Chinese Drywall Update.

I was out to the River Hall development near Alva, Fl. again last week. I was asked by one of the residents to do the $99.00 visual inspection that I am advertising on my website and other outlets. My client wanted to know where they stood. This home is a second residence and occupied several times of the year. A second air conditioning evaporator coil was replaced one day before my arrival. I requested that my client ask the air conditioning company to leave the coil so that I could include it in my inspection and investigation. Unfortunately the a/c company said they couldn’t do that as it was to be sent to the manufacturer for warranty. Couldn’t postpone that one day, go figure. I asked if my client could do part of my job by taking pictures of the contaminated evaporator coil before it was taken away.

                                                    

AIR CONDITIONING

As you can see in this picture the old evaporator coil with it’s blackened copper tubing is in stark contrast to the new shinny copper tubing of the new evaporator coil. This is definate evidence that this home maybe suffering from the effects of the chemicals associated with   Chinese Drywall.

ELECTRICAL

My visual investigation continued by inspecting several electrical outlets and switch plates. As you can see in this picture there is a wire that is connected to a ground screw on the left side of the electrical outlet. I found several electrical outlets that had this blackened copper ground wire.

 

PLUMBING FIXTURES

All types of plumbing fixtures are a good area to find if there is visual evidence of the effects of the chemicals associate with Chinese Drywall. As you can see with this sink plug it is very corroded and pitted. Stainless steel or chrome are very effected and visual evidence is usually easy to see. Your darker bronze type fixtures are the most difficult to see.

 

This matching faucet in the same guest bathroom is also effected by the chemicals that are associated with Chinese drywall.

 

 

 

DRYER PLUG

In this close up picture of the home’s dryer electrical plug you can see that the brass elements are just starting to turn black. On several occasions I have seen the brass elements of the common dryer plug become completely black in color with no sign of that shinny copper color. This dryer plug may eventually fail due to Chinese Drywall.

 

 In this Chinese Drywall update I have given a few examples of the evidence that I have found during my many inspections. There are plenty of other household locations that can be effected by the chemicals associated with Chinese Drywall. These include mirrors, refrigerators, freezers, and main panel electrical breaker boxes that are found inside condominiums instead of the garage. These are usually in the laundry room and can be a major problem if the copper wire is effected.

Again the latest developement is the River Hall community on State Road 80 near Alva, Florida on the way to Labelle. This home was located in the Cascades section of the development. Remember earlier I was asked to inspect on of the model homes now owned by Bank of America. All inquires should be sent to them as they have taken over the responsibility of River Hall when Levitt and Sons went bankrupt.

Bulk drywall testing is available through my company Jacob Mermin Inspections. I use Assured Bio in Oakridge Tn. a nationally certified laboratory with extended experience. You can referr to an earlier post that has a message from the laboratory manager Lyn Pope. I have been instructed by Lyn Pope to take my drywall samples for testing from a wall that has an electrical outlet that has that blackened copper wire. She has told me to take a sample from every wall that has that effected electrical outlet. That many tests may prove to be too costly for the average homeowner. Beware there are inspectors who are not qualified to perform this testing. I recommend that my clients have as many samples done as they can afford. My policy is to give my clients the most for their money and if neccasary spread fewer tests out around the home.

Do not take the builders word for testing. Many builders have claimed that they performed testing in their homes and no Chinese Drywall was used. Ask for the test results. Ask for the visual inspection report. In many cases these builders were taking samples of drywall no where near any evidence of Chinese Drywall. For example, I take drywall samples next to electrical outlets where I found blackened copper ground wires. They do not. They take samples on walls where the electrical outlets showed no evidence of the blackening of copper ground wires. I do not mean that all builders are not being honest about their inspections and testing. I have not heard of very many builders bragging about independent visual inspections and testing. I would count DSD Homes of Lehigh Acres, Fl., Desoto Holdings of Ft. Myers, Fl., and the folks out at the models in the RiverHall development as those companies who want independent inspections and testing.

Final thought. You must find an inspector you can trust. Those concerned will not take your word for anything. You need a Certified Inspector to visually inspect your concerns and produce a report. Also get your Certified Inspector to get your testing done. Don’t take the builder’s word for it. Every attorney that I have talked to wants this report and testing for any type of litigation or class action lawsuit. I would advise you have all your eggs in a basket for them ahead of time. This way you are in control of it and not the lawyers. Remember your homeowner insurance company is also going to want this information. You definitely don’t want to use their inspections and testing.

From the inspector

Jacob Mermin CHI/CMI

www.mermininspections.com

jacob@mermininspections.com

239-243-7322