What Is Chinese Drywall

What Is Chinese Drywall? The term "Chinese Drywall" (or tainted drywall or wallboard) refers to drywall imported from China from 2001 to 2007 which contains contaminants that are emitting gases and usually (but not always) create a noxious odor and corrode copper and other metal surfaces, thereby damaging your air conditioner, electrical wiring, copper plumbing, appliances and electronics. Corrosion of electrical wiring can hamper the effectiveness of your smoke detection and can create a risk of fire. Chinese drywall is also very friable, which means it is in a state where small particles can easily become dislodged with little friction, thus enabling them to easily enter your lungs. For this reason, even after Chinese drywall is removed, the toxic drywall particulate may remain unless property removed. The first complaints to the Florida Department of Health were in June 2008 which started the initial investigations. There have been 3054 homes with reported incidents of tainted drywall in the and Puerto Rico and 1797 of these homes where in . 35 manufactures have been associated with tainted drywall and some have American markings. Resources http://www.doh.state.fl.us/environment/community/indoor-air/drywall.html http://cpsc.gov/info/drywall/index.html http://chinesedrywall.com/ Chinese (Tainted) Drywall Inspection Home Buyer's Inspection: When you purchase our standard Home Buyer's Inspection, we also include a tainted drywall screening at no additional charge. We follow a detailed non-intrusive visual inspection protocol to identify copper and metal corrosion in the home with each home inspection. This inspection conforms to the "Threshold Inspection" of the CPSC "Interim Guidance - Identification of Homes with Corrosion from Problem Drywall" Home Owner's Tainted Drywall Inspection: If you are a home owner and are concerned that you may have tainted drywall, we provide the same tainted drywall screening as the Home Buyer's Inspection and include a report with photos which can be used to either clear or confirm the presence of copper and metal corrosion in the home. Why Purchase a Tainted Drywall Inspection and Report? Peace of mind. Attorney's request for any future claims Property Appraisers requesting for reduction of taxes. Insurance claims. Tax Purposes. Real estate sale. Lender's request. I Have Tainted Drywall, Now What? Don't panic. File report with Florida Department of Health Report on line with the CPSC Get an attorney to help with the builder and insurance company. Contact the builder. Get base line medical tests. Consider all options before starting remediation. If you do choose remediation, do not sign any releases or waivers with the builder or general contractor without seeking an attorney's advise. Additional Resources Public adjusters to assist with insurance claims Accountants for tax advise before starting any remediation Reputable agents to assist with mortgage forbearance. Licensed general contractors. Latest News June 1, 2010: Gov Crist signs bill to assess value of Chinese tainted drywall homes at $0 (not including land)http://www.flgov.com/release/11643 April 2, 2010: - Thousands of U.S. homes tainted by Chinese drywall should be gutted, according to new guidelines released Friday by the Consumer Product Safety Commission... (more) March 31, 2010: – Sabre Environmental Services LLC announced today the latest results of its continuing research and analysis of Chinese drywall. Testing performed by Sabre and independent labs has demonstrated viable bacteria present in Chinese drywall. Sabre has found that a specific type of bacteria, which is unique to Chinese drywall and was identified as Thiobacillus ferrooxidans in an independent published study, is present at high levels and is living within Chinese drywall... (more)

Save Up To45% On You Annual Home Owner's Insurance Premium. If your own a home in Southwest Florida, you most likely live in a "Wind Borne Debris Region" as defined by the state of Florida where design wind speeds range from 120mph to 130mph. In the case of Hurricane Andrew (1992), the maximum substained wind was calulated at approximatley 145mph with gusts estimated at 175mph. Roof failures and debris impact caused extensive damage through out the Miami-Dade area. Andrew caused $26.5 billion in damage and caused 65 deaths and left thousands of people homeless. A Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection could save you up to 45% on your home insurance premium. You can schedule an inspection with Accurate Home Inspections for only $90 239-271-8499.

Home Owner's Insurance Rate Comparisons Online - Florida

Home Owner's Insurance Rate Comparisons Online - Florida The Office of Insurance Regulation has just re-launched their Home Owner's Insurance rate comparison online site which lists insurance companies and their rates with and without max wind mitigation for replacement costs of $150,000 and $300,000. The Office of Insurance Regulation (Office) developed this tool to help consumers compare homeowners’ insurance rates among these companies. The system demonstrates the importance of shopping for the best policy to protect your home. Accurate Home Inspections of America, LLC will perform Wind Mitigation Inspections for as low as $90 which can save a home owner up to 45% on the insurance premium. Click here to see how much you might save with a Wind Mitigation Inspection

Chinese Drywall

Latest News
June 1, 2010: Gov Crist signs bill to assess value of chinese tainted drywall homes at $0 (not including land) http://www.flgov.com/release/11643

April 2, 2010: NEW ORLEANS - Thousands of U.S. homes tainted by Chinese drywall should be gutted, according to new guidelines released Friday by the Consumer Product Safety Commission... (more)

March 31, 2010: Fort Pierce, Florida – Sabre Environmental Services LLC announced today the latest results of its continuing research and analysis of Chinese drywall. Testing performed by Sabre and independent labs has demonstrated viable bacteria present in Chinese drywall. Sabre has found that a specific type of bacteria, which is unique to Chinese drywall and was identified as Thiobacillus ferrooxidans in an independent published study, is present at high levels and is living within Chinese drywall... (more)
CHINESE DRYWALL INSPECTION



What is Chinese Drywall?
The term "Chinese Drywall" (or tainted drywall or wallboard) refers to drywall imported from China from 2001 to 2007 which contains contaminants that are emitting gases and usually (but not always) create a noxious odor and corrode copper and other metal surfaces, thereby damaging your air conditioner, electrical wiring, copper plumbing, appliances and electronics. Corrosion of electrical wiring can hamper the effectiveness of your smoke detection and can create a risk of fire. Chinese drywall is also very friable, which means it is in a state where small particles can easily become dislodged with little friction, thus enabling them to easily enter your lungs. For this reason, even after Chinese drywall is removed, the toxic drywall particulate may remain unless property removed.

The first complaints to the Florida Department of Health were in June 2008 which started the initial investigations. There have been 3054 homes with reported incidents of tainted drywall in the US and Puerto Rico and 1797 of these homes where in Florida. 35 manufactures have been associated with tainted drywall and some have American markings.

Resources
http://www.doh.state.fl.us/environment/community/indoor-air/drywall.html

http://cpsc.gov/info/drywall/index.html

http://chinesedrywall.com/

Chinese (Tainted) Drywall Inspection

Home Buyer's Inspection:
When you purchase our standard Home Buyer's Inspection, we also include a tainted drywall screening at no additional charge. We follow a detailed non-intrusive visual inspection protocol to identify copper and metal corrosion in the home with each home inspection. This inspection conforms to the "Threshold Inspection" of the CPSC "Interim Guidance - Identification of Homes with Corrosion from Problem Drywall"

Home Owner's Tainted Drywall Inspection:
If you are a home owner and are concerned that you may have tainted drywall, we provide the same tainted drywall screening as the Home Buyer's Inspection and include a report with photos which can be used to either clear or confirm the presence of copper and metal corrosion in the home.

Why Purchase a Tainted Drywall Inspection and Report?

Peace of mind.

Attorney's request for any future claims

Property Appraisers requesting for reduction of taxes.

Insurance claims.

Tax Purposes.

Real estate sale.

Lender's request.


I Have Tainted Drywall, Now What?

Don't panic.

File report with Florida Department of Health

Report on line with the CPSC

Get an attorney to help with the builder and insurance company.

Contact the builder.

Get base line medical tests.

Consider all options before starting remediation. If you do choose remediation, do not sign any releases or waivers with the builder or general contractor without seeking an attorney's advise.

Additional Resources

Public adjusters to assist with insurance claims

Accountants for tax advise before starting any remediation

Reputable agents to assist with mortgage forbearance.

Licensed general contractors.

What Really Matters on a Home Inspection?

In today’s market, foreclosed homes for sale may have been sitting empty for up to a year or more which makes a home inspection even more important. However, this can make the process of buying a home stressful. A home inspection is supposed to give you peace of mind, but often has the opposite effect. You will be asked to absorb a lot of information in a short time. This often includes a written report, checklist, photographs, environmental reports and what the inspector himself says during the inspection. All this combined with the seller's disclosure (if there is one) and what you notice yourself makes the experience even more overwhelming. What should you do?

Relax. Most of your inspection will be maintenance recommendations, life expectancies and minor imperfections. These are nice to know about. However, the issues that really matter will fall into four categories:

1. Major defects. An example of this would be a structural failure.
2. Things that lead to major defects. A small roof-flashing leak, for example.
3. Things that may hinder your ability to finance, legally occupy or insure the home.
4. Safety hazards, such as an exposed, live buss bar at the electric panel.

Anything in these categories should be addressed. Often a serious problem can be corrected inexpensively to protect both life and property (especially in categories 2 and 4).

Most sellers are honest and are often surprised to learn of defects uncovered during an inspection. However in this foreclosure market, banks are not able to provide disclosures and it’s up to the buyer to learn all he can from the home inspection. Realize that sellers and banks are under no obligation to repair everything mentioned in the report. No home is perfect. Keep things in perspective. Do not kill your deal over things that do not matter. It is inappropriate to demand that a seller address deferred maintenance, conditions already listed on the seller's disclosure or nit-picky items.

Saftey Recall - Counterfeit Circuit Breakers

This safety recall just released"

NEWS from CPSC

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Office of Information and Public Affairs

Washington, DC 20207

---

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 27, 2007 Release #08-151

Firm�s Recall Hotline: (866) 505-5851 CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772 CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908

North American Breaker Co. Recalls Counterfeit Circuit Breakers Due to Fire Hazard

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Counterfeit Circuit Breakers labeled as �Square D�

Units: About 50,000

Distributor/Retailer: North American Breaker Co. Inc. (NABCO), of Burbank, Calif.

Hazard: The recalled circuit breakers labeled �Square D� have been determined by Square D to be counterfeit and can fail to trip when they are overloaded, posing a fire hazard to consumers.

Incidents/Injuries: None reported.

Description: The counterfeit circuit breakers are black and are labeled as Square D QO-series models 110, 115, 120, 130, 210, 215, 220, 225, 230, 235, 240, 250, 260, 280, 1515, 1520, 2020, 2125, 315, 340, 350, 360, and 3100. Actual Square D circuit breakers have (a) the amp rating written on the handle in white paint on the front of the breaker; (b) the Square D insignia molded onto the breaker side, and; (c) a yellow chromate mounting clip with half of the top of the clip visible. If your breaker, labeled as Square D, does not match this description, it could be counterfeit.

Sold by: NABCO, electrical distributors, and retailers nationwide from March 2003 through April 2006 for between $3 and $85.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should contact NABCO to determine if the breaker they have is counterfeit and to arrange for a free inspection and replacement or refund if necessary.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact NABCO at (866) 505-5851 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT, email the firm at recall@nabreaker.com, or visit the firm�s Web site at www.nabcorecall.com - this is not a Square D Company recall.

Genuine Square D Circuit Breaker

A Genuine Circuit Breaker has a white painted amp rating on the toggle switch.

---

Send the link for this page to a friend! The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from more than 15,000 types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. Deaths, injuries and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $800 billion annually. The CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard. The CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals - contributed significantly to the decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.

To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC's hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC's teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270, or visit CPSC's web site at www.cpsc.gov/talk.html. To join a CPSC email subscription list, please go to www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.aspx. Consumers can obtain this release and recall information at CPSC's Web site at http://www.cpsc.gov/.

Is it necessary to have a home inspection on a newly constructed home?

Having inspected numerous new homes, I have found that all new homes have defects of one kind or another, regardless of the quality of construction or the integrity of the builder. This is because human imperfection prevents anything as large and as complex as a home from being constructed flawlessly.

A commonly held fallacy is that all construction defects will be discovered by municipal building inspectors. This is incorrect, but not because of professional shortcomings on the part of those inspectors. The purpose, scope, time allotment and procedures for municipal inspections are not the same as for home inspections.

Municipal inspectors inspect primarily for code compliance, not for quality of workmanship. They can cite a builder for improper structural framing or for noncomplying drain connections, but a poorly fitted door, an uneven tile countertop and slipshod finish work are not included in the list of concerns.

Municipal inspectors rarely inspect an attic or a crawl space. They come to the job site with a clipboard and a codebook, not with a ladder and overalls. Construction defects in such areas can escape discovery.

Municipal inspectors typically inspect a roof from the ground or possibly from the builder's ladder. From these perspectives, roof defects are not always apparent. And final inspections are performed before the utilities are turned on, so municipal inspectors cannot determine if or how well the appliances and fixtures truly work. They don't test outlets for ground and polarity because this can be done only after the power supply is turned on. Nor, without power, can they test the performance of GFCI or AFCI safety breakers.

The lack of utilities also prevents the testing of plumbing fixtures such as sinks, showers, tubs and dishwashers, and of gas fixtures such as furnaces, fireplaces and water heaters.

When buying a new construction home, you should not forego the benefits of a thorough home inspection.