CPSC HUD And CPSC Issue Guidance On Repairing Homes With Problem Drywall (Updated 2022)
Update: The CPSC has officially ended investigation into chinese and problem drywall. They new have a standard on how to identify problem drywall available on their website. They took notice of over 4000 reports from in over 41 states from people that thought their house was impacted by Chinese drywall. These impacts included corrosion of metal such as wiring, gas piping, electrical components and even random metals also evaporator coils corroded. People also so their were health impacts to themselves. The vast majority of the complaints were related to houses built in the 200 and 2006 period. This also coincides with our actual experience inspecting houses in Alabama.
Repairs of the house typically involve removing the drywall and removing and replacing impacted components. This can sometimes be a laborious process and become very involved as drywall and wiring are installed behind many things.
We have been waiting on some standards to evolve and offer some guidance on what to do with the homes that conclusively have Chinese drywall installed. The CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) has released “Guidance on Repairing Homes With Problem Drywall”.
For clients who have Chinese drywall, the CPSC publication, as generally expected, recommends “remove all possible problem drywall from their homes, and replace electrical components and wiring, gas service piping, fire suppression sprinkler systems, smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms.” In most cases, this means the removal of most of the interior finishes to strip to the studs.
The unexpected result of the CPSC’s sweeping recommendation is the effect on homes that have a partial amount of or only a few Chinese drywall boards. In Alabama, our experience with Chinese drywall inspections has discovered many homes with only partial installations of Chinese drywall and some exhibit little or no corrosion damage to the systems. Some contractors are arguing that complete removal of the homes interior and mechanical systems may be overkill. As we have seen in the past year, the guidelines seem to be continually evolving. Many homeowners are waiting for information from the EPA or CPSC on the health impact of the drywall contamination to decide how to react.
For more information see the CPSC web page:
https://www.cpsc.gov/Safety-Education/Safety-Education-Centers/Drywall-Information-Center