Houses built in the 1970s
National checks that apply to at least one year in the 1970s: Lead paint, Aluminum wiring, Polybutylene pipes, Asbestos, Federal Pacific panels. Worth checking for this era. A year page has the list for that year.
- Lead paint
Federal law requires a lead-paint disclosure for most housing built before 1978. Worth checking for this era.
- Aluminum wiring
CPSC says homes built before 1965 are unlikely to have aluminum branch-circuit wiring, and that cables installed from 1965 through the mid-1970s may. Its outlet survey covered homes built before 1972 and did not develop information for homes built after 1972. Worth checking for this era.
- Polybutylene pipes
The Cox v. Shell settlement class covered polybutylene supply plumbing installed between January 1, 1978 and July 31, 1995. Worth checking for this era.
- Asbestos
EPA’s home guide says sprayed or troweled ceilings in homes built or remodeled between 1945 and 1978 may contain asbestos, and that EPA prohibited spray-applied asbestos insulation in 1973. Intact material is not, by itself, a project. Worth checking for this era.
- Federal Pacific panels
Stab-Lok panels from the 1950s into the 1980s are commonly reported, verify. In 1983 CPSC closed its investigation because the data it had did not establish a serious risk of injury. Worth checking for this era.