Art On Chinese Drywalling

Article by: Robert J. Whelan Jr., P.E.

Information continues to evolve centering on “Chinese/Toxic Drywall”. Donan Engineering would like to present some of the most recent data. We welcome any questions and can provide any services needed relating to “Chinese Drywall” testing. The Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) is the agency tasked with spearheading this investigation. Information within this article as well as additional details can be obtained at: http://www.cpsc.gov/info/drywall/51homeStudy.pdf

The CPSC has received about 2,091 reports from residents in 32 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico who believe their health symptoms or the corrosion of certain metal components in their houses are related to the presence of drywall produced in China. These consumers largely report that their homes were built between 2006 and 2007, when an unprecedented increase in new construction occurred in part due to the hurricanes of 2004 and 2005. At present, the two metrics available for drywall full scope estimates, total imports and consumer complaints, both hold uncertainties. Seven million sheets of Chinese drywall were imported between 2000 and 2009. It is difficult to estimate the number of houses that might contain this drywall because a house could have just one sheet or have been constructed using exclusively these sheets. Of the over 2,000 complaints received by CPSC, it is unlikely that all affected consumers are included.

The CPSC formed an Interagency Task Force to investigate the problems of the drywall; they issued a preliminary report in November 2009. Most significantly, the report, which includes 51 houses in the study, found a strong association between the problem drywall, the hydrogen sulfide levels in houses with that drywall, and corrosion in those houses. The two preliminary component corrosion studies support this finding. The CPSC report provides an update on the test methodology, analytical techniques, and initial results of the CPSC’s engineering test program to determine the impact of imported drywall on residential components/systems resulting in potential fire and shock hazards to consumers/occupants.

The America’s Watchdog group is currently investigating the corrosion of air conditioner coils, specifically studying residents living in Florida since 2002. The group noted, “Air conditioning coils are supposed to last for 15 years, yet they fail in Florida homes with Chinese drywall once every two years, once a year, or even once every six months.

Photograph 1

As illustrated in Photograph 1, the presence of copper sulfide on the surface of the copper indicates that reduced sulfur compounds, such as hydrogen sulfide (H2S), sulfur (S8), or mercaptans (thiols), are present in the indoor atmosphere of the houses from which these samples were removed. All of the corrosion damage observed to date is consistent with a general attack form of corrosion that will progress in a uniform and relatively predictable manner.

Study of houses with imported drywall showed elevated rates of objectively qualified corrosion. CPSC-compliant homes were found to have elevated rates of corrosion as measured objectively by metal coupons and visual inspection compared to non-compliant houses. This finding remained when house status was determined using an objective marker of imported drywall (FTIR/XRF). Imported drywall in these houses was associated with increased levels of hydrogen sulfide in indoor air. Houses with imported drywall had significantly greater hydrogen sulfide concentrations compared to houses with domestic drywall.

http://www.cpsc.gov/info/drywall/51homeStudy.pdf

Donan Engineering's Commitment to Enhancing the Customer's Experience

Article by: Kevin B. Abell, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer

Donan Engineering is proud to announce we have begun development on improvements to our existing Project Reporting Tool. Currently, the Project Reporting Tool is available to all customers for accessing their completed reports, photos, and invoices on all Donan projects. With our newest enhancements, you will have several new capabilities available to you through the Project Reporting Tool including:

1. Detailed Profile Management – This feature will allow you to update and maintain your profile which includes your contact information, user ID, and password. When submitting new projects to Donan online, your name and contact information will automatically be populated in the project submission form to save you valuable time and effort since you will no longer need to complete this exercise for each new project submission.
2. Donan Project History – The new project history overview will provide you with a quick and easy location to review both your ongoing and completed projects with Donan Engineering. Here you will be able to access your reports, photos, and invoices on all completed projects, as well as review the ongoing status of your current projects.
3. Project Drill-Down Capabilities – Here you will be able to select any ongoing or past project and get a detailed overview. Included in the project overview will be important information for that particular loss (including the Claim Number, Loss Location, Project Manager with Contact Information, and Donan Engineering Project Number), turnaround time statistics, and the project notes entered by Donan’s investigative team..

This project is currently in the early development stages, and we are optimistic that we will be able to launch the improved Project Reporting Tool sometime this Spring along with our redesigned website

All of these changes and upgrades are a direct result of you, our valued customers, providing us with feedback on how we can improve our customer service and create additional resources that make it easier to do business with Donan Engineering. Many of our advances are as a result of hearing client feedback, so please continue to let us know how we can better serve you. We sincerely appreciate your business, and we are constantly looking for ways to separate ourselves from the competition.