Asbestos?
I was looking to insulate by hot water lines in the basement, and looking around I found this small section of old insulation (maybe 4 feet total) that I’m hoping is not asbestos, but I’d like your opinions… If so, for such a small amount, what is the preferred way to remove and dispose of…
I was looking to insulate by hot water lines in the basement, and looking around I found this small section of old insulation (maybe 4 feet total) that I’m hoping is not asbestos, but I’d like your opinions…
If so, for such a small amount, what is the preferred way to remove and dispose of this without calling in the Hazmat team and Homeland Security?
thanks!
Call an abatement contractor. This would not be an expensive job.
Did you recently buy the home? If so, did the home inspector miss this? Might get some dough from them to help pay for the abatement.
Another option would be to bag the entire section of pipe, remove it and replace it. It still leaves you with the disposal issue but at least you won’t have to deal with scraping it.
that part that is torn apart (friable) is bad news. if much of it is intact, you have the option of leaving the intact part. it is a good insulator. but you need to abate the friable part shown, either using safe methods yourself or hiring a good abatement company. Don’t use a fly-by-night abatement company or some guy who says he can do it. They may just make the problem worse by spreading the material all over the area.
Re the comment above about using a HEPA vac: I don’t know what methods the experts advise, but common sense suggests you need to be careful with HOW you use the HEPA vac, since having a filter isn’t a cure-all. Make sure the filter you buy is designed to catch the smallest particles (there lots that say HEPA but you need to read the fine print) and only use a vacuum that can be used with a BAG. If you use a shop vac that doesnt have a bag, you’re going to expose yourself and the home again to asbestos dust when you empty the vac. And that’s going to be in its most dangerous form where it’s difficult not to breathe the cloud of dust that forms when you dump the vac upside down. You also need to be concerned about the exhaust from the vac stirring up dust as you’re using it. And you should plan to throw away the asbestos-covered HEPA filter once you’ve used it so you dont end up accidentally shaking it later without thinking. Dont get me wrong, intact asbestos insulation will not harm you, but be very careful with any vacuuming. If there’s a way to wet mop it all up instead of vacuuming, that would be safer.
That’s asbestos, bklynfirealrm has it pegged. I hate so-called encapsulation, the stuff is still there for the next homeowner to complain about.
mopar, one technique is to slit into the stuff and spray it with water and about 5% dishwashing soap. That helps penetrate. As long as you keep it wet while working, you can scrape off the remains with wire brush, scraper, whatever.
It is legal to remove this yourself but not legal to dispose of in NYC. Nevertheless creative minds can solve that problem.
OK, so assuming I wanna use professionals to do this job (even though it’s small) so I need to call an asbestos inspector first, or can I just send in the abatement crew? Can they handle all the paperwork I need?
few more comments:
– you need particle respirator (P100)
– after removing it paint pipes so nothing else will escape.
I would suggest considering an alternative method that many homeowners who find themselves in similar straits employ:
Wrap the asbestos up with some fiberglass insulation. This will not only secure the asbestos from going airborne, but it will give you a double layer of insulation for those sections of your pipe.
The stuff doesn’t just fly around or float by itself, but it could flake off and come down bit by bit from time to time if you don’t wrap it.
Also, ask yourself this – how much time do you spend in your basement? Just be sure to take precautions similar to removal before taking this project on.
Would it be possible to re-cover the places where the covering is ripped and leave it in place? It seems to me that that’d be safer [and a lot cheaper].
Judging by that last photo the stuff has gone CODE FRIABLE and is airborne.
In the old days my mom would spray our Christmas tree with contact cement and sprinkle asbestos flakes over it like freshly fallen snow. I would just bag it up and dump it on the Whole Foods site down in Gowanus.