On Thursday, the CPSC made an important revision to their Chinese drywall remediation protocol guidelines. There were several revision items, but the one which will apply to the most homeowners is the new recommendation regarding natural gas and propane service lines. The new remediation protocol guidelines state the gas lines no longer need to be removed. This is a significant revision because it could save homeowners thousands of dollars on their Chinese drywall remediations.
We have always felt that the removal of the gas lines was completely unnecessary, but have removed them because both the CPSC and Judge Fallon’s remediation protocols state they need to be removed. The reality is that the gas lines are galvanized, very thick, and rarely show any signs of corrosion whatsoever. This remediation revision just makes good sense.
The protocol change comes about after Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) – a contracted lab – exposed smoke alarms, electrical components, gas piping, and sprinkler heads to concentrated levels of gases representative of problem drywall emissions, to simulate decades of exposure. SNL analyzed the effects of corrosion on the electrical components and found no degradation in performance and no acute safety events during testing. As a result of these, and other tests, the CPSC released their key findings and recommendations.
Key Findings
The key finding is that none of the studies performed at NIST on smoke alarms, fire sprinkler heads, or gas service piping found corrosion associated with problem drywall that provided evidence of a substantial product safety hazard, as defined by the Consumer Product Safety Act. Corrosion of gas service piping was uniform and minimal compared to the thickness of pipes. Some smoke alarms and fire sprinkler heads showed small changes in performance due to accelerated corrosion, but these changes were generally within accepted industry standards.
As a result, CPSC and HUD no longer recommend the removal of gas service piping in homes with problem drywall. This change may reduce the cost of remediation for many homes. In addition, the agencies no longer recommend that glass bulb fire sprinkler heads be replaced in homes. However, the agencies recommend that both glass bulb sprinkler heads and gas distribution piping in affected homes be inspected and tested as part of the remediation to make sure they are working properly; any test failures should be corrected according to all applicable building codes.
The agencies do recommend the replacement of all fusible-type fire sprinkler heads, because one fusible-type sprinkler head sample that had been exposed to accelerated corrosion did not activate when tested. The agencies note that this type of sprinkler head is generally found in commercial, rather than residential, applications and that the sole failure could not be causally linked to the problem drywall.
In addition, CPSC staff continues to recommend that homeowners replace smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms as part of remediation.
The release also mentions the CPSC’s previous remediation revision in which they no longer recommend the removal of the electrical wiring from a Chinese drywall home. For a number of reasons, including the fact that Judge Fallon reviewed the CPSCs findings and stated that the wiring should still be replaced, we are still recommending the complete removal of all wiring from all Chinese drywall homes. To learn more about this you can read our blog post regarding wiring:
The full release from the CPSC can be found at:
CPSC Completes Final Studies to Help Affected Homeowners Remediate Problem Drywall
Tampa Chinese Drywall Video Series – The video series walks step-by-step through an entire Chinese drywall remediation project. It also covers other issues homeowners should consider before beginning a remediation project.
Tampa Chinese Drywall Blog – The blog focusses on those issues directly relevant to any homeowner with Chinese drywall.
Tampa Chinese Drywall Twitter Feed – This twitter feed also focuses on those issue directly relevant to homeowners with Chinese drywall. The blog contains more in-depth information while the twitter feed contains the more timely issues relating to Chinese drywall.
Charter Bay Home Builders is a full-service Tampa Chinese Drywall Contractor and Remediator, Remodeler, and Custom Home Builder working throughout the greater Tampa Bay area including Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando, Manatee, and Sarasota. Charter Bay can help with your Chinese Drywall Problems and Remediation, Custom Home Building, Additions, Kitchen Remodeling, Bath Remodeling, Renovation, and Remodeling needs.
In addition, as one of the few Tampa custom home builders, or remodelers, with multiple green building and green remodeling certifications (FGBC Certifying Agent and NAHB Certified Green Building Professional), Charter Bay can also assist those clients who want green features and sustainable building practices incorporated into their projects.
Visit our website – www.CharterBayHomes.com – today to learn how “The Charter Bay Way” delivers:
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