Mermin inspections Blog

Posts Tagged ‘carbonyl sulfide’

From The Inspector: Jacob Mermin CHI/CMI

Sunday, May 31st, 2009

Chinese Drywall Update: Drywall bulk testing.

From Lynn Pope Assured Bio Laboratory Manager.

AssuredBio uses advanced infrared imaging analysis to detect contaminated Chinese drywall.  The technology is Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, or FT-IR.  By measuring the way the molecules in a drywall sample are excited across a spectrum of light, a fingerprint of the sample is created.  Like humans, every fingerprint is unique, but there are distinguishing characteristics that types of drywall have in common.  The contaminated drywall samples have a peak that is not present in uncontaminated samples.  That peak has been traced to sulfide and disulfide compounds and can be seen in the image below. 

 

This technology is not unique to the Chinese drywall issue.  In fact, is has been used in crime labs and court rooms for over 70 years to detect everything from illicit drugs to counterfeit currency.  The same technology is used to check the purity of all raw materials imported into the EU that will be used in pharmaceuticals. 

Many people wonder why this type of analysis is less expensive than other laboratory analyses available.  This analysis provides superior results while the time, labor, and materials that go into the analysis are far less than other analysis methods.  This allows us to provide a more cost-effective analysis than others on the market with better information. 

Currently, no analysis that can be conducted in-home to determine if there is contaminated Chinese drywall – only a visual inspection to find marked Chinese drywall.  Beware of quick and cheap tests, as they can provide false positives and false negatives.

AssuredBio (http://assuredbio.com) is a premier Indoor Air Quality Lab, specializing in DNA-based mold and bacteria analysis and contaminated Chinese drywall testing.  AssuredBio recommends Jacob Mermin Inspections for all mold and Chinese drywall inspections as a reliable, ethical, and valuable inspector.

 

From the inspector: Chinese Drywall Testing

Monday, April 13th, 2009
Copper ground wire has turned black

Copper ground wire has turned black

I have been promising everyone who would listen that a fellow Inspector and I have been developing an affordable laboratory test for Chinese Drywall. I wasn’t lying, it just seemed like it. Jacob Mermin Inspections has this testing available for those who qualify. My fellow inspector and I have decided that the right thing to do is require a visual inspection first, before people just start spending money because they are desperate for help. I will come to your home and do a visual inspection to see if there is evidence of the effects of Chinese drywall. Believe it or not, not every home has Chinese Drywall. I did five inspection in Lehigh Acres, Fl. last week and all five house were negative for the effects of Chinese Drywall. I have an extensive checklist that I go by to determine if there is any visual evidence of the effects of Chinese Drywall. My visual inspection checklist will be filled out and left with the homeowner.

Tarnished silver bowl

Tarnished silver bowl

I will also take digital pictures and put them in a report to explain this visual inspection. This report will then be e-mailed to the client in a day or so. With this checklist, digital pictures, and a written report the homeowner can make a intelligent decision on whether to go ahead with lab testing.  The good news, is that the air testing available will determine if your home contains the four gasses that are causing these effects. The four gases are Carbon Disulphide, Carbonyl Sulfide, Sulfur Dioxide and finally Hydrogen Sulfide. There is also a bulk drywall lab test available. The great thing about the air testing is that we can give you the results right then and there in your home. The bulk drywall testing requires us to cut a piece of drywall out and send it to the lab. This test takes approximately 10 days.

Dryer plug starting to turn black

Dryer plug starting to turn black

 

I have been able to help people with my certified home inspections, mold inspections, indoor air quality inspections, and air conditioning inspections, but when I came across the effects of Chinese Drywall I couldn’t answer those final questions. “What do we do now, and where do we go from here”. I hated hearing that, mostly because I had to say, ” Very expensive testing “. I am very happy that I have all these new answers and I am able to talk to these folks about very affordable lab testing. There are dishonest people out there who are taking advantage of the fear that so many homeowners have about the possibility of having Chinese Drywall. I am not going to allow this. I am not going to let people spend their hard earned money on even affordable lab testing with out first having a visual inspection. If after we do this visual inspection together we decide it would be a good idea to have the testing done, we will do it.  My clients are going to be in control. Go to my website at www.mermininspections.com and take advantage of my Chinese Drywall Visual Inspection Special. Or you can call me directly at 239-243-7322. Together we can get the honest answers everyone deserves.

Call someone you can trust.

I tell everyone to use a qualified inspector who is also certified to open your air conditioner. It makes sense to call Jacob Mermin Inspections. Your one stop shop.

Jacob Mermin CHI/CMI

jacob@mermininspections.com