A friend of mine has piping in his home that has asbestos insulation and is looking to have it removed (obvisouly). Apparently, a contractor gave him a price that he thought was crazy high.
He posted on facebook asking if anyone knew what reasonable price per linear foot would be - although I’m not sure that that would be the right metric to base removal cost on. Either way, does anyone have experience having this done or other knowledge of the appropriate costs?
Thanks.
It is expensive.
If the area is large it has to be sealed off including a air lock in and out. The workers have to enter the lock put on covers and breating resperators. then enter the work space. When they leave the work area for any reason, lunch, use the bathroom, or at the end of the work day they exit through the air lock and I believe it is a double lock. In the first they strip the outer cover off bag and seal their covers. Exit the first lock shower in the second and put their street close back on.
On a small amount of pipes only the pipes are wraped with special plastic bags. The bags have sleves built into them every few feet. The ABS (asbestos containing material, do not want to use the A word) is stripped from the lines and sealed inside the bags. The lines are cleaned of all ABS. the bags are removed and put in a desposal bag and sealed. And while this is being done the air should be being sampled.
For the contractor he has to have sepecial training and licience and insurance. He will have to dispose of the ACM in a hazardous waste sight $$$$$$$$.
For a home I realize it will be a little different than the comercial world. Has he considered having the ACM encapsulated?
Sorry I do not know what the cost is, my experience is over 10 years ago.
it does cost much money.
as mentioned, the pipes (with the asbestos containing material on them) might be wrapped/encapsulated so the asbestos can’t get into the air. the danger of asbestos is if you can breathe it in, containing it makes it safe.
as mentioned, the asbestos containing material might be removed from pipes, for the smaller amount in a home heating plant, using methods that aren’t as extreme as full containment.
even these lesser methods might need to have air testing done multiple times; these tests are costly. the training of the workers and the equipment costs a lot.
costs will vary with your friend’s local situation. have friend shop and compare.
Yup, he’s aware that it’s expensive. But that doesn’t mean that a given price couldn’t be more expensive than what is appropriate. I’m just trying to determine what a reasonable range would be.
A professional abatement company is required to localize the area and provide negative air pressure so filaments of asbestos are not sent through the home.
A home owner is allowed, in my area, to abate the problem in his own home. He would wear protective clothing and a respirator. The asbestos would be wet down and pulled off. It would be double bagged and disposed of. Case closed. An air quality study could be performed.
PS. As kid our home had the octopus round ducts in the basement. I would make repairs myself by cutting and pasting new asbestos to the pipes. In fact, I used to tear the paper instead of using a knife or scissors, thus floating more fibers in the air. I suspect the risk is greatly over rated if some care is taken. However, always better to be safe than sorry. I’m a heavy risk taker by nature, but I don’t want to spread the risk to others.
The danger varies from person to person. And it can take 40 years learn how dangerous the stuff is to you.
My dad had lots of exposure to ACM. He shipped in the merchant marine, worked around boilers when he came ashore. His whole life he ws exposed. He smoked and had asmatha. He lived to be 79.
Me I am coming to 40 years since my last major exposure and no problems.
But there have been others who delevoped problems with a few exposures.
So my advice is leave the stuff alone as much as possable,
your pipe insulation may or may not have contained asbestos. there are a number of types of asbestos and the health risk varies on the type.
there are different health risks with asbestos. things like cancer might vary with the person. you might find an occasional 90 year old who smoked heavily and hadn’t got cancer but that is unusual.
Removal pricing will consist of several factors.
First is how much is there to remove.
Secondly would be how hard it is to access.
Lastly would be what is local competitive market like.
For a data point, in 1994 I had the ducts removed from my house after the Northridge earthquake, I had two bids one for $3,000, the other for $1300. I took the low bid, and I am sure the company lost money on the deal.
My asbestos removal cost about $2,500, which included a mess of steam pipes, the boiler (with re-insulating it) and removal of my kitchen’s vinyl tiles.
The tiles were non-friable, so I could have done it myself, but it was a relatively cheap part of the job, and they were already going to be there, so it was worth it.
Price per linear foot is about as good a metric as you’re going to get. While each job is unique, the primary problem in pricing the job is “how much of this crap do I have to remove?” and that’s estimated by linear feet.
There is also the option of leaving the asbestos in place and sealing it with an encapsulating sealer. Asbestos isn’t hazardous if it is intact, and it is a great insulation. Your friend should consider leaving it in place if it is not damaged.
FWIW, I am a licensed Asbestos Abatement Supervisor, Asbestos Inspector, and Asbestos Project Designer. Considering being licensed in Asbestos Management Planning.
We had to have an attic full of asbestos insulation removed. They had the air “lock” system and did it with three guys in about two days.
It cost us $15,000
Old Plaster is another major cause of asbestos danger. Especially people remodeling and trying down old plaster & lathe. You don’t know if you have it unless it’s tested.
Even some drywall compound from the 60’s and 70’s had asbestos.
It is very pricey but there are a lot of landlords who will not pay that kind of money and will find a non certified person to take care of it, risky as it is. Some won’t even tell them it contains asbestos. There is an endless list of safety measures to take, the safer the safer, right? One thing I didn’t see mentioned and I’m not sure if correct but we kept a water hose on a mist and would immediately spray the section moved to wet the dust to the ground, we also sprayed before removal.
On the subject, I want to ask, the guys I was working with told me that tiles that were a certain size(smaller ones, maybe 8x8) contain asbestos, is this true for the majority?
Why? That isn’t obvious at all.
It’s been there for decades now, and is working – why mess with it. Asbestos insulation is no problem if you leave it alone – it’s only the tearing into it and spreading fibers into the air that causes problems.
There are ways of sealing it, if he’s worried about it degrading. And that’s much cheaper, and makes it easer to remove it someday, if needed.
Actually, (from my experience) it’s a mixed bag. Some 9X9 tiles have asbestos, some don’t. The ones I have run across that are asbestos free tend to be the lighter colors. The darker usually contain asbestos. I have also run across 12x12 tiles containing asbestos. Most of the older tile, regardless of size or asbestos content, were installed with asbestos containing mastic. YMMV, but this has been my experience.
Why is he looking to have it removed? I suppose it would be a mix of health concerns, resale value, and peace of mind. I am glad that to hear about other options, though - do you have estimates on the cost of sealing?
Al, I couldn’t agree more. Wet the crap down, wear protective clothing, put it in bags and properly dispose. (Dumpster)
I’ve been around asbestos as a kid for many years. I don’t dispute the dangers but, with proper cautions, it’s a do-it-yourself project.
Which works out to around $300 per man-hour. Nice work if you can get it.
There are a lot of ways to seal the asbestos up. One common method used by contractors is to use plaster impregnated cloth. The cloth is cut to size, wetted to activate the plaster, then placed over the asbestos. Once dry, a coat of paint or similar sealer is added to seal the plaster. One can also use metal or vinyl insulation lagging. Both methods protect against accidental damage to the asbestos. There are other ways, using a heavy coat of paint or varnish, wetting the asbestos then applying prepasted wallpaper, etc. Whatever method is used should include appropriate warnings on the outside coating that asbestos is underneath. Homeowners can do the work, but need to ensure that dust is controlled, (as in NO DUST)and proper respiratory equipment should be used. As mentioned by other posters, a contractor will use ventilation equipment designed for abatement work.
Contractor cost would depend on the quantity of asbestos, and the going rate for contract work in your area. Sealing it up would most likely be less expensive than removal.
I know this doesn’t answer your questions, but I hope it gives you some alternatives to think about. Your friend’s best bet is to contact a local contractor for an estimate or your state EPA or Air Quality Bureau for advice on handling asbestos.
I know - my husband and I considered doing it ourselves. It’s actually not difficult, but I was uncomfortable with taking a risk that we wouldn’t do it correctly and kill the family.
Asbestos isn’t even all that dangerous - as long as it’s not in the air, you’re fine. And you have to breathe in a lot of it over time to cause real damage. But, we’re planning on finishing the attic, and in a house over 100 years old, all the seams don’t quite line up like they used too. I was more comfortable with it gone.
I know there is some remaining asbestos dust hanging around in between the studs and such, but the statistics say our risk is quite low.