Asbestos Removal Advice

Arrow008

Evening all,


First time on these forums and I'm hoping for some advice with an asbestos problem.


I'm a first time buyer and unfortunately did not notice the asbestos contained in the cupboard in the living room. This cupboard would have originally housed the warm air unit for the house (which is long gone). There are three vents at the bottom of the cupboard, two into the living room and one into the kitchen.
From what I can see, two panels covering the vents are asbestos (tested and came back 41%). One is approx. 70cmx30cm and the other 50cmx30cm. In addition, the panels are damaged quite badly. It looks like someone has booted it in or taken a hammer to it making a big hole in the middle of the panel (presumably so the air can get to the vent). This was not done by us but from the previous owner who lived in it since it was built (circa 1969). The previous owner could have done it 20 years ago or 2, we don't know.


Anyway, I have a wee one just 5 months old and am very concerned with these panels. Since we found out my wife and son have been living with parents until we get the asbestos sorted. When viewing the house, we were already thinking to demolish this cupboard to enlarge the living room and this has stopped us in our tracks.


At the moment, I'm thinking of 3 options:


- DIY - one panel is in the door frame which we (we being me and my dad) should be able to remove in one piece and bag appropriately. The other panel leading into the kitchen would be boarded up and sealed without removing the asbestos. We would of course wear respirators and take other precautions


- Asbestos remover number 1 - got a quote from a company saying if I paid in one go cost would be £650. They have a flashy website and good reviews but from what I can see are not officially licensed by HSE or have any other accreditation


- Asbestos remover number 2 - quoted me to a maximum of £1400 + VAT. They are listed on HSE and informed me that to go ahead they need to give HSE 14 days notice before they can start any work as they believe the ACM is AIB


We've moved a lot of our stuff to the house but are not living there yet which is really annoying. We just want it out so we can demolish that cupboard and move in doing renovations as we go along.


Any advice would be much appreciated.


P.S. This was not on the home report

teneighty

The important thing is what type of asbestos? What did the test say?


If it has been tested and confirmed as white you can DIY it. If it is brown best left to the experts, in the unlikely event it is blue definitely leave it to the experts.


The last two should only really be dealt with by licenced contractors.

wallbash

Diy .....................

justjohn

chances are its white....if so DIY it. Think it still has to be disposed of correctly....errr seen people sling it in standard household rubbish....but that's naughty...


We are talking a very small amount. So risk is low. if you are that worried wear correct ppe and keep the sheets in one piece.


I had a small sheet in a house I was renovating unfortunately it was some how bonded to the wall, so it was hammer time lol ...I then gave it to our roofer to dispose off. unsure what he did with it but that was not my problem lol

giraffe69

unsure what he did with it but that was not my problem lol

Nice to see the era of responsibility is not yet gone!

justjohn

giraffe69 wrote: »

Nice to see the era of responsibility is not yet gone!

lol I don't mind taking responsibility for myself, but not for others lol

Niv

If the analysis has come back at 41% asbestos I would suspect that it is AIB and Brown asbestos. I would be very hesitant recommending you DIY this if you are not fully aware of all the H&S precautions you need to take with this product.

To be more sure - is that material almost like plasterboard without the outer paper lining that plasterboard has? If so, it is almost certainly AIB and very likely to be brown.

I am not trying to be alarmist but this is sounds far more likely to be brown rather than white asbestos.

I am a trained asbestos surveyor and analyst so am not just going 'off the cuff' so to speak.

Arrow008

Hello all,


Thanks for your responses so far.


The test came back as AIB with both Chrysotile and Amosite fibres. The water absorption test also indicated that a licence is required for this type of work. It's only two small panels though and I know they need to set up the whole show with tents and all which sends the price right up.


I've got some asbestos removal companies coming out tomorrow and Saturday to have a look. If it wasn't damaged I would be more inclined to remove it myself as I'm not that worried about my health, but I am concerned with my son's. Don't want him crawling around in the stuff in a months time.


Niv - I believe that after removal a clean air certificate is issued, how do they test for this? Is it just in the area with asbestos or would they check the surrounding room's carpets/floors for fibres?

Niv

Arrow008 wrote: »

Hello all,


Thanks for your responses so far.


The test came back as AIB with both Chrysotile and Amosite fibres. The water absorption test also indicated that a licence is required for this type of work. It's only two small panels though and I know they need to set up the whole show with tents and all which sends the price right up.


I've got some asbestos removal companies coming out tomorrow and Saturday to have a look. If it wasn't damaged I would be more inclined to remove it myself as I'm not that worried about my health, but I am concerned with my son's. Don't want him crawling around in the stuff in a months time.


Niv - I believe that after removal a clean air certificate is issued, how do they test for this? Is it just in the area with asbestos or would they check the surrounding room's carpets/floors for fibres?

Hi Arrow.

What will happen is they will create an enclosure around the asbestos products (often this will involve turning a room into an enclosure) using polythene sheeting. They will make a two stage entrance to ensure fibre release is minimised and create a negative pressure in the enclosure. Carpets inside the enclosure are likely to be covered in sheeting to prevent fibres being trapped in it. Carpeting outside the enclosure will not be covered (in theory there should not be any fibre release outside the enclosure). A smoke test is undertaken at the start of the work to check for leaks.

The air testing is undertaken both inside and outside the enclosure. The outside tests are normally undertaken during the removal and are known as 'leak tests'. The inside air test will be undertaken once all asbestos has been removed and the enclosure has been critically cleaned, this test is known as a 'clearance test'.

The guy undertaking the airs tests is normally independent of the clearance company and will also do a though visual inspection of the enclosure.

Edited to add: the way they check the air tests is by attaching a filter (in a cowl) to a pump, after a set number of litres the filter is removed and asbestos like fibres are counted using a microscope.

Hope that helps.

Niv