What do Chinese Drywall and an Olathe, Kansas Home have in Common?
You better get all of the facts before you start the search for either one of them....
A federal probe of tainted Chinese drywall has broadened because a small number of homeowners are reporting that American-made drywall is causing some of the same problems: a sickening, sulfurous stench and corroded pipes and wiring.
The vast majority of complaints still center on China-made gypsum board imported during the recent U.S. housing boom, when domestic building materials were in short supply. And the commission's investigation is focused mainly on the imported drywall.
But sporadic reports are surfacing from owners of Kansas homes built with American drywall, and the symptoms they report are similar to those reported with the Chinese drywall: a rotten-egg odor that makes occupants sick, corrosion of copper pipes, and ruined TVs and air conditioners.
The issue is that drywall should contain mainly gypsum, but Chinese drywall contains up to 50% cellulose....Cellulose holds moisture, and that's where the problems start....
Researchers do not know for certain what causes the chemical reactions, but researchers suspect the combination of gypsum and cellulose was releasing sulfurous gases, causing corrosion of copper, brass and silver.
The only solution is to remove the drywall completely, down to the wall studs, and re sheet the entire home. US drywall manufacturers cannot even reproduce the manufacturing process,without the product crumbling to dust.
He believes reports of tainted U.S. building materials will increase as homeowners realize the problem is not just with some Chinese wallboard.Reports of tainted Chinese drywall began to surface last year, and homeowners who bought houses with the imported materials have filed hundreds of lawsuits against builders, suppliers and manufacturers.
In a report issued Monday, the Consumer Products Safety Commission said its studies found a "strong association" between the Chinese drywall and corrosion. The agency also said it found a possible link between health problems and high levels of hydrogen sulfide gas emitted from the wallboard, coupled with formaldehyde, which is commonly found in new houses.
The commission also recently made public a separate 44-home investigation into homeowner complaints, listed on its website as a probe into "imported drywall." In fact, 10 of those homes had American drywall.
Bottom line; when you start the process of interviewing a Realtor to assist in the purchase of your new home, should we talk?