homes.
Florida, Goergia, Louisiana and other states battered by Hurricane Katrina are facing a secondary assault– this time from poisonous Chinese drywall that was imported to help bolster supplies needed for repair and construction of homes damaged by the hurricane. It was also apparently used during the building boom that exploded across the country during the early and mid-2000’s.
But what about San Diego real estate and the homes constructed during the building boom?
It appears San Diego homes may have dodged the sulphur bullet.
Even so, how can you tell if you have toxic Chinese drywall in your home or business?
- Use your nose. If you smell rotten eggs (other than the real thing), you may want to investigate further.
- If you can, crawl into the attic or into some other accessible area to look at the underside of your drywall. If you see “Made in Chine” or “KNAUF” you’ll know your walls were made in China; however, that doesn’t necessarily mean they are toxic. Not all are. On the other hand, some Chinese drywall has no markings at all.
- Check for blackened copper pipes, air conditioning coils and electrical wiring. The sulphur reacts with copper, turning it black. A quick test is to remove the faceplate from an electrical outlet and look for blackened wiring–but do not touch!
It is selfishly good to know that San Diego should remain relatively unscathed by this dangerous Chinese import that is leaving homes vacated in other parts of the country. At the same time, this health and product crisis should serve as warning to all to investigate foreign products thoroughly before shipping them to the United States.
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