getting rid of asbestos

Sniipe

I recently purchased a new house - well its new to me, but its actually over 25 years old. There is a small shed but the roofing is done with asbestos. Problem is I will be tearing down the shed and want to get rid of it.

jetsonx

sounds like a job for experienced professionals who specialise in in asbestos clean-up

Armin_Tamzarian

You really need to get a professional in.
If it is harmful asbestos you cannot disturb it.
Asbestolux looks like asbestos but it is harmless.
Asbestos spores can very easily be breathed in if you try to disturb the asbestos, i.e. by trying to drill it or pull it down, etc.

Asbestos professionals will seal off the area and will wear robot type suits
before going near the Asbestos, then the Asbestos has to be disposed of correctly.

I cannot stress how dangerous it would be for you to try to remove it yourself.
If one Asbesos spore gets caught in one of your lungs you're very likely
to develop Mesothelioma in later life and die from it.

muffler

There are private firms out there who undertake this work - if in any doubt at all contact them or alternatively ring the environment dept. in your local council.

Dont touch the damn stuff yourself.

Sniipe

how much will it cost me approx? Its a very small area of approx 6x12foot

muffler

I wouldnt have any idea of cost myself but what I will do here is move this from planning & construction over to the green issues forum and users there may be able to offer more details of costing, health & safety issues etc.

Jack Sheehan

On a similar note we have a pipe that we removed from our shed (built about 1985) and we were wondering if it was asbestos or just concrete. Its the large boiler exaust pipe you see poking out of sheds.

Keeks

Moved to DIY forum

JamesM

Jack Sheehan wrote: »

On a similar note we have a pipe that we removed from our shed (built about 1985) and we were wondering if it was asbestos or just concrete. Its the large boiler exaust pipe you see poking out of sheds.

That's got asbestos in it as well.
Jim.

Sniipe

any idea's on price to remove for the shed?

derek27

While it's imobilised in the roof, it doesn't present any great risk of exposure to people. Immediately when you try to remove it, the fibres become airborne and can spread quite far from the original site. Mostly, the best option is to leave it where it is, and this is often advised... however, if you wish to have it removed, you need to employ professionals to do it for you... if you attempt to remove it yourself or hire someone who doesn't have the necessary containment equipment, you might find yourself in trouble with the local authorities, and of course will be creating a place where the level of exposure to asbestos is likely to remain high... i suggest that you contact Cheiftan Environmental Services on 01-4533366, as this is the company that gets state contracts for asbestos removal.

youtheman

I doubt if anything built in the 1980s has asbestos in it.

If you want details on asbestos then look up the Health & Safety Authority website (www.hsa.ie). Do a search under 'asbestos' and you'll find the relevant FAQs and regulations. If you need to remove/dispose it then you'll need to appoint a competent person to do the work, and you'll also have to do air quality checks during the process (to confirm that there are no asbestos particles present after the work is done).

You have to give the HSA at least 14 days notice, and provide them with a Method Statement, which details the procedures, company doing the work etc.

To start the ball roling I'd get a sample of the roof material and send it away for analysis. For the sake of safety I'd assume it may contain asbestos, so try take a sample without breaking it or creating airborne dust particles.

Asbestos was heralded as a great fire proof material in its day (which is is). I can't see what the hell it would be doing in a garden shed though.

On the question of how much, I'd say 'EXPENSIVE'.

microgirl

Sniipe wrote: »

how much will it cost me approx? Its a very small area of approx 6x12foot

My mam changed her boiler a couple of years ago and so no longer needed the asbestos chimney in the boilerhouse. To this day it is still down the back of the garden because the price my mam was given was about €1000. And that's just for disposal. We'd have to get it down to the place on the Naas Rd ourselves first!

I know the price was per kilo, but I don't know what it was per kilo. Not terribly helpful I guess, but our chimney isn't *that* heavy - I can lift it and I'm a 5'3" female Ok, I can't lift it with any great ease nor long distance, but I can't imagine it being much more than 30-40kg.

JamesM

youtheman wrote: »

I doubt if anything built in the 1980s has asbestos in it.

Asbestos was heralded as a great fire proof material in its day (which is is). I can't see what the hell it would be doing in a garden shed though.

Corrugated roofs were either iron or a cement asbestos mix. Boiler flues were something the same.
I think that one of the ways to get rid of it was to wrap it in 1000 gauge polythene and bring it to a depot.
Jim.

Sonnenblumen

Sniipe wrote: »

I recently purchased a new house - well its new to me, but its actually over 25 years old. There is a small shed but the roofing is done with asbestos. Problem is I will be tearing down the shed and want to get rid of it.

You should only use licensed asbestos disposal contractors, it is expensive but there are stringent regulations for health as well as environmental reasons.

Slates

youtheman wrote: »

I doubt if anything built in the 1980s has asbestos in it.

If you want details on asbestos then look up the Health & Safety Authority website (www.hsa.ie). Do a search under 'asbestos' and you'll find the relevant FAQs and regulations. If you need to remove/dispose it then you'll need to appoint a competent person to do the work, and you'll also have to do air quality checks during the process (to confirm that there are no asbestos particles present after the work is done).

You have to give the HSA at least 14 days notice, and provide them with a Method Statement, which details the procedures, company doing the work etc.

To start the ball roling I'd get a sample of the roof material and send it away for analysis. For the sake of safety I'd assume it may contain asbestos, so try take a sample without breaking it or creating airborne dust particles.

Asbestos was heralded as a great fire proof material in its day (which is is). I can't see what the hell it would be doing in a garden shed though.

On the question of how much, I'd say 'EXPENSIVE'.

Wrong, Asbestos cement products were sold and used in this country until the mid 90's. The H&S Authority have pubilshed "Guidelines on working with materials containing Asbestos Cement" which can be downloaded from their website www.hsa.ie (1890 289389)There is no point getting the product tested if it from the 80's, there will be Asbestos in it

JamesM

Slates wrote: »

Wrong, Asbestos cement products were sold and used in this country until the mid 90's. The H&S Authority have pubilshed "Guidelines on working with materials containing Asbestos Cement" which can be downloaded from their website www.hsa.ie (1890 289389)There is no point getting the product tested if it from the 80's, there will be Asbestos in it

Agree !
There are still plenty of boilers around with asbestos gaskets and asbestos rope, sealing the joints.
Jim.