Construction Law

A Simple Checklist you can Follow to Determine if You have Chinese Drywall in your Condo

1. Does your drywall smell from rotten eggs? If so, the rotten egg smell is caused by sulphur leaching out of the drywall. It will not go away, although its intensity may vary depending upon environmental factors such as the size of the room; the amount of ventilation available, the proximity of windows and doors, and whether there are multiple cut-outs in the drywall. As a general matter, the more cut-outs there are, the stronger the intensity of the smell.

2. Chinese Drywall comes in 4 ft x 12 ft sheets that are 1/2 inches thick. If your drywall emits the "rotten eggs" smell and is 4 ft x 12 ft and 1/2 inch thick, that is cause for concern that you may have Chinese Drywall.

3. Look for exposed drywall and see if there is a stamp on it identifying it as "Made in China". You may want to pay a home inspector to go into your attic, move the insulation out of the way and see if there is a "Made in China" stamp. It is also possible that you may see a stamp "KNAUF-TIANJI" which is the name of one of the companies that manufactures Chinese Drywall.

4. Check the electrical wiring in your home to see if it is showing signs of corrosion. If you find signs of corrosion, or if you are not sure what you are looking at, have an electrician check the electrical wiring for signs of corrosion. If Chinese Drywall has been used, corrosion of the electrical wires connected to the outlets is reportedly a common occurrence. Due care should be taken to inspect the ground wire which is made of copper because it is exposed to air behind the walls which may have been contaminated with high levels of sulphur gas.

5. If you have Chinese drywall, the air inside your home may build- up concentrations of sulfur. This air which is contaminated with sulphur is drawn into the air-conditioning system. The evaporator coils are then exposed for extended periods of time to heavy volumes of air which is contaminated with sulphur. As the warm, moist sulphur-laden air blows across the cold evaporator coils, sulfur is caught in the condensation which forms on the coils. The chemical reaction that ensues causes significant corrosion of the air-conditioning coils. It has been reported that, over time, this has been known to damage HVAC systems to the point where they cannot function.

If you believe that your condominium has Chinese drywall, please contact Donald Brenner at 609.895.7330 or by email at dbrenner@stark-stark.com.

Full post as published by Construction Litigation Law Blog on April 09, 2009 (boomark / email).