asbestos?

[John Dirks Jr]

This thin paper on the HVAC ducts in this 1962 house has me suspecting it might contain asbestos. It was not flaking or falling or anything like that.

Is this a case where you leave it alone and don't worry too much?

Click to Enlarge

35.98 KB

Click to Enlarge

37.53 KB

[Caoimhín P. Connell]

Howdy!

Yea, that looks pretty suspicious. I would bet a lunch that it’s ACM.

As you point out, it appears in good shape, and it appears to be in a crawlspace. I think, depending on the totality of circumstances, it may be acceptable to leave in place. If so, it should certainly be identified and labeled with clear bright labels denoting ACM or PACM. Also, I would recommend labeling the entrance to the crawler, so that contractors are duly warned. I would also recommend labeling the furnace.

Cheers!

Caoimhín P. Connell

Forensic Industrial Hygienist

www.forensic-applications.com

(The opinions expressed here are exclusively my personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect my professional opinion, opinion of my employer, agency, peers, or professional affiliates. The above post is for information only and does not reflect professional advice and is not intended to supercede the professional advice of others.)

AMDG

[John Dirks Jr]

It's not in the crawl. It's a full basement. I think the best thing for me to do is to refer the matter to a qualified asbestos professional. Let them use their credentials to conclude a course of action.

[Caoimhín P. Connell]

Howdy!

OK – if it’s in the basement, then the possibility for exposure is pretty high. So, for what it’s worth, I agree with you!

Cheers!

Caoimhín P. Connell

Forensic Industrial Hygienist

www.forensic-applications.com

(The opinions expressed here are exclusively my personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect my professional opinion, opinion of my employer, agency, peers, or professional affiliates. The above post is for information only and does not reflect professional advice and is not intended to supercede the professional advice of others.)

AMDG

[Jim Katen]

This thin paper on the HVAC ducts in this 1962 house has me suspecting it might contain asbestos. It was not flaking or falling or anything like that.

Is this a case where you leave it alone and don't worry too much?

I'm curious. Don't you see this stuff all the time? I figured that it was nearly ubiquitous across the country. In Portland, you can't swing a cat without hitting that stuff.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[Brandon Whitmore]

I'm curious. Don't you see this stuff all the time? I figured that it was nearly ubiquitous across the country. In Portland, you can't swing a cat without hitting that stuff.

Oh crap, there's asbestos in our area?[:-slaphap

[Jim Morrison]

I've never seen that kind of wrap on a house that age. The asbestos on the ducts I see is generally an inch and a half wide tape on the duct joints and dates from much earlier.

[Tom Raymond]

I agree with Jim, looking at everything else in those pictures I can imagine a house from '62, that type of duct wrap around here would be in a house from at least 40 years earlier. Anybody else notice how clean that stuff looks? How bad did they contaminate the basement when they hit that with the shop vac?

Tom

[Jim Katen]

I've never seen that kind of wrap on a house that age. The asbestos on the ducts I see is generally an inch and a half wide tape on the duct joints and dates from much earlier.

Really? Don't you often see entire ducts wrapped like so?

Download Attachment: Asb_Wrap.JPG

141.33 KB

The above example had become a little rare by 1962, but it was as common as dirt around here in the late '40s and early '50s.

Is this really uncommon elsewhere?

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[Jim Morrison]

Nope. But then we don't see a ton of hot air systems from that era, either.

[AHI in AR]

The stuff in John's photo looks both too "white" and too flexible to resemble any ACM I have ever seen.

As for duct insulation, in ten years of inspecting homes around here from the late 1880's on, I have only seen asbestos duct wrap on one of them -- a large home from the 1920's with a rare basement. Whatever heat source originally was there had been removed at least 20 years ago. I see a lot of asbestos containing exhaust vents for gas appliances in homes from the 40's and early 50's. But used to insulate ducts? Nope.

[Bill Kibbel]

The thin insulation in John's initial post is known as "indented" asbestos wrap. It's extremely common in the mid-Atlantic states. It was used in residential buildings as late as the mid-late 1970s, but not very common after the mid 1960s. It is made of cotton and asbestos fibers. No need for folks to waste their money testing on a known ACM.

Click to Enlarge

144.82 KB

There was also a thicker wrap that was more commonly used in very large homes and commercial buildings that was a felt product that contained starch and asbestos fibers.

Jim K's pic shows a couple layers of alternating plain and corrugated asbestos wrap. It's the same product that was frequently used on steam pipes (Asbestocel). It was originally manufactured by Keasbey & Mattison, then Johns Manville.

[gary951]

looks like it. It would bring down the house value. It might be pink panther brand.

[Robert Jones]

Uhhhhhhh. Do I even bother to respond? Sounds like a troll.

[kurt]

Is this really uncommon elsewhere?

- Jim Katen, Oregon

Pretty much just plain paper around here. I recall seeing maybe a couple ducts with the double wrap of asbestocel and indented, but that's it.

Lots of plain indented paper though.

Some of the 60's houses get it because the fellow that bought that house new in 1962 worked at a factory or site where they were using asbestos; a lot of folks did this stuff on their own because that's what they saw where they were working.......at least, that's my theory because around here it's sort of an odd hit or miss....I know the same builders built some of these houses, but the paper isn't installed uniformally in every house....had to be a DIY'er from the late 50's early 60's.....

[Terence McCann]

John, go to the EPA web site and read up on what they say.

This is one sentence from the "Asbestos in Your Home" page: If you think asbestos may be in your home, don't panic. Usually the best thing is to leave asbestos material that is in good condition alone.

The rest of the article can be read here: http://www.epa.gov/asbestos/pubs/ashome.html