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A/C & Cooling |
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Air & Water Quality |
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Appliances |
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Basement, Attic & Loft |
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Bathrooms |
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Cabinets & Countertops |
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Car, Garage & Shop |
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Childproofing |
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Closets & Storage |
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Decorating & Furnishing |
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Design, Plan, Build |
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Doors |
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Electrical & Lighting |
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Floors & Stairs |
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Green Home, Save Energy |
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Heating & Fireplaces |
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Home Tech |
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Kitchens |
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Landscape & Structures |
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Lawn & Garden |
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Paint & Painting |
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Plumbing & Fixtures |
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Pools, Spas & Saunas |
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Real Estate & Finance |
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Roof, Chimney & Gutters |
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Safe & Secure Home |
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Seasonal, Family & Fun |
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Siding, Columns & Detail |
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Walls & Ceilings |
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Windows & Skylights |
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Asbestos Testing and Removal |
Asbestos is often off-white less-common types are blue or brown. Its appearance generally depends upon the material it was mixed with to make it workable: cement, polymers, starch, asphalt, or other binders. Here's where to look for asbestos and what to do if you find it:
Heating ductwork.
Some ducts, particularly in Southern California, are made largely of asbestos other ducts, made of metal, are wrapped with a cellulose-asbestos, air-cell insulation. Both look a bit like off-white corrugated cardboard asbestos sheeting insulation has a similar appearance but not the corrugation. In addition, registers may have asbestos taping inside.
Ductwork made of asbestos is a major concern because when it begins to deteriorate, fibers are blown into the house. Talk with an asbestos abatement contractor about removal. Removing ductwork costs from $12 to $25 per linear foot--from $1,000 to $2,000 in a standard basement. Replacement is additional.
Wrapped ducts should be removed if wrapping is friable. A stop-gap measure for duct wrapping that's sound is to have it encapsulated.
The furnace may have an asbestos lining at the base or sit on an asbestos pad. A special asbestos cloth may join furnace or boiler to ductwork. If any of these are exposed to damage, they should be encapsulated or removed.
Plumbing.
Some pipes, particularly those connected to radiators or steam heat, are jacketed with asbestos. Asbestos pipe wrap, often covered with canvas, has a crumbly white surface. If pipe wrap has small holes, it's generally better to repair it than remove it. You can caulk holes, and then wrap with rewettable glass cloth. Don't use duct tape--it will fall off over time.
Wiring.
Be wary of old knob-and-tube wires that have a white coating covered with black fabric. If you're remodeling, do not pull out these wires instead, bypass with new wiring.
Fireplace.
Artificial logs manufactured prior to 1978 probably contain flaking asbestos. The ashes are a serious concern remove them immediately. The logs don't release fibers unless they are friable.
Wood-stove gaskets and protective panels for wood stoves or ovens may look like grayish-white stone. If any of these parts are damaged, remove and replace them with a safe and acceptable material.
Crawlspace or basement floor.
Keep in mind that fibers may have collected on the ground or floor beneath ductwork or piping. Have these areas cleaned by a trained asbestos abatement professional or--if you must--wet mop them. Never sweep or vacuum asbestos fibers--they are about one-thousandth the thickness of a human hair and will go right through a household vacuum and into the air.
Walls and ceilings.
Sprayed acoustical, or "cottage cheese," ceilings generally have a very low percentage of asbestos, though some may contain as much as 40 percent. Avoid doing anything that will loosen the material (for example, don't sweep the ceiling). Removal can be quite expensive, from $5 to $30 per square foot.
Most patching plaster and drywall joint compounds until 1979 contained a small amount of asbestos. Avoid scraping or sanding them.
Some plaster walls in older homes contain blown-in insulation that includes asbestos it looks like hard cotton. Only have this removed if you're remodeling.
Flooring.
Even recently manufactured vinyl floor tiles contain a modest amount of asbestos. Because it is ingrained in the material, it does not pose a threat. The tile and its felt backing only become a problem when you're renovating. Don't sand or scrape these materials. Rather than remove old vinyl flooring, the best alternative is to cover it with underlayment, and then add new flooring.
Roofing and siding.
Some older shingles are made from asbestos mixed with cement or asphalt. Asphalt-asbestos shingles don't release fibers easily asbestos-cement shingles can, so be careful during a removal. Avoid breaking or crumbling either kind. Roofing tars and felts also contain asbestos but, again, are unlikely to release fibers unless damaged.
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