# Is this Chinese Drywall?



## beel (Mar 22, 2015)

I recently moved my business down to Florida and my first client asked about some renovations. Upon working around the HVAC handler I noticed these coils started showing signs of blackening. The lower coils seem to me a little more evident. Not sure if this is a possible cause of sulfur contamination due to Chinese drywall. I peeked in the Attic in the garage portion of the house and pulled back the insulation to find that THAT drywall is in fact made in the USA. Upon doing some research I have found some of these homes are considered "Hybrid", as in they have both Chinese and USA made drywall. I cant seem to find any reason Copper in the evaporator coil should be black unless exposed to sulfur. So this house must have sign of Chinese drywall? Right? I pulled a couple outlets out around the house to look at the ground wire, and a few of them showed a very slight darkening/black film on the wire. I was hoping this would back up my claim. What do you guys think?


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## sunkist (Apr 27, 2012)

Pay to have the drywall checked. Its the only way to know for sure.


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## GettingBy (Aug 19, 2010)

Yes, maybe the labs that check for asbestos by checking samples sent through the mail can help with this problem.


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## greg24k (May 19, 2007)

If not mistaken in August of 2005 after storm katrina hit, there was sheetrock shortage and this is when a s^*t load of sheetrock was brought from china and 90% of it went down south. 
Check with the HO or try get information if around that time 2005-2006 that house was under renovation etc. If it was,then its possibility of that.

If that was and there is proof of that, they can get some money from a class action suit because I believe there is available funds that were put away in the escrow account for that.


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## sunkist (Apr 27, 2012)

2001 -2009 all years for bad sheet rock, Not all Chinesse rock is bad. Just google chinesse drywall.


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## Sir Mixalot (Jan 6, 2008)

What years was the house built? 
For the record those coils don't look like Chinese drywall corrosion to me.:no:

There also should be a date on the back of the drywall you looked at up in the attic. Even with homes that are known to have Chinese drywall, the ceilings didn't have it if they had 5/8" drywall because 1/2" drywall was all that was being imported.

I do Chinese drywall inspections. I get contacted quite often by people wanting to buy a home for a great price or realtors that are trying to sell a home and the initial home inspection came back as "possible Chinese drywall". Some have it and others don't. 

You could get a piece of new copper and leave it in the area where Chinese drywall is suspected and it will turn black within a week.

*From the Florida department of Health*:
http://www.floridahealth.gov/environmental-health/drywall/faq-drywall.html

To meet the current case definition of homes constructed after 2003 (2004 to present) must meet two or more conditions; and those built prior to 2004 must meet three or more of the conditions specified below.

1) The home was constructed or renovated with new drywall since 2001
2) There is presence of sulfur-like or other unusual odors.
3) Confirmed presence of Chinese manufactured drywall in the home.
4) Observed copper corrosion, indicated by black, sooty coating of Un-insulated copper pipe leading to the air handling unit present in the garage or mechanical closet of home.
5) Documented failure of air conditioner evaporator coil (located inside the air handling unit).
6) Confirmation by an outside expert or professional for the presence of premature copper corrosion on Un-insulated copper wires and/or air conditioner evaporator coils (inside the air handling unit).

Theres a few photos from a home in my area that had Chinese drywall and some more info on my website:
Here--> http://peckdrywallandpainting.com/chinese-drywall-is-here-in-brevard-county-florida/

There are other things that can mimic Chinese drywall symptoms.


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## beel (Mar 22, 2015)

The house was built in 91. It looks as if it was renovated at some time since everything is updated and the house now looks more like something that was built in the Mid 2000's. I dont have a history on it as I am doing this for a new home owner who bought a foreclosure. At some point the drywall in the garage ceiling was changed, I was only able to to work my way around the ceiling in the garage. That drywall was dated '05 Made in the USA. As for the rest of the house I am not sure. Most examples of CD contamination of A/C unit coils shows ALL the copper having the black discoloration. In this A/C unit only the near bottom coils had this black discoloration and I was able to rub it off on to my finger, but if its not Chinese Drywall caused, then what else could cause this black discoloration? I did not smell any sulfur like odors in the house at all. It actually smelled like a new house....


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## Sir Mixalot (Jan 6, 2008)

beel said:


> but if its not Chinese Drywall caused, then what else could cause this black discoloration? I did not smell any sulfur like odors in the house at all. It actually smelled like a new house....


Is or was the house ever on well water? :detective:


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## Sir Mixalot (Jan 6, 2008)

How close are you to the ocean?


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## beel (Mar 22, 2015)

Its on city water in Port Charlotte off the harbor about 5-6 miles. Have you come across this on water front homes in Melbourne where you saw black discoloration, but were sure the house had no CD? (older home)


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## Sir Mixalot (Jan 6, 2008)

I would think most definitely that this copper tubing would be black in this photo of yours.










To me it looks like rust thats caused by the ac forming ice and freezing up then thawing out during the summer months.


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## beel (Mar 22, 2015)

Yeah thats exactly what made me question this, why was only the lower half black, and the rest look normal? But my house has rust coils and had freezing/thawing issue last summer because of low refrigerant, but did not have any black residue.


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