During the housing boom between 2004-2007, Chinese drywall is a type of drywall imported into the United States from Chinese suppliers. Leading to a variety of problems, this type of drywall has very high levels of sulfur. With cases occurring in southern states like Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama comprising 86% of all reports, it may have been used in the construction of more than 100,000 homes. Also, recently the Chinese drywall has been discovered throughout Texas. Problems like asthma, corrosion of home components, and more can stem from Chinese drywall. Today, we at JMark Inspections would like to elaborate on Chinese drywall.

What are the Symptoms of Chinese Drywall?

If your drywall was installed between 2001 and 2009, there are two primary things you should be looking for.
1) Within the home, look for blackening of copper components. Caused by drywall off-gassing, copper electrical wiring and air conditioning evaporator coils can be affected by high hydrogen sulfide.
2) Evidence of corroborating. You should look for other corroborating evidence, including Chinese text on the drywall if in the event you notice blackening in major copper components. In order to test for elemental sulfur, or for copper sulfide deposits on copper components of your home, lab testing may also be done.
3) Potential respiratory problems like coughing, asthma, and difficulty breathing, as well as sinus problems and chronic headaches and a pervasive “rotten egg” smell caused by sulfur are included in other symptoms of Chinese Drywall.

How to Protect Against the Dangers of Chinese Drywall?

In order to make sure that they have not been damaged by sulfur, and do not represent a danger to you and your family if in the event you think that you may have Chinese Drywall in your house, you may want to take precautions such as using portable air filters and checking your plumbing and electrical systems for corrosion. Dust masks and filtration masks can be worn to help mitigate the effects of sulfur on the respiratory system beyond this. To prepare for repairs, we recommend that you leave your home as soon as you can.

Steps to take if You Suspect Home Has Chinese Drywall

You can have a comprehensive laboratory inspection conducted and we recommend contacting an expert in the field of Chinese Drywall. You can choose the proper path forward for restoring your home and removing the problem drywall. It is usually recommended that you replace all of the affected drywall if your home does have Chinese drywall. In some cases, you may also need to replace corroded copper fixtures, including pipes and wiring.

Home & Commercial Property Inspector Services in Pasadena, Pearland, League City, Sugar Land, The Woodlands, Conroe, Friendswood & Greater Houston, Texas

There are many concerns such as Chinese drywall that can be discovered during the course of a home inspection. Whether you are looking to buy, sell, or just want to prioritize home maintenance in the Greater Houston, Texas area and call J Mark Inspections. Our quality, comprehensive home inspections are thorough and provide a detailed report. Our trained experts have the expertise to identify problematic issue if any exist.