Several years ago I was asked to become certified in mold inspections. Everyone was claiming that it was the new plastics. In fact, it seems everywhere I went I saw "Mold is Gold!" plastered on windows, cars, and lawsuits. Mold, of course, reached its zenith a few years ago. Even my competitors are no longer doing mold inspections.

Ah, but you knew there was more to this story, right? Seems that the new mold goes by the name "Chinese drywall." Like everything else the Chinese are making for the world markets -- maybe even specifically for the U.S. markets? -- toys with lots of lead in the paint, contaminated baby milk, contaminated pet food, etc. -- Chinese drywall seems to have some problems associated with it.

Once a high-profile person has problems with something, that's when it really makes the soundbites on your local news. Recently, New Orleans Saits head coach Sean Payton announced that he is suing the drywall manufacturer, the supplier, and the home builder due to problems in his suburban New Orleans home: electrical devices kept failing, his wife's silver jewelry turned black, 14 air conditioning service calls, five computer failures, three microwave oven panel failures, and "a whole set of phone lines replaced."

I would get certified to inspect drywall, but all one needs to do is determine if "KNAUF" or "Knauf plasterboard (Tianjin)" is anywhere on the drywall. Unfortunately, that often requires tearing open all the walls, and who wants to do that? You could try looking in the attic to see if the backs of any drywall are visible.

Chinese drywall apparently releases gases which, when combined with water or moisture in the air, can cause copper to corrode and fail. Copper, of course, is used in lots of electrical wiring applications. So if you start having a lot of electrical failures, suspect Chinese drywall, especially if your home was built in 2004 or 2005.

Yet one more way is the smell. If your house smells like rotten eggs, all the time, you probably have Chinese drywall in your home.

NBC News has the best summary about Chinese drywall that I've found.

*****

This week's posts

1. WWW (Wordless Wednesday with Words): Flap your wings and off you go! - 6/30/09
2. The mostest helpfullest Seller ever! - 6/30/09
3. Bigger is not always better - 6/30/09
4. My mostest uniquest foundation crawl space ever - 6/29/09
5. My uniquest attic ever - 6/29/09

Last week's posts

1. SST (Speechless Sunday with Text): How to increase your home insurance premium - 6/28/09
2. How to easily help your house burn down - 6/27/09
3. I don't inspect heliports - 6/26/09
4. ActiveRain commenting etiquette: HELP! - 6/26/09 (Featured)
5. How to make the most of your day - 6/25/09
6. WWW (Wordless Wednesday With Words): It's nice to be taken care of - 6/24/09
7. Why we need tort reform - 6/23/09
8. Your electrical panel is not there to cause problems, it's there to prevent them - 6/22/09
9. Unsolvable problems? Look at it differently. The answer is there. - 6/22/09

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