Disturbed Vermiculite

[Mike Lamb]

What do you recommend when vermiculite has obviously been disturbed during a rehab? In this case it has been knocked about and stepped on in a floored knee wall.

[Mike Lamb]

Click to Enlarge

48.81 KB

Click to Enlarge

45.18 KB

[Chad Fabry]

Talk in soothing tones and try to calm it down?

[Charlie R]

Dang Chad, that got a chuckle from me!

[Les]

Mike I have no set recommendation for vermiculite, in any instance. Vermiculite is likey the biggest pain, other than mold for us.

If it were my kid buying the house, I would want to know when it was rehabbed and go from there. If this space was ventilated and next to a bedroom, I would recommend ways to remove ventilation and seal access or both.

We just don't seem to have any set boiler. I believe it must be reported, I believe it may have asbestos, I believe it is in zillions of houses, I believe the potential buyer must make the effort to do the research.

[kurt]

How is it any different than undisturbed? Yes, I know, don't disturb it, etc., that releases fibers, etc., should be untouched, etc., etc.... it's a likely/possibly/certainly ACM, etc. to infinity.

The risk for everyone, imho, isn't health related....we're exposed to hundreds or thousands of various microfibers and toxins on a daily basis and this is just one more. The risk is someone freaking out, losing their investment possibilities, or otherwise tanking their house as an investment/safe haven, with the fault laying with the errant home inspector that maybe didn't report it.

The only way to accurately and precisely answer your question is subject the house to air sampling. That ain't happening. At least, not in my experience.

Personally, I'd report it as vermiculite and it's possibility/likelihood/certainty that it's an ACM, note it was disturbed, run them through the usual discussions and recommendations, and move on to the next item. I'd probably also say a few quiet prayers and genuflections for them to not buy the thing. From the mess I'm seeing in the pictures, I'm guessing vermiculite is just one more item in a usual mess of a Chicago "rehab".

[John Kogel]

Yes, a future home inspector might freak himself out in there and bang his head. []

I might recommend that a professional go in there with a fine mist of water first and then this professional would gently wipe up the visible particles and bag them just to make it go away.