asbestos on water heater flue -- replace or wait? (floor, shingles, furnaces)
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We just bought a 40-year old house. Our whole house inspector's report notes the water heater vent connector terminates within a Transite (asbestos cement) flue pipe which does not meet present standards. He said the local buildings dept might require upgrading when the furnace is replaced but otherwise no problems noted.
We had a contractor check out the flue as well. He said all homes built at the time used the same flue vent stack, but it could be changed to a "B" vent 3" flue pipe ($145). We were going to have him do this work before we moved in, but I'm wondering now if it's a good idea to mess around with the flue if there's nothing wrong with it -- ie, shouldn't we leave it alone since it's asbesots?
Transite pipe was used all the time. If it is not friable or damaged, it is probably not much of a risk. You can leave it in place without much problem.
Keep in mind that removing it, will probably result in some minor fiber release, just because you are moving it around to remove it. Depending on the length, and how is installed, it can be very difficult to remove.
Your local building dept. can tell you their take on what you have to do and when. When I lived in So. CA, I dealt with transite pipe a lot, since most of the houses in my area had floor furnaces that vented up through the roof. Those pipes were next to impossible to remove without damaging them.
My advice is to leave it alone for as long as you can. If the surface is rough you can always coat it with latex encapsulation paint to protect the surface from damage and fiber release.
Leave it in place. Unless you make a habit of sniffing the exhaust from the top of the stack, you won't be exposed to any asbestos. Even if you were, the hazards have been WAY overblown by the legal profession. I (and countless others) grew up with asbestos in floor tiles, asbestos in toasters, asbestos in exterior siding, asbestos in shingles, asbestos covering the steam pipes at the local school, asbestos in brake linings, and asbestos in numerous other products. I used to help my father cut asbestos cement sheets with a skillsaw to make the tops of workbenches for electronics repair. I used to regularly drive through a town where asbestos was mined, and the road was covered in asbestos dust.
Asbestos MINERs did have health issues. The average person did not, unless they smoked heavily. Compared to the levels of asbestos we all used to get, an asbestos cement flue is absolutely nothing. However, asbestos cement in a properly installed pipe IS one of the safest flue pipes you could have.
Leave it in place. Unless you make a habit of sniffing the exhaust from the top of the stack, you won't be exposed to any asbestos. Even if you were, the hazards have been WAY overblown by the legal profession. I (and countless others) grew up with asbestos in floor tiles, asbestos in toasters, asbestos in exterior siding, asbestos in shingles, asbestos covering the steam pipes at the local school, asbestos in brake linings, and asbestos in numerous other products. I used to help my father cut asbestos cement sheets with a skillsaw to make the tops of workbenches for electronics repair. I used to regularly drive through a town where asbestos was mined, and the road was covered in asbestos dust.
Asbestos MINERs did have health issues. The average person did not, unless they smoked heavily. Compared to the levels of asbestos we all used to get, an asbestos cement flue is absolutely nothing. However, asbestos cement in a properly installed pipe IS one of the safest flue pipes you could have.
Yep, this idea that a tiny amount of asbestos, especially if it is in a stable situation is this huge hazard is very, very over done. It does not square with the experience of a huge part of the population that has exposure over their lifetime and had no problems.
It probably is not clear what exposure does cause problems. The facts never seem to square with the present claims that a few fibers will kill you. Most peeps have had some exposure. I've had my share, including that which is found on ships and many older ships are loaded with it. Plus it is all around the construction repair type businesses. Been in every house I've ever owned.
In your case I would just cover it with a high temperature tape that is similar to duct tape. It is very sticky and tough, will withstand elevated temps. Excellent solution, I've used it to encapulate insulation on pipe. Really does the job well.
Most of this is common sense, you want to limit your exposure to all sorts of things. A lot of it is probably a full employment act for lawyers and removal "Experts". In place encapulation shoud be the preferred solution if possible.
Leave it in place. Unless you make a habit of sniffing the exhaust from the top of the stack, you won't be exposed to any asbestos. Even if you were, the hazards have been WAY overblown by the legal profession. I (and countless others) grew up with asbestos in floor tiles, asbestos in toasters, asbestos in exterior siding, asbestos in shingles, asbestos covering the steam pipes at the local school, asbestos in brake linings, and asbestos in numerous other products. I used to help my father cut asbestos cement sheets with a skillsaw to make the tops of workbenches for electronics repair. I used to regularly drive through a town where asbestos was mined, and the road was covered in asbestos dust.
Asbestos MINERs did have health issues. The average person did not, unless they smoked heavily. Compared to the levels of asbestos we all used to get, an asbestos cement flue is absolutely nothing. However, asbestos cement in a properly installed pipe IS one of the safest flue pipes you could have.
I agree. I have asbestos flues on both my water heat and furnace and if you don't disturb the flues, you will be OK. Issues about asbestos have been overblown.
And in a 40 year old house, you probably have lead such as in lead-based paint (which has probably since been covered over with non-lead paint) and lead used in solder to connect copper plumbing. This is also not much of a problem unless you're chewing on the molding around doors and windows.
Thank you so much everyone. We will not have the flue replaced and will look into whether we should encapsulate it. Think we just found mold in the kitchen so will post a new thread.
Last edited by christeen; 08-17-2008 at 09:09 PM..
I have ben told by a Forced Air Furnace installer that I need to replace the Transite flue pipe when I replace my current unit because the newer 80% efficiency replacement model will cause the flue pipe to produce some yellow acid which will flow back into the furnace. I don't understand why installing a higher efficiency unit would cause this condition any more so than my old unit at the same BTU rating.
Would appreciate your input.
Thank you
Non metallic flue pipes are prohibited by code and industry standards.
Transite is a great insulator, unfortunately that characteristic can cause condensation which can contain a variety of materials that are detrimental to the life expectancy of the water heater; condensate can flow down the transite into the unprotected interior of the water heater.
Metal pipes are warmer/hotter and that facilitates the keeping of the vent gases in a vaporous state until they leave the building.
Homeowners can remove transite themselves in most states; there may be some pretty basic handling requirements and in most states you can just put in in your trash can.
Google : homeowner disposal of transite and add your state at the end of that phrase for some guidelines.
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Very well said......
