Buyers Sellers /On June 3, 2015

How do I know if I have Chinese Drywall in my home?

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Q: How do I know if I have Chinese Drywall in my home?

A: First of all if your house or addition was built before 2001, you don’t have to worry about it because Chinese drywall (CDW) was not imported before then. It was imported between 2001 and 2007. Sometimes, but not all of the time, you may smell an odor similar to rotten eggs (or sulfur) or ammonia. But if you don’t have either of these odors, the best way to tell is to go to the attic and move some insulation around and look for a manufacturers' marking was my home built with Chinese Drywall? on the back of the drywall. Not all companies put their names on the back of the sheet rock or dry wall. If you are fortunate enough to see the drywall before installation, you may find the manufacturer's name on the ‘tape’ that holds two sheets together. Some of the following are manufacturers of Chinese drywall:

Bedrock Gypsum, Beijing New Building Materials PLC (BNBM), C & K Gypsum, Crescent City Gypsum, Dragon Brand Drywall, IMG Drywall, International Material Trading (IMT) Gypsum, Knauf Dongguan, Knauf Tianjin, Pro WuHu, Pro Wall, Taihe, Taian Taishan and Taishan. But you should also note that there are other manufacturers.

Manufacturers of non-Chinese drywall are: Georgia Pacific, Lafarge, National Gypsum and USG.

Studies by several research companies haven’t proven that the gases given off by Chinese drywall are harmful to your health. They do know that the gases given off do attack copper. This means that your house wiring and air conditioner could fail over a period of time. You can remove one of your wall outlet covers, taking care not to get shocked, and look at the wiring. If it is turning or has turned black, you know it is corroding and should be investigated. This is also what happens to your “A’ coils in the air conditioner air handler.

If you are concerned that your home may have Chinese Drywall and you don't know what to do next, email us at concierge@lizmoore.com. We'd be happy to put you in touch with someone that can help!

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Lynnette Tully

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Liz Moore & Associates is a boutique real estate agency renowned for having the region's top agents, with extensive market knowledge and local expertise that is only achieved through relentless training coupled with Liz's extremely high standards for professionalism. When you're buying or selling a home, experience matters.