1995 house with artex ceiling - asbestos?

Deep_Pearl

Hi folks. My 1995 house needs to be repiped due to 10mm non-barrier pipework which apparently lets air in and blocks up - one radiator is completely dead and others are on the way (the pipes feeding them aren't getting very warm). Several plumbers have said the best option is to repipe the whole house. I want to go ahead with the work (£1700) but it would mean some drilling through artex ceilings - I've dug out the homebuyers report which says it contains asbestos but the only way to be sure is to have it tested which contradicts itself. There's a part in the hallway where a fire alarm screw has come away and damaged the ceiling but underneath the thin artex layer is a thin orange-brown material and above that it seems to go white/grey - hope you'll be able to advise if it's likely to contain asbestos... I would post a photo but the site won't allow it

Inner_Zone

Deep_Pearl wrote: »

Hi folks. My 1995 house needs to be repiped due to 10mm non-barrier pipework which apparently lets air in and blocks up - one radiator is completely dead and others are on the way (the pipes feeding them aren't getting very warm). Several plumbers have said the best option is to repipe the whole house. I want to go ahead with the work (£1700) but it would mean some drilling through artex ceilings - I've dug out the homebuyers report which says it contains asbestos but the only way to be sure is to have it tested which contradicts itself. There's a part in the hallway where a fire alarm screw has come away and damaged the ceiling but underneath the thin artex layer is a thin orange-brown material and above that it seems to go white/grey - hope you'll be able to advise if it's likely to contain asbestos... I would post a photo but the site won't allow it

Very possible it does as artex was using asbestos was in use upto the year 2000 and possibly after. The only way to be sure is to get it tested. Self test kits are available where you send a sample off to be tested.

sevenhills

Inner_Zone wrote: »

Very possible it does as artex was using asbestos was in use upto the year 2000 and possibly after. The only way to be sure is to get it tested. Self test kits are available where you send a sample off to be tested.

If it was built between 1985 and 1999 it shouldn't contain any but may do so – Artex stopped using asbestos in the mid-1980's, however stockists or tradespeople may have kept the asbestos-containing versions in stock for several years after production stopped.

Davesnave

It's all very well people recommending a test, but what will be Plan B if the test comes back positive?

Surely the first question is how many holes need making and what sensible mitigation procedures might be taken by those making them, assuming they're willing to create them?

Inner_Zone

Davesnave wrote: »

It's all very well people recommending a test, but what will be Plan B if the test comes back positive?


Surely the first question is how many holes need making and what sensible mitigation procedures might be taken by those making them, assuming they're willing to create them?

Deep_Pearl wrote: »

There's a part in the hallway where a fire alarm screw has come away and damaged the ceiling but underneath the thin artex layer is a thin orange-brown material and above that it seems to go white/grey - hope you'll be able to advise if it's likely to contain asbestos... I would post a photo but the site won't allow it

I'm sure the testing company will have safety guidelines for self sample taking.

In the industry I work in we ask for asbestos registers and if necessary refuse to do certain works in certain areas.

If the OP's house does have asbestos they have two choices leave it alone and that includes the heating pipework or get it professional removed, its not a DIY job.

Davesnave

Inner_Zone wrote: »

In the industry I work in we ask for asbestos registers and if necessary refuse to do certain works in certain areas.

If the OP's house does have asbestos they have two choices leave it alone and that includes the heating pipework or get it professional removed, its not a DIY job.

I'm sure the industry you work within has companies that take their duty of care seriously and follow all sorts of procedures to make sure no claims may be brought against them at some later date.

However, the world of small business is not necessarily like that, so there would certainly be plumbers and others who would make holes for pipes through an artexed ceiling without a second thought.

Neither situation is particularly great for the home owner, who wants to minimise risk, but at a sensible cost. Getting pros in to cut though an artex coating or remove it altogether might add significantly to the bill in a way that was not reflective of the level of risk posed in the first place.


I know what I'd do. If it's possible to remove samples safely to test them, it's equally possible to remove artex in a localised area in order to make a hole in the underlying plasterboard.

JimmyChanga

BT workers, Sky installers and the like are drilling through asbestos daily (asbestolux, asbestos in plaster/blocks etc) and yet no one says a thing. How much asbestos is floating around the London Underground tunnels that we're all breathing? How much is airborne when you go to the recycling centre (dump) and people are chucking their old rubble/tiles/flooring etc away?

I just find it all a bit contradictory and crazy. On the one hand no one says a thing about that and yet they see one small piece of asbestos & suddenly a crowd of pen pushers & large bills start gathering.

I remember on an episode of Property Ladder with Sarah Beeny (years ago) a couple were afraid of asbestos being in their wall. The supposed expert turned up to check it and started using a padsaw to cut a section out to test. None of them were wearing masks as he does this. Then he says it's just ordinary plasterboard and they all sigh in relief. It was comical.

Obviously he wasn't much of an expert because even plasterboard can have asbestos...but hey...

(Rant over)

bris

The report is siding on the side of not getting sued.

1995 artex is unlikely to contain asbestos but will need testing anyway.