Chinese drywall in your SW FL home............. (Tampa, Cape Coral: to live, costs)
Fort Myers - Cape Coral areaLee County
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Hi Ken.
My parents, who reside in Cape Coral, have recently discovered the presence of Chinese Drywall in their home that I believe was built in 2005 or 2006. Their A/C system has failed a couple of times recently and they are having a new evap coil installed next week. I can ask them if they would like to participate in your testing if you would like. My family has lived in the Lee County area for close to 80 years so I know they're not going to be pulling up stakes and moving out of the area any time soon.
I would think that a temporary device hooked up to an exterier window that changed the air over and kept the humidity down would have to eventually exhaust the off gasing from the drywall or other compromised secondary infusion materials.
Hi Ken.
My parents, who reside in Cape Coral, have recently discovered the presence of Chinese Drywall in their home that I believe was built in 2005 or 2006. Their A/C system has failed a couple of times recently and they are having a new evap coil installed next week. I can ask them if they would like to participate in your testing if you would like. My family has lived in the Lee County area for close to 80 years so I know they're not going to be pulling up stakes and moving out of the area any time soon.
I am interested in testing the home for starters. What is the size of the home? What is the size of the a/c? Are there other signs of corrosion? A odor discription? Is the home closed up any time during day or night. What temperatue do they set their t-stat at?
Let me know if they are interested. Email contacts if they are interested. I will be back in Cape Coral next week. Regards Ken
If high humidity triggers the fumes (which I have read is the issue), could the process be arrested (temporarily) by keeping the house as dry as possible?
for the fix, if high humidity triggers off gassing, (assuming property vacant), would you not want to maximize the humidity to accelerate the defusion of toxic solids? Could you combine high humidity, high air turnover, with an anti-fungal gas to prevent fungus?
If high humidity triggers the fumes (which I have read is the issue), could the process be arrested (temporarily) by keeping the house as dry as possible?
for the fix, if high humidity triggers off gassing, (assuming property vacant), would you not want to maximize the humidity to accelerate the defusion of toxic solids? Could you combine high humidity, high air turnover, with an anti-fungal gas to prevent fungus?
When will all of the free sulfur imbeded in the gypsum drywall be reacted? Long time?? Testing could tell? I have some CDW being kept wet and will monitor long term. I am more interested in improving the short term indoor air quality and slowing the corrosion effect in the home while longer term issues are being resolved. Keeping the drywall dry appears to slow the production of sulfur componds. Air change purges all indoor pollutants. Need to comfirm this concept during all weather conditions and varible activities. Regards Ken
At the conference, many recommended opening windows but avoid high indoor humidity or temperatures. From my limited testing, opening windows with breezes, purges the H2S. Any H2S in the building materials hopefully clears the home in a couple weeks. Regards Ken
This method may "purge" the livable space, but what about inside the attic, wall cavities, etc. where physical damage is taking place?
This method may "purge" the livable space, but what about inside the attic, wall cavities, etc. where physical damage is taking place?
Wall cavities may purge because of positive pressure. Attics have an air change rate during the heat of the day. But not sure of the positive pressure effect on the attic. All of these issues need to be checked. Mainly we are concerned with the improvement of air quality in the space. Secondly, with decrease in the corrision rate of the metal located throughout the structure. Formaldehyde was also high in the homes tested by the state. Fresh air change will also purge the formaldehyde from the home.
Regards Ken
When will all of the free sulfur imbeded in the gypsum drywall be reacted? Long time?? Testing could tell? I have some CDW being kept wet and will monitor long term. I am more interested in improving the short term indoor air quality and slowing the corrosion effect in the home while longer term issues are being resolved. Keeping the drywall dry appears to slow the production of sulfur componds. Air change purges all indoor pollutants. Need to comfirm this concept during all weather conditions and varible activities. Regards Ken
I seem to recall reading that bad CDW does not cause trouble in northern climates due to low humidity...I wonder what the heat/humidity tipping point is to trigge off gassing?
Chinese drywall blamed for sulfur-generating bacteria
By ISAAC WOLF
Scripps Howard News Service
Posted: 11/12/2009 01:40:54 AM PST
WASHINGTON — Samples of Chinese drywall have been found to contain significantly more sulfur-generating bacteria than comparable North American drywall, a finding scientists believe could provide a pathway to help desperate and furious homeowners.
While federal officials and industry experts say that there is no silver bullet for cleaning tainted drywall — and they're skeptical of any company that promises a quick fix — there is increasing interest in exploring whether Chinese drywall's high bacteria count may be generating chemicals that make people sick and blacken appliances.
"We think we've isolated a bacteria," said D. Douglas Hoffman, CEO of the National Organization of Remediators and Mold Inspectors, an Abita Springs, La., organization that focuses on indoor air quality and mold problems.
The bacteria is believed to be consuming the main ingredient of drywall and releasing hydrogen sulfide, which has a nauseating rotten egg smell.
Hoffman's group is studying bacteria in drywall in two research labs, and, though he is not ready to announce definitively that bacteria may is the culprit for high quantities of sulfur, he thinks the research is promising: It could mean that affected houses could be cleansed by bacteria-killing disinfectants. The financial stakes are growing. The U.S. House of Representatives last week approved legislation to help pay to repair tainted drywall, scores of lawsuits are piling up and homebuilders are setting
aside millions of dollars for fixes. Chinese drywall is believed to have been used in 60,000 to 100,000 houses built in 2006 and 2007.
Led by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, federal authorities are trying to pinpoint why almost 2,000 homeowners — many in Florida — have complained that drywall has made them sick or blackened their appliances. The federal investigation is expected to release its findings by Thanksgiving, and an interim report last week found that samples of Chinese drywall released 24 times as much sulfur as North American drywall.
The reason tainted Chinese drywall is releasing so much sulfur gas may be because it's loaded with a sulfide-producing bacteria, says Mike Shaw, executive vice president of Interscan Corp., a Chatsworth company that makes toxic gas detection equipment. Lab tests have shown Chinese drywall samples to contain up to 10,000 times as much sulfur-producing bacteria as North American samples, Shaw said in an interview at Interscan's suburban Washington D.C. office.
The elevated bacteria levels could be the result of contaminated water or paper, he added.
Federal authorities have expanded their investigation to include research on bacteria, said Scott Wolfson, director of public affairs for the CPSC. In an interview, he cautioned against rushing to premature scientific judgments.
"The science should drive the solution of how to help these families, many of whom have been displaced or are suffering health effects while in their home," Wolfson said. "We are conducting the most expansive investigation possible, so that we provide the right answers and solutions to these affected homeowners."
, as quickly as possible."
If bacteria are generating the sulfur — and the elevated sulfur levels are the cause of respiratory problems, bloody noses and corroded metal appliances — then the solution could be based in fumigation, Shaw said. A heavy-duty disinfectant, chlorine dioxide, could be used to fumigate houses and kill the bacteria. But Wolfson and other experts cautioned that the bacteria could easily move from one piece of drywall to another.
Hoffman, of the industry group, said that an effective toxic drywall cleanup would require not just one round of fumigation but also follow-up checks, because some bacteria might evade the initial effort.
He said that while his group is developing a protocol for neutralizing homes with toxic drywall, "I don't think there's any one silver bullet."
E-mail Isaac Wolf at wolfi(at)shns.com
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