courtesy of PRWeb – by M. Thomas Martin
The Construction Defect Center is becoming increasingly concerned about Chinese made construction building products, that began flooding the US, since 2004, or earlier. The group’s new worry is Chinese made copper plumbing pipes, may not meet acceptable plumbing standards in the United States. The Construction Defect Center is openly saying, “We have some of this Chinese made copper pipe, its too light to be copper, or 100% copper, we are not sure what it is. The only thing we know for sure is it was made in China. We are aware of K, L & M copper plumbing type grades, and the copper Chinese pipe we now have was none of the above. We fear this is one more really big problem for US homeowners, courtesy of US homebuilders going cheap, and Chinese manufacturers not caring about the quality of their products. We now fear Chinese made copper residential plumbing pipe is going to become one more really big mess for US homeowners.”
The Construction Defect Center is the one of the premier advocates for US homeowners stuck with defective building material, or plumbing products. The group is now expressing grave concern over Chinese made imported copper plumbing pipes, that were widely used during the US housing boom, that went from 2004, and ended in 2007.
On Friday February 3rd 2012, the group was present when a plumber removed a section of Chinese made copper pipe, that had sprung a pinhole sized leak, in a major US home builder subdivision, in Southern California. The problem is the home was only five years old, and when the copperish colored pipe was removed the only obvious thing to everyone in attendance was the pipe was not 100% copper, and it did not meet any plumbing building codes, and could not have been graded along the lines of K, L, or M standard copper plumbing grades. The Construction Defect Center then called plumbers in various formerly hot US real estate markets like Las Vegas, Phoenix, Dallas, Miami, and learned the Chinese made copper pipe failing, or leaking is a nationwide problem.
The Construction Defect Center is now openly warning home builders, and building supply houses, “While it may be too late for many of you, we are saying buying Chinese building products is not worth the hassle, if the product does not meet US building codes. Don’t believe us? Lets see how many major US home builders are still in business as soon as the long term health effects of toxic Chinese drywall are known.”
According to Bloomberg News, “On September 27th 2010 The U.S. imposed dumping duties on copper pipes and tubes from China. The United States Department of Commerce imposed the anti dumping sanctions because Chinese copper tube and pipe makers were flooding the US market. US Manufacturers have complained about dumping less expensive Chinese made copper plumbing pipes on the US markets, and as importantly they have expressed concern about the quality of the Chinese copper pipe.”
The Construction Defect Center is warning all US homeowners, in newer homes built, or remodeled after 2004 to be on the lookout for unexplainable mystery plumbing leaks, especially if it involves copper pipe. The group is urging US homeowners; especially those in newer subdivisions, or condominium projects to keep the section of copper pipe that was replaced, because it could be vital evidence, should the home need to have all Chinese made copper plumbing pipe replaced. The group says, “Potentially defective Chinese made copper plumbing pipe is just one more reason the US has to start making things again. What money does anyone save if the entire house has to have all of its Chinese made copper pipe replaced?”
The Construction Defect Center says, “Adding insult to injury, defective construction material is not covered on a standard homeowners insurance policy. Translation – there is no homeowners insurance coverage for this new Chinese building product disaster.”
http://ConstructionDefectCenter.Com
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/2/prweb9173071.htm
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You should have the Chinese pipe tested to see if it contains cadmium. Cadmium is the worst cancer causing metal known to man. I had a co-worker die of leukemia a few years after using the old silver solder which contained cadmium in re-plumbing his house
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We’re sorry to hear about your co-worker. We always recommend having your water tested if you’re at all concerned about chemicals, metals, etc. As the old saying goes, knowledge is power – and once you know for sure if there is a problem or not, then you can take action. Thanks for the insights!
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who is the Chinese manufacturer of these defective parts?
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Hi, thanks for checking out thePlumber.com! Unfortunately, our research turned up no information about specific manufacturers that the Construction Defect Center was investigating – they were simply doing an across-the-board investigation as to the quality of the copper pipe coming into the US from China. However, the initial investigation later began looking at all manufacturers of copper pipe, not just those from China. As the results haven’t been released, we don’t have any further information.
We would strongly recommend to anyone that is building a new home or renovating their plumbing system to work with a trusted, licensed plumbing contractor that can evaluate the quality of your materials. A good plumber will offer you options and help you to decide on materials so you’re getting a good value – not just the cheapest or most expensive option. Keep in mind, though, plumbing is certainly one area of your home you just don’t want to skimp on – problems later on can be very expensive to fix, especially if you need to re-plumb your entire house – and many homeowners’ insurance policies won’t cover defective construction materials.
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This is nothing new. Chinese industry seems to have no quality control, it’s a foreign concept to them; tooth paste contaminated with antifreeze, dog food laced with melamine plastic to fake the protein content, drywall loaded with sulfur. But consider their neighbor Japan. After WW2 the Japanese rebuilt their industry and began putting out products. At first they were crude and cheap, but they learned from their mistakes and constantly improved their products. Now their quality control is one of the highest in the world, but the Chinese don’t care, they keep putting the same garbage out over and over and over and over again. It’s so sad, when are we going to stop shipping industry out of this country as fast as we possibly can? No other country practices this insanity!
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I installed new copper pipe in 1998 in my 1906 historic craftsman home. By 2018 I had my first pinhole leak. As a general contractor working on historic homes I had always found copper pipe to have a lifespan of 70+ years. I told my plumbers to buy the best. Price was
Not an object because the finishes were all historic and much more costly than insurance companies expect. After the first leak I got another and another which the insurance company called individual claims. Even though I replaced all the piping at my expense now they have non-renewed my policy as if this is malicious on my part. Talk about being gas lit!
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I had a Fridgiare split system ductless 12,000 AC installed May of 2013 and it has frozen over for the second time in the last 8 months. An AC tech, who I called to look at the problem, told me it appears to be defective copper tubing from China. I now have to replace the connection coil. Do I have any recourse from Fridgidaire or any other source?
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We built our home in 2005 and the plumber used copper pipes throughout. We have had several leaks from the copper water pipes, one repair cost $20K+. Another pipe burst this weekend, between floors no less. We had to tear out a ceiling just to access the pipes to stop the leak. We love our home, but we are beyond TIRED of the leaks. Is there a class action suit or any other recourse we can pursue? Thank you.
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I’m finding mislabeled plumbing fittings from China. Labeled 1/2 threads are 3/4. 3/4 are 1″ etc. Has anyone else noticed this?