Chinese drywall question

[the blues]

Is there such a thing as official protocol for remediation of Chinese drywall? I have scoured the internets without success, and a buddy of mine has to get rid of the crap in his house. I'm trying to advise him, but all I find are a million entrepreneurs looking to cash in on the job with their own standards of what constitutes effective remediation. Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance.:hi:

[benld74]

1. IF U call in Holmes on Homes, HE would take it down to the studs

[SidDithers]

4. He takes everything down to the studs...

:)

Sid

[Tesha]

8. Sometimes he goes farther.

But he's almost always right.

We didn't go "down to the studs" when we renovated our
kitchen, but next time, we will for sure.

Tesha

[BobRossi]

2. Call the Chinese Cosumer Protection Agency.

Oh shit! They don't have one. The price we pay for selling our souls to one of the most fucked up nations on the earth.

[HopeHoops]

3. You're pretty much fucked. Insurance companies are denying coverage for claims on it.

You're a victim of the "WalMart" of the home construction industry.

[Altoid_Cyclist]

5. Just be sure that your friend is careful when replacing the drywall.

It's supposedly a problem found in American brands also. I don't know if there's been any confirmation on this yet, but it might be something to look at.



Thousands of homeowners who bought houses with Chinese drywall have filed hundreds of lawsuits against builders, suppliers and manufacturers.


They complain that off-gassing from the wallboard is corroding everything from air conditioning coils to TVs, jewelry, appliances and plumbing — and making them ill.


While a federal interagency task force continues to investigate, sporadic reports are surfacing from homeowners complaining of the same corrosive and health symptoms, but in houses constructed with American drywall.


Several lawsuits have now been filed against American manufacturers.

Rest of story:

http://www.news-press.com/article/20091126/SS15/91125077/Drywall-troubles-spread-to-domestic

[the blues]

12. Thanks for the link

You're right about being careful. From what I've read, there may be precautions required to minimize contact in the removal process.

This problem hit the fan a while ago now, and I'm surprised there's so little reliable information around about exactly how to deal with it.

[Altoid_Cyclist]

15. I'm sort of relieved that the first story of our house is old fashioned plaster.

It's hard to find good plaster professionals, but we've been able to fix all of the minor cracks and holes ourselves so far.

Our second floor was finished at a later date so it does have drywall, but this seems to be a problem with newer drywall so I think that we're safe.

I never thought that having an old house would be an advantage but...

[TwilightGardener]

20. Old house = asbestos. Lots and lots of it.

[Altoid_Cyclist]

22. Thanks for the warning.

I was unaware of the many uses of asbestos until I saw your response and did some background reading.

From what I've read so far, our house is pretty much in the clear except for the possibility that it was used in the wall insulation.

We're going to have to look into getting that checked. I still have no idea what we're going to do about the mold problem in the basement.
That's one of the worst things about being out of work for the last two years. Things around the house have to be put off until we find the money to make repairs.

Thanks again for the asbestos info.

:thumbsup:

[TwilightGardener]

23. No problem. The key is, have suspicious materials sampled before

you go ripping into them and making airborne dust. My husband and I removed asbestos from our house ourselves (the really bad stuff--pipe insulation) and we kinda fucked it up and now I guess we're doomed! Had we known better (and had money) we would have called in the pros, in retrospect. We also have it in some old vinyl floor tiles, we are pretty sure, but at least that's intact. Just try not to disturb it, if you find any.

[sharesunited]

6. Seems like applicable state regulations should be able to be obtained via the net.

They may not refer specifically to "Chinese" drywall, but they should deal with whatever the offending substance is contained therein. It's not nuclear material, so what is it, asbestos?

[Tesha]

9. It's sulfides that are "outgassing" rather than staying in place. (NT)

[sharesunited]

11. Damn, that certainly is a puzzling problem because it's such a new phenomenon.

Have you seen this link, and does it look neutral?

http://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/67/topics/40675-absheild-chinese-drywall-remediation

[the blues]

14. Thanks for the link -- I had not seen it

Still reading the discussion, which raises many important issues. Intuitively, I'm skeptical of anything short of removing the drywall, but perhaps the compound under discussion could be used to neutralize any gas that might have been absorbed by the wood frame -- and thereby avoid a complete tear-down.

[sharesunited]

17. I'm inclined to agree with you. Why spend money on something experimental?

Spend it on replacement. Much more expensive, but less of a gamble.

[Tesha]

18. The analysis at that site looks (on casual reading) to me to be fair.

I would *NEVER* accept any "in-place remediation" for this problem.
At a minimum, you could *NEVER* seal that part of the drywall that
is in contact with the studs, and I can't believe anyone could effectively
and uniformly seal the back surface of the drywall in general, facing
the wall cavity as it does and possibly in contact with insulation of
various kinds.

Tesha

[sharesunited]

21. Brilliant and well said Tesha.

[EFerrari]

7. Have him call the county anonymously. They probably have

a protocol -- it may even be posted to their website.

[the blues]

10. It's a good idea. We've called, and checked -- to no avail

It seems all he can do is register the complaint.

The most recent official word about remediation I've located is this: http://www.cpsc.gov/info/drywall/nov2009statement.pdf

...which still leaves the question, what can we do now -- if anything?

[EFerrari]

16. Omg, their advice is to STAY OUTDOORS? That's crazy.

:wow:

[elehhhhna]

19. how old is the house? who built it? warranty?

Lennar, for example, is removing and replacing all the drywall in their affected homes, and paying for alternative housing for the homeowners whie they do the mitigation.

[jmowreader]

13. Bulldozer

I would take it down to the studs then examine all the wiring, copper plumbing and HVAC for signs of corrosion.