How is asbestos dealt with after it is removed from a home furnace or siding?
Posted on July 9th, 2009 by admin
Asbestos
I was looking at buying a home with an octopus furnace (AKA gravity furnace) and the vent pipes were white and made of asbestos. I was told a HAZMAT team would have to come in and remove the asbestos, but I am curious as to what they do with the asbestos covered pipes when they are done. I was also told that if the pipes are not damaged or peeling that it is perfectly safe and it can remain in the home.
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I was looking at buying a home with an octopus furnace (AKA gravity furnace) and the vent pipes were white and made of asbestos. I was told a HAZMAT team would have to come in and remove the asbestos, but I am curious as to what they do with the asbestos covered pipes when they are done. I was also told that if the pipes are not damaged or peeling that it is perfectly safe and it can remain in the home.
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Filed under: Maintenance & Repairs
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First the contractor seals the area with plastic, then uses a HEPA filter to create a negative pressure situation. This keeps the airborne fibers in the area. They are soaked with a soap solution to keep them as intact as possible, then they are scraped clean. The asbestos is placed in plastic garbage bags, which are tightly sealed. This bag is placed inside another bag, which is also tightly sealed. When the job is complete, the bags are taken to special landfills and disposed of carefully.
Leaving the asbestos pipewrap in place is dangerous. All it takes is a good bump to release fibers into the air. I wouldn’t expose myself or my children to this. Abatement is pricey, but how much is your life worth? Have it taken care of, it’s the right thing to do.
Hope this helps.
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The asbestos is saturated with a water soap mixture so as not to make the fibres airborn, and then encapsulated in thick mil plastic bags and removed off site. It ends up buried in a landfill; not incinerated. The old pipes can be safely wrapped in a foam insulation (or just left alone). Asbestos is normally harmless until it’s deconstructed and becomes airborn.