Five of the Craziest Chinese Drywall Stories We've Heard

• drywall
• construction
• home building
• home improvement
• walls
• China
• safety

1. Hair-Dryer Explosion

Homeowner Richard Kampf of Cape Coral, Florida, formerly worked for the EPA and has testified before a congressional committee about his drywall problems. "All we spend our life doing is fighting this," Kampf said. "It's difficult."

Recently, his wife's 3-week-old hair-dryer "caught fire in her hand," Kampf says. He suspects corrosion to the copper wiring of the outlet, behind walls made of Knauf Tianjin board, caused an electrical short that set the hot blower ablaze. For now, he says, "the CPSC confiscated it, and they're taking it apart in a lab."

2. Blackened Piano, Corroded Toilet Paper Caddy

A 45-year-old man and his wife, living in a house built in 2006 in Perkinston, Mississippi, reported corrosion in, of all places, their piano and bathroom:

"During the on-site visit, the complainant's wife pointed out several instances of blackening or corrosion on visible metal surfaces throughout the house. She said that she had not noticed any rooms or areas of the house in which the corrosion problem seemed to be worse than others, however.

The complainant's wife said that the tuning pins on the baby grand piano in the living room should have been a bright brass color. However, as she pointed out, the pins have begun to show evidence of blackening and discoloration.

In the guest bathroom, located under the stairs leading to the second story of the house, the complainant identified two instances of corrosion. First, she pointed out areas of discoloration on the bathroom faucet. In addition, she noted pitting and corrosion on the toilet paper caddy located in that bathroom.

The complainant's wife also identified the metal spigot underneath the sink in the kitchen as an area in which she had noticed evidence of corrosion. In addition, she pointed out areas of discoloration and corrosion on stainless steel knives that were stored in a drawer in the kitchen."

3. Broken Appliances, Trippy Circuit Breakers

This investigation concerns a 34-year-old male, his 32-year-old wife, and their 4-month-old daughter. They have been living in the affected house in Boynton Beach, Florida, since completing construction on it in November 2006.

"Within the first year of living in the house, the complainant experienced several appliances malfunctioning and having to be replaced. He has had the circuit boards on a television and laptop stop working. He has had the security company replace the alarm panel twice because it stopped working. The company technician could not explain why he was experiencing problems.

The electrical panel in the refrigerator was replaced in the first 10 months of living in the home. Also in the first 10 months, he has had to replace the top portion of the oven that shows the temperature and other controls, twice. Each time because the top portion of the oven would overheat and cause the wood cabinet above it to start cracking. The erratic behavior of the oven caused concern to the complainant and his wife and they stopped using the oven.

The air conditioning units on the first and second floor have been recharged with refrigerant on November 11, 2007, August 29, 2008, and the last time on March 14, 2009…each time at least three pounds of refrigerant were added and leaks in the evaporator coils were patched. The evaporator coils were never replaced during these service visits. The technician could not give an explanation for the problems the complainant was experiencing with the air conditioning units.

An electrical receptacle in a guest bedroom started to arc and smoke and the builders had a service technician visit the home and replace the receptacle. On a consistent basis, the complainant experienced the following issues: circuit breakers tripping for no apparent reason and an unusual odor in the vicinity of a receptacle. He is not experiencing issues with flickering lights, sizzling and buzzing, and light switches or outlets that are warm or hot to the touch.

The complainant has noticed blackening, corrosion and pitting on metal surfaces throughout the house. Within 10 months of living in the house the complainant informed the builder that there was blackening and pitting on metal fixtures such as the drains in the showers and sinks, shower heads, faucets, lighting fixtures, bathtub fixtures, and metal fixtures on shower doors. The builder replaced all of the metal fixtures and the blackening and pitting began to appear again. The issues with the smoking receptacle and the oven panel caused concern to the complainant of a possible fire hazard. He has also noticed corrosion on his wife's jewelry, mirrors, and metal knobs on a table."

4. Mysterious Diseases

This report documents a young family's experience in a Lake City, Florida, home built in 2006:

"While the consumers were building the house themselves, the girls (8½-years and 6½-years-old) got colds. Two weeks later, the consumer got a cold. Her girls would come and help with the building of the house. The consumer noted that she had never had a cold as an adult.

What they thought was a cold settled into their lungs and never went away. The consumer took her daughters to a specialist and they received treatment, but could never cure the problem. The girls were diagnosed with asthma, but the doctor thought it was allergy-induced asthma. Scratch tests were performed on the girls. The older daughter was tested for over 60 items and the younger daughter was tested for 45 items, but both tests came back negative. That's when the doctor said that this was some type of allergy induced asthma, but the doctor did not know why or what caused it. None of the treatments worked and the girls could not be cured. They received antibiotics for sinus infections and they would work for a little while, but their symptoms would come right back.

The consumer had numerous sinus infections. On two occasions, she quit breathing and had to be rushed to the hospital and received steroids.

The consumer's 6-year-old son developed a sinus infection in 2008. His infection keeps backing up into his ears and he has ear infections that have been occurring since September 2008. He will get treatment and the problem will start all over again.

The husband's symptoms developed in February 2009, and now he has the same problems as everyone in the home. He keeps going to the doctor and receiving treatment, but the problem will not go away.

The middle daughter is currently repeating second grade. The consumer noted that this daughter was reading on a second grade level in kindergarten. This daughter's doctor said that she is probably not getting enough rest, because she up all night getting breathing treatments and going to the bathroom.

They have experienced problems with all of the copper in their home. The part that goes into the A/C keeps corroding, developing holes and all the refrigerant leaks out. They have a repair technician come out every six months, he charges the system, and the exact same thing happens again.

They have had a couple of outlets and light switches that start crackling; about a week later, they quit working. When they are removed, they are filled with smoke and blackened inside. Their house smells like sulphur and their water taste and smells like sulphur and fumes. The consumer noted that they have a double filter on the water system in their home, but that does not address the problem.

The consumer said that she has contacted FEMA requesting paperwork that might assist them with living somewhere else, but they need documentation from another agency or an authority before they can assist with relocating. The consumer can not move in with anyone, because there are too many of them.

NOTE: The consumer and her family have to sleep in tents in their backyard to get out of the house sometimes, but this not safe for them.

5. Cockatiel in the Coal Mine

A 49-year-old woman, her 44-year-old husband, and their 12-year-old son experienced the following in a split-level home in Fort Myers, Florida:

The complainant's husband stated that their 14-year-old cockatiel died in January 2009. He said the average lifespan of a cockatiel is 20 years. He said when they moved into the house the bird started sneezing and throwing up. He said they took her to the vet where she was given antibiotics. They brought her home and thought she was fine. A few days later they went out, came back and found her dead inside her cage.

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