Mysterious Dark Streaks Mar Dream Home

Nov. 23 - KGO (KGO) -- There is a mystery unfolding at a relatively new housing subdivision in the East Bay. Strange patterns are appearing on the walls inside one of the homes, which is now jokingly referred to as the "zebra" house. It is a puzzling problem.

Aileen Carter, Brentwood homeowner: "I love living here, 100-percent; the house, the location, the community."

Aileen Carter moved into her brand new home in Brentwood back in 2003. All was well for the first eight months. But then strange shadows began appearing on her walls.

Aileen Carter, Brentwood homeowner: "I thought it was just light changes. Then it just kept getting darker and darker."

She tried to clean the streaks, but says they only got worse. It wasn't just the walls and ceilings, either. Stripes materialized under doors, and around table skirts and bed skirts.

We asked Brentwood's city building official to check things out.

Louis Kidwell, Brentwood city building official: "It's not common, but it is known, yes."

What is it? Well, Aileen's house was built with a steel frame - similar to those commonly used in commercial buildings. Steel has slowly become more popular in the residential market, since it doesn't rot, isn't subject to fungus or pests, and doesn't warp like wood.

Louis Kidwell, Brentwood city building official: "It's a very clean product to work with, but it does have this issue."

The issue is called "thermal transmission," or "ghosting" - which is when temperature changes can cause steel to attract particles from the air, sort of like a magnet.

But where's the black stuff coming from? We asked experts from Brentwood Sheet Meal, Heating and Air to do an inspection, in hopes of discovering the source of the stripes. They opened the furnace, expecting to find black inside the unit or the ductwork.

Eric Haynes, Brentwood Heating and Air: "It's in the filter, but there's nothing on the inside of the ducts."

The filters were covered with the stuff, even though Aileen says they were only a couple of months old.

We took the filters to Forensic Analytical in Hayward, where senior microscopist Larry Wayne got the case.

Larry Wayne, Forensic Analytical, Senior Analytical Microscopist: "Soot, primarily soot. The little bits of blue that you see, these are skin cells. All the little bits of black that you see are just opaque, they're soot. That's a lot of soot to come up to be able to physically see something that black, so it's an unusually high amount."

Unfortunately, Larry says nothing in the analysis points to a cause.

One report by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation says possible sources for soot staining are furnaces, fireplaces, water heaters, gas dryers or ranges, smoking, vehicle exhaust or candle burning.

Larry Wayne, Forensic Analytical, Senior Analytical Microscopist: "The worst thing possible is getting a scented candle with a long wick that's in a glass. And you've just got soot machine on top of soot machine on top of soot machine."

But Aileen says she's had her appliances checked, and only lights candles on rare occasions - much less than her neighbors who also have steel-frame homes.

Aileen Carter, Brentwood homeowner: "No one else has had the problem."

But there is one thing that makes Aileen's home different from others in the development.

Aileen Carter, Brentwood homeowner: "It was used for the construction model, to show the steel studs and beams."

Still, that doesn't help solve the question of where the soot is coming from. Until an answer is found, all Aileen can do is paint, clean the carpets, and pray that someone can help solve this mystery.

Aileen Carter, Brentwood homeowner: "I hope so, because this is a wonderful place to live."

For More Information, Contact:

Brentwood Sheet Metal, Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc.: 8368 Brentwood Blvd., (925) 634-3744.

Forensic Analytical: www.forensica.com/home.htm

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation: www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/index.cfm

"Investigation of Black Soot Staining in Houses" brochure (PDF): www03.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/b2c/catalog/product.do?next=cross#

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