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This is around air duct pipes and in the corners. I wanted to know before the air duct cleaning crew comes. They also do other work involving removing insulation etc. just need to know what it is beforehand. I also had to test for mold so I pressed on the part that looked like mold with the sticky sample stick.
This is around air duct pipes and in the corners. I wanted to know before the air duct cleaning crew comes.
Don't touch it or even do the cleaning work until it's fully stable.
Removing it is a minor nightmare (done right) best left for if/when the duct needs replacing.
Need to clean inside the air ducts last owner of the home had pets and had a master and family room addition. I don't think they cleaned the air ducts after the work. Mold is growing in some parts of this insulation so I want to clean inside the air ducts just in case there is any inside. The company coming also does mold removal. I will see what they say about this
There were literally THOUSANDS of products made from the minerals that are now classified as "POTENTIALLY containing asbestos" and the only legitimate way to identify the specific type is having a trained technician use an appropriate polarized light microscope -- http://monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Monogr...ono100C-11.pdf
My gut says even if there is the sort of asbestos that could harm one's lungs the condition does not seem at all "friable" and as such is NOT a concern -- https://www.fs.fed.us/eng/toolbox/haz/haz07b.htm
There is NO WAY that any renovations to the HVAC that happened in the 1990s could have had access to asbestos, it was known to be a huge risk for the installation crews!
There are too many people that play on the fears of the uninformed and will rip you off. Be very careful of who you deal with...
1929 but of course the central air unit isn't that old. I think it was installed anywhere from 99-2001 those were the years of renovation
If this is the case and what you are depicting is part of the renovation - no it is not asbestos. Asbestos was banned in 1989. there is little liklihood any work done after that had asbestos in it. Even a decade before that it was rarely used. No one can tell you by looking at it. It has to be tested to tell for certain.
If it is asbestos you can have the guys in white darth vader suits come and charge you a fortune to remove it, or you can put on a painters suit, respirator (if desired), goggles (if desired) and take a razor knife, cut it off and put it in garbage bags. Then call you local authority and ask whether you need to take it to a waste management center or just put it in the trash. "Don't touch it" is a bit absurd. It is not uranium or acid. It is just a material that can cause a horrid disease if you breathe in clouds of the dust from it for a long period of time. Looking at it will not hurt you, touching it will not hurt you. Even eating it will not hurt you (as far as they know - not recommended). It is only turning it to dust then breathing in mass quantities of the dust over a long period of time that you need to avoid. If it is asbestos, to be safe, it is best to avoid breathing in any of the dust, so when I remove it, I put on a painters suit, respirator gloves, hat, goggles. When I finish i I vacuum up and crumbs or dust with a filtered shop vac, then everything goes into the plastic garbage bag suit, filter, dust, material, ect. Tie off the bag and dispose of it as instructed. Take a shower. It would cost me about $15 to remove that material if it is asbestos. But you can pay $400 to $1000 if you choose.
1929 but of course the central air unit isn't that old. I think it was installed anywhere from 99-2001 those were the years of renovation
that insulation and duct work looks a bit older than 20 years, it's possible a new hvac system could have been installed in that time frame and the ductwork still predates that. Not saying it's not possible, but typically asbestos insulation is on piping...tho I was in a facility that was built in the early 60's that had duct insulation containing asbestos. It was very hard/rigid to the touch, not at all like fiberglass.
Unless the insulation is damaged, it is best to leave it be, any small damage or penetrations can be encapsulated using products such as these...
also, mold needs organic material and moisture to grow on, I doubt that anything you show in your pictures is mold. Unless there's evidence of moisture coming through your insulation...adhesive is organic and will sustain mold growth, fiberglass and other mineral insulation is not organic.
If this is the case and what you are depicting is part of the renovation - no it is not asbestos. Asbestos was banned in 1989. there is little liklihood any work done after that had asbestos in it. Even a decade before that it was rarely used. No one can tell you by looking at it. It has to be tested to tell for certain.
If it is asbestos you can have the guys in white darth vader suits come and charge you a fortune to remove it, or you can put on a painters suit, respirator (if desired), goggles (if desired) and take a razor knife, cut it off and put it in garbage bags. Then call you local authority and ask whether you need to take it to a waste management center or just put it in the trash. "Don't touch it" is a bit absurd. It is not uranium or acid. It is just a material that can cause a horrid disease if you breathe in clouds of the dust from it for a long period of time. Looking at it will not hurt you, touching it will not hurt you. Even eating it will not hurt you (as far as they know - not recommended). It is only turning it to dust then breathing in mass quantities of the dust over a long period of time that you need to avoid. If it is asbestos, to be safe, it is best to avoid breathing in any of the dust, so when I remove it, I put on a painters suit, respirator gloves, hat, goggles. When I finish i I vacuum up and crumbs or dust with a filtered shop vac, then everything goes into the plastic garbage bag suit, filter, dust, material, ect. Tie off the bag and dispose of it as instructed. Take a shower. It would cost me about $15 to remove that material if it is asbestos. But you can pay $400 to $1000 if you choose.
Ok I was getting nervous because I actually pressed something against it to sample for mold. At first I thought it was thick paper of some sort. Then for some reason I started thinking it could be asbestos
I've been certified in inspecting for asbestos for over 25 years. Just looking at the first photo, I will tell you that I'm 99% sure its asbestos. That said, you can not be 100% sure without having it tested. But, I have sampled 1000's of building materials for asbestos, and I'm quite certain it is asbestos.
Coldjensens gave some decent information, but did leave off probably the most important part. You MUST keep the material WET when working with it, to keep fiber release to a minimum. You can fill a spray bottle with water with a little fabric softener in it. Spray it on, then keep spraying while you remove it.
A good way to get rid of the asbestos material you removed is to mix some concrete and place the asbestos material in the middle. You can make stepping stones, and the asbestos will not be a hazard. Keep in mind this is not an EPA approved method.
A form of encapsulation is spraying it with GreatStuff foam. You can also paint over it with very old latex paint that has thickened from evaporation. Very similar product to professional encapsulation products.
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