I have been very busy with this Chinese Drywall problem. I have been doing a lot of inspections for folks very concerned about the home they are considering buying. I am waiting for the loose ends to be tied by a colleague of mine who is putting together a affordable testing program for SW Florida home owners. Now I don’t know how much it will cost or even what affordable means. I am waiting for this gentleman to get back from a conference in Orlando with the details. I do not want any client of my jumping into expensive yet more affordable testing for what is sulphur in there home. I would much prefer that for now my present and future clients spend $99.00 with me for a visual inspection first.
Along with being a InterNachi certified home inspector  your guy on the corner is also an EPA certified type ll air conditioning technician. This means I am allowed to open up your air conditioner to check if your coil has acquired that very distinctive flat black color. I think it is a good idea to move slowly. Remember knowledge is power. It’s best to collect information and make an informed decision. I am not one to tell people what to do. I do tell people do not buy an home without a home and mold inspection. Just to recap, my home inspection also comes with a mold, air quality, air conditioning, and now a Chinese Drywall inspection. Because I am certified in all these specialties you don’t have to go anywhere else. I do everything. One stop shop. I don’t like to tell people what to do, but I would never buy a house that someone showed me copper evaporator coils and copper wiring that has turned black.
Black evaporator coil (disregard date)
I think we all know what copper looks like. Air conditioning coils have that new penny copper look. Once they start to get older there will be some corrosion and some greening of the coils. As you can see from the picture there is some copper shinning through on one of the upper loops of the tubing. The reason that this is a problem is that this corrosion causes leaks in the copper tubing and freon is escaping thus no cooling in that SW. Florida home. This is an actual evaporator coil that I came accross in a community in Estero Florida in March. If you are considering purchasing a home in SW. Florida that was built from 2004 through 2007 call me for a Chinese Drywall Inspection.
The Inspector says: “All my real estate freinds tell me and I agree, the SW. Florida real estate market is awsome.” There are plenty of homes and great prices why buy one that may have a Chinese Drywall problem.
Jacob Mermin CHI/CMI
239-243-7322
Tags: black coils, chinese drywall, evaporator coils, Freon leak, sulpher
What about coils that are not totally turned, you can still see the copper but are very dark copper, a lot of condensation and lime deposits (this is on a home that is 2.5 years old.) Some of the coils look dark but not black. Could this be an indication that Chinese Drywall could have been used in some portions of the home?
Greetings A. Stewart,
It is very possible. You are correct Sir! Copper will turn green. Just look at the Statue of Liberty. An air conditioner is a de-humidifier with cold air being a by-product. An average three ton air conditioning system produces 10 to 12 gallons of water or more each day depending on the humidity that day. The evaporator coil in your air handler is full of Freon making it very cold. When the hot wet air from your house hits it, the moisture in the air is removed and it goes out the drain line to the outside. The interior of that air handler is very wet. The coils are made of copper and usually over time turn green just like any statue you see in any major city. It is normal. You have to look beyond that corrosion and green. There are other items in that air handler that can be effected. Some air handlers that I have inspected have a braided copper wire coming into the electrical section. Some air handlers have a disconnect breaker in the unit. There you can see solid copper wires to the breakers. In this set up there is an electric heater. A 15KW electric heater is going to have a number 4 copper wire coming to the air handler. This is a pretty big wire and very easy to see. Some portion of this wire is going to be visible inside the air handler. A 10KW electric heater inside the air handler is going to be fed by a number 6 copper wire. Again a number 6 copper wire is pretty big. This number six copper wire is going to have several strands of wire. If there is Chinese Drywall near the return vent in the house there is a very good chance there will be the visual evidence of the possible effects of Chinese Drywall. People ask me what does the return grill have to do with it. If there is Chinese Drywall in a house the gasses associated with the effects of Chinese Drywall will be vented out into the room and sucked into the return grill and plenum by the air handler. That is why even an air handler that is installed in the garage can still be effected by the chemical gasses associated with Chinese Drywall. So, it can be difficult to see this blackening of the copper coils of an evaporator coil in an air conditioner’s air handler. Now you know what else to look at inside an airhandler. I am a EPA Certified Type ll air conditioning technician. You do not want just anyone looking at this stuff. Make sure that they are qualified. Also you want a report with pictures by a seperate company that is certified in something connected to this Chinese Drywall situation. In other words no one is going to take the word of a home owner, or a pest control guy because he was up in the attic one day looking for rat poop and he just happend to see inside of the air handler. Have a Certified Home inspector that is also certified to open up your air handler, look at it, and write a report with pictures if this type of evidence is found. And to your original question. I have seen coils that have been all black, one third black, half black and just a little bit black. I beleive that is determined by how much of the Chinese Drywall was used, where it was used in the house, and how long it sat around before it was used. I have been in homes where several different brands were stacked up in several different rooms. Don’t believe the builder. I have heard many builders say no Chinese Drywall was used in this home. They don’t want to be known as the Chinese Drywall Builder. Spend the $99.00 and have it checked photographed and documented. Thanks for your comments.
From The Inspector
Jacob Mermin CHI/CMI
http://www.mermininspections.com
jacob@mermininspections.com
239-243-7322