do I need an asbestos inspector?

Our plumber said we need to get about 20 linear feet of asbestos off the pipes before we can install our new boiler.  (The old one is kaput.) We called an asbestos removal company– the highly recommended Leinster Contracting– who said that we need to clean up some asbestos from other spots as well, so the job seems bigger than we thought. Since we’re in a hurry to get the job done in advance of the cold weather, I’m tempted to skip the step where you call an inspector.  Would that be stupid?

brokedown

in Inspection 13 years and 6 months ago

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brokelin | 13 years and 6 months ago

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It is not about paranoid v. cavalier…if it was a very old boiler, the huge kind, it probably is asbestos, but since they say you do not know for sure without testing, no sense spending the big bucks for removal unless you know for sure.  …though it will turn out to be asbestos, at least you will know for sure before spending the almost ten grand it will take to remove it properly.  while I never had it removed…another downside of collective board decision making…I did have it bid on.  talk to the contractors who come to bid the job on their procedure.  If I am remembering correctly, they all included an air test performed by an indpendent lab, which the contractor arranged for just after they removed it.  Idea being if the test did not come out clean, there would have to be furher cleaning efforts by contractor.  assumed this was included in original bid if needed, as you pay the bucks to have them do it right and remove it all.  good luck.  It will feel good to have it over

brokedown | 13 years and 6 months ago

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thanks, pig-3 and bklnite!  I’ll go or the KAM test after all and am glad to know that I can split the difference this way between paranoid and cavalier.  (I don’t have the time/money to go all the way in either direction, anyway.)

pigthree | 13 years and 6 months ago

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test at KAM is 24hr results.  You do not need and inspector for any reason.  If you know or want to assume it is asbestose, have it removed or do it yourself.  Its not radioactive.  Its a fairly simple process.

Bklnite | 13 years and 6 months ago

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Your plumber, or one of those that frequent this blog, can speak with more authority, but I believe the deal is this: you’re supposed to file the boiler replacement job with the DOB. In an emergency like yours they can start the papwerwork and go ahead with the job without waiting for the DOB process. As part of filing the job for the boiler replacement, they’ll have to file an  Asbestos Assessment Report with the DOB. That may or may not require an inspection. This debate has come up many times in the past and there are a couple of approaches to dealing with asbestos in your home. The right way is to get someone like Leinster to do it – the whole 9 yards with the space suits and the ventilation system – and it may cost a couple grand, more for a bigger job. Or, with 20 linear feet that needs to be removed, you could buy a $50 mask at home depot, wear safety goggles, gloves, coveralls (you can get disposable coveralls at HD too), a hat, wet the insulation down to minimize dust going into the air, and double bag it in contractor bags and throw it out. Some folks will tell you about the horrors of mesothelioma, but if you take appropriate precautions, spending a couple of hours one time doing this is not a huge risk.

brokedown | 13 years and 6 months ago

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Thank you, Bruce!  Calling Mendy now.

brucef | 13 years and 6 months ago

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Try Mendy at Asbestway at 132 Washington Ave. I have known him for 15+ years. You can say Bruce recommended him.

brokedown | 13 years and 6 months ago

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Thanks, pig-3 and kidbklyn!  I would go to KAM without further hesitation if I weren’t in a big hurry– but since our boiler just blew out on us emergency-style (I won’t describe it), we’re trying to get things done really swiftly, and I actually feel pretty confident that the substance in question really is asbestos. I know that testing would be more reliable, but many different contractors & plumbers have identified it by sight as asbestos over the years– but it was wrapped up until recently.  So, my question is: If you’re reasonably certain that you have asbestos, do you still need an inspector?  And if the inspector finds asbestos *after* the clean-up, will a reputable contractor return to finish the job?

kidbklyn | 13 years and 6 months ago

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I second KAM for unbiased, inexpensive asbestos testing.

pigthree | 13 years and 6 months ago

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there is no step required where you call an inspector.  If you are wondering if the removal co is telling you somthing is asbestos when it might not be, then put a sample in a zip lock bag and take it to KAM in LIC and get it tested for $20\.