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UK diy (uk.d-i-y) For the discussion of all topics related to diy (do-it-yourself) in the UK. All levels of experience and proficency are welcome to join in to ask questions or offer solutions. |
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#1
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1970s Soffits - Asbestos?
Hi all
Does anyone know whether the soffits in 1970s houses tended to contain asbestos? Our house is looking well-tatty as all the paint is flaking and falling off the soffits. They look suspiciously like asbestos boards. Our neighbours recently had all uPVC replacement stuff. When the company came to fit these they claimed that they would have to engage "specialists" to remove the soffits due to asbestos risk. The specialists arrived and, using nothing more than paper nose/mouth masks, proceeded to smash out the soffits with hammers! Surely, if the soffits were high-risk asbestos, a more professional method should be used. It certainly looked like the ideal way to release the maximum amount of fibre/debris into the surroundings! Any comments please? TIA Phil |
#2
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1970s Soffits - Asbestos?
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#3
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1970s Soffits - Asbestos?
TheScullster wrote:
Hi all Does anyone know whether the soffits in 1970s houses tended to contain asbestos? Our house is looking well-tatty as all the paint is flaking and falling off the soffits. They look suspiciously like asbestos boards. Our neighbours recently had all uPVC replacement stuff. When the company came to fit these they claimed that they would have to engage "specialists" to remove the soffits due to asbestos risk. The specialists arrived and, using nothing more than paper nose/mouth masks, proceeded to smash out the soffits with hammers! Surely, if the soffits were high-risk asbestos, a more professional method should be used. It certainly looked like the ideal way to release the maximum amount of fibre/debris into the surroundings! Any comments please? TIA Phil They were bull****ting you. There is minimal danger associated with asbestos cement products unless you are working with them all day and everyday. Blue asbestos as used in industrial insulation is the nasty stuff. Bob |
#4
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1970s Soffits - Asbestos?
Bob Minchin wrote:
TheScullster wrote: Hi all Does anyone know whether the soffits in 1970s houses tended to contain asbestos? Our house is looking well-tatty as all the paint is flaking and falling off the soffits. They look suspiciously like asbestos boards. Our neighbours recently had all uPVC replacement stuff. When the company came to fit these they claimed that they would have to engage "specialists" to remove the soffits due to asbestos risk. The specialists arrived and, using nothing more than paper nose/mouth masks, proceeded to smash out the soffits with hammers! Surely, if the soffits were high-risk asbestos, a more professional method should be used. It certainly looked like the ideal way to release the maximum amount of fibre/debris into the surroundings! Any comments please? TIA Phil They were bull****ting you. There is minimal danger associated with asbestos cement products unless you are working with them all day and everyday. Blue asbestos as used in industrial insulation is the nasty stuff. Bob I have seen enough mesothelioma claims to be wary of asbestos. Having said that I have an asbestos cement garage roof. Breaking it with a hammer after wetting is not too serious. Do not drill it or sand it. As long as it is reasonably sound it should not be a problem. Household waste and recycling sites will not take it. |
#5
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1970s Soffits - Asbestos?
Invisible Man wrote:
Bob Minchin wrote: TheScullster wrote: Hi all Does anyone know whether the soffits in 1970s houses tended to contain asbestos? Asbestos cement sheet was used, yes Our house is looking well-tatty as all the paint is flaking and falling off the soffits. They look suspiciously like asbestos boards. so repaint. It wouldnt be very smart to remove what are safe and very long lasting soffits to replace them with shorter lived wood or plastic. Our neighbours recently had all uPVC replacement stuff. When the company came to fit these they claimed that they would have to engage "specialists" to remove the soffits due to asbestos risk. The specialists arrived and, using nothing more than paper nose/mouth masks, proceeded to smash out the soffits with hammers! Surely, if the soffits were high-risk asbestos, a more professional method should be used. It certainly looked like the ideal way to release the maximum amount of fibre/debris into the surroundings! Any comments please? There is nothing high risk about white asbestos bound in cement. The high risk asbestoses are blue and brown when _not_ bound in cement. As for releasing fibres on breaking, the amount released would be miniscule, and its white asbestos, not the nasty ones. If you had blue asbestos boards thats different, and they should not be smashed. But even there, simply painting them is the best option. They were bull****ting you. There is minimal danger associated with asbestos cement products unless you are working with them all day and everyday. Blue asbestos as used in industrial insulation is the nasty stuff. Bob I have seen enough mesothelioma claims to be wary of asbestos. Having said that I have an asbestos cement garage roof. Breaking it with a hammer after wetting is not too serious. Do not drill it or sand it. As long as it is reasonably sound it should not be a problem. Household waste and recycling sites will not take it. Asbestos should be double bagged, then it can go in the waste stream for landfill. NT |
#6
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1970s Soffits - Asbestos?
Some county recycling tips have a special skip, if in doubt ask your council
for their policy on getting rid of cement asbestos. Mine has a special arrangement with an asbestos handling depot. You just double bag it and take it along. Wear a mask when you break it and keep it damp. Sam wrote in message ... Invisible Man wrote: Bob Minchin wrote: TheScullster wrote: Hi all Does anyone know whether the soffits in 1970s houses tended to contain asbestos? Asbestos cement sheet was used, yes Our house is looking well-tatty as all the paint is flaking and falling off the soffits. They look suspiciously like asbestos boards. so repaint. It wouldnt be very smart to remove what are safe and very long lasting soffits to replace them with shorter lived wood or plastic. Our neighbours recently had all uPVC replacement stuff. When the company came to fit these they claimed that they would have to engage "specialists" to remove the soffits due to asbestos risk. The specialists arrived and, using nothing more than paper nose/mouth masks, proceeded to smash out the soffits with hammers! Surely, if the soffits were high-risk asbestos, a more professional method should be used. It certainly looked like the ideal way to release the maximum amount of fibre/debris into the surroundings! Any comments please? There is nothing high risk about white asbestos bound in cement. The high risk asbestoses are blue and brown when _not_ bound in cement. As for releasing fibres on breaking, the amount released would be miniscule, and its white asbestos, not the nasty ones. If you had blue asbestos boards thats different, and they should not be smashed. But even there, simply painting them is the best option. They were bull****ting you. There is minimal danger associated with asbestos cement products unless you are working with them all day and everyday. Blue asbestos as used in industrial insulation is the nasty stuff. Bob I have seen enough mesothelioma claims to be wary of asbestos. Having said that I have an asbestos cement garage roof. Breaking it with a hammer after wetting is not too serious. Do not drill it or sand it. As long as it is reasonably sound it should not be a problem. Household waste and recycling sites will not take it. Asbestos should be double bagged, then it can go in the waste stream for landfill. NT |
#7
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1970s Soffits - Asbestos?
On Wed, 15 Apr 2009 09:57:51 +0100, "TheScullster" wrote:
Does anyone know whether the soffits in 1970s houses tended to contain asbestos? Our house is looking well-tatty as all the paint is flaking and falling off the soffits. They look suspiciously like asbestos boards. snip Ours are similar (1969). The problem with painting them is getting a decent surface to start with. Removing the old flaky paint with sandpaper (above my head) did not a brilliant idea so minimal preparation with sugarsoap. The "new" paint has only lasted a few years and is flaking off again. I also wanted to fit some vents for the loft space but my experience in cutting a 100mm hole for an extractor fan has put me off. The damn stuff is almost imposible to drill or cut. Had to nibble away at the hole with a pair of electricians pliers. Still, they must have used asbestos cement boards for some reason so plastic/wood does not seem like a good replacement. -- Geo |
#8
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1970s Soffits - Asbestos?
"TheScullster" wrote in message . uk... Hi all Does anyone know whether the soffits in 1970s houses tended to contain asbestos? Our house is looking well-tatty as all the paint is flaking and falling off the soffits. They look suspiciously like asbestos boards. Our neighbours recently had all uPVC replacement stuff. When the company came to fit these they claimed that they would have to engage "specialists" to remove the soffits due to asbestos risk. The specialists arrived and, using nothing more than paper nose/mouth masks, proceeded to smash out the soffits with hammers! Surely, if the soffits were high-risk asbestos, a more professional method should be used. It certainly looked like the ideal way to release the maximum amount of fibre/debris into the surroundings! Any comments please? You can have a sample tested. If it is asbestos you have to enclose it before you start removal and take regular air samples to prove you are not releasing the stuff. It is an offence to release asbestos dust into the air these days so they were either cowboys or it wasn't asbestos. |
#9
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1970s Soffits - Asbestos?
"Invisible Man" wrote in message ... Household waste and recycling sites will not take it. I took some fibre cement board off cuts to the tip two weeks ago. I had to argue with four people before I found someone knowledgeable to know it wasn't asbestos and let me dump it. |
#10
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1970s Soffits - Asbestos?
"Geo" wrote in message ... Still, they must have used asbestos cement boards for some reason so plastic/wood does not seem like a good replacement. It was cheap and appears to do the job. |
#11
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1970s Soffits - Asbestos?
Invisible Man coughed up some electrons that declared:
Household waste and recycling sites will not take it. Tunbridge Wells has an asbestos skip... It's next to the soil and clothes recycling points. Usual procedure is to phone them first, double bag it then take it down. Cheers Tim |
#12
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1970s Soffits - Asbestos?
On Wed, 15 Apr 2009 20:49:06 +0100, "dennis@home"
wrote: You can have a sample tested. If it is asbestos you have to enclose it before you start removal and take regular air samples to prove you are not releasing the stuff. Not if it asbestos cement (which it probably is). |
#13
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1970s Soffits - Asbestos?
In message , "dennis@home"
writes "TheScullster" wrote in message .uk... Hi all Does anyone know whether the soffits in 1970s houses tended to contain asbestos? Our house is looking well-tatty as all the paint is flaking and falling off the soffits. They look suspiciously like asbestos boards. Our neighbours recently had all uPVC replacement stuff. When the company came to fit these they claimed that they would have to engage "specialists" to remove the soffits due to asbestos risk. The specialists arrived and, using nothing more than paper nose/mouth masks, proceeded to smash out the soffits with hammers! Surely, if the soffits were high-risk asbestos, a more professional method should be used. It certainly looked like the ideal way to release the maximum amount of fibre/debris into the surroundings! Any comments please? You can have a sample tested. If it is asbestos you have to enclose it before you start removal and take regular air samples to prove you are not releasing the stuff. It is an offence to release asbestos dust into the air these days Chapter and verse please ...? -- geoff |
#14
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1970s Soffits - Asbestos?
Still, they must have used asbestos cement boards for some reason so
plastic/wood does not seem like a good replacement. i agree with whoever wrote that the reason was cheapness. Wood is good. [g] |
#15
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1970s Soffits - Asbestos?
george (dicegeorge) wrote:
Still, they must have used asbestos cement boards for some reason so plastic/wood does not seem like a good replacement. i agree with whoever wrote that the reason was cheapness. Wood is good. [g] I thought fibgre cement was significantly more dough than timber. The advantages here are its very long lived and totally maintenance free. NT |
#16
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1970s Soffits - Asbestos?
Geo wrote:
On Wed, 15 Apr 2009 09:57:51 +0100, "TheScullster" wrote: Does anyone know whether the soffits in 1970s houses tended to contain asbestos? Our house is looking well-tatty as all the paint is flaking and falling off the soffits. They look suspiciously like asbestos boards. snip Ours are similar (1969). The problem with painting them is getting a decent surface to start with. Removing the old flaky paint with sandpaper (above my head) did not a brilliant idea so minimal preparation with sugarsoap. The "new" paint has only lasted a few years and is flaking off again. I also wanted to fit some vents for the loft space but my experience in cutting a 100mm hole for an extractor fan has put me off. The damn stuff is almost imposible to drill or cut. Had to nibble away at the hole with a pair of electricians pliers. Still, they must have used asbestos cement boards for some reason so plastic/wood does not seem like a good replacement. Wonder what paint you used. Did you wire brush it first? NT |
#17
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1970s Soffits - Asbestos?
"geoff" wrote in message ... In message , "dennis@home" writes "TheScullster" wrote in message t.uk... Hi all Does anyone know whether the soffits in 1970s houses tended to contain asbestos? Our house is looking well-tatty as all the paint is flaking and falling off the soffits. They look suspiciously like asbestos boards. Our neighbours recently had all uPVC replacement stuff. When the company came to fit these they claimed that they would have to engage "specialists" to remove the soffits due to asbestos risk. The specialists arrived and, using nothing more than paper nose/mouth masks, proceeded to smash out the soffits with hammers! Surely, if the soffits were high-risk asbestos, a more professional method should be used. It certainly looked like the ideal way to release the maximum amount of fibre/debris into the surroundings! Any comments please? You can have a sample tested. If it is asbestos you have to enclose it before you start removal and take regular air samples to prove you are not releasing the stuff. It is an offence to release asbestos dust into the air these days Chapter and verse please ...? Go and look at the court cases. You will find Marconi/GEC was fined £50,000 (IIRC) for removing asbestos without taking the samples even though they agreed that the method used would have prevented any stuff escaping. |
#18
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1970s Soffits - Asbestos?
dennis@home wrote:
"geoff" wrote in message ... In message , "dennis@home" writes "TheScullster" wrote in message . uk... Hi all Does anyone know whether the soffits in 1970s houses tended to contain asbestos? Our house is looking well-tatty as all the paint is flaking and falling off the soffits. They look suspiciously like asbestos boards. Our neighbours recently had all uPVC replacement stuff. When the company came to fit these they claimed that they would have to engage "specialists" to remove the soffits due to asbestos risk. The specialists arrived and, using nothing more than paper nose/mouth masks, proceeded to smash out the soffits with hammers! Surely, if the soffits were high-risk asbestos, a more professional method should be used. It certainly looked like the ideal way to release the maximum amount of fibre/debris into the surroundings! Any comments please? You can have a sample tested. If it is asbestos you have to enclose it before you start removal and take regular air samples to prove you are not releasing the stuff. It is an offence to release asbestos dust into the air these days Chapter and verse please ...? Go and look at the court cases. You will find Marconi/GEC was fined £50,000 (IIRC) for removing asbestos without taking the samples even though they agreed that the method used would have prevented any stuff escaping. Surely not well preserved asbestos cement. |
#19
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1970s Soffits - Asbestos?
"Invisible Man" wrote in message ... dennis@home wrote: You can have a sample tested. If it is asbestos you have to enclose it before you start removal and take regular air samples to prove you are not releasing the stuff. It is an offence to release asbestos dust into the air these days Chapter and verse please ...? Go and look at the court cases. You will find Marconi/GEC was fined £50,000 (IIRC) for removing asbestos without taking the samples even though they agreed that the method used would have prevented any stuff escaping. Surely not well preserved asbestos cement. I don't know, I stayed out of that building while they did the work. |
#21
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1970s Soffits - Asbestos?
In message , "dennis@home"
writes "geoff" wrote in message ... In message , "dennis@home" writes "TheScullster" wrote in message et.uk... Hi all Does anyone know whether the soffits in 1970s houses tended to contain asbestos? Our house is looking well-tatty as all the paint is flaking and falling off the soffits. They look suspiciously like asbestos boards. Our neighbours recently had all uPVC replacement stuff. When the company came to fit these they claimed that they would have to engage "specialists" to remove the soffits due to asbestos risk. The specialists arrived and, using nothing more than paper nose/mouth masks, proceeded to smash out the soffits with hammers! Surely, if the soffits were high-risk asbestos, a more professional method should be used. It certainly looked like the ideal way to release the maximum amount of fibre/debris into the surroundings! Any comments please? You can have a sample tested. If it is asbestos you have to enclose it before you start removal and take regular air samples to prove you are not releasing the stuff. It is an offence to release asbestos dust into the air these days Chapter and verse please ...? Go and look at the court cases. You will find Marconi/GEC was fined £50,000 (IIRC) for removing asbestos without taking the samples even though they agreed that the method used would have prevented any stuff escaping. Asbestos insulation very different to asbestos cement as used in corrugated roofing, soffit boards etc -- geoff |
#22
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1970s Soffits - Asbestos?
replying to TheScullster, Bettyboo wrote:
I recently had a quote from reputable up can Windows etc firm for replacements of soffits and facias down pipes and gutters. It was going to be £5300 for a detached 6x9 metre house with attached garage. They took a sample of soffits and came back to me saying that it would need to be removed professionally at a unmentioned extra cost.. I have cancelled the whole work. Now, knowing it is there how would this affect the sale of my house ? Would a surveyor know what was there by just looking round the house? -- for full context, visit http://www.homeownershub.com/uk-diy/...os-554104-.htm |
#23
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1970s Soffits - Asbestos?
On 10/19/2016 1:14 PM, Bettyboo wrote:
replying to TheScullster, Bettyboo wrote: I recently had a quote from reputable up can Windows etc firm for replacements of soffits and facias down pipes and gutters. It was going to be £5300 for a detached 6x9 metre house with attached garage. They took a sample of soffits and came back to me saying that it would need to be removed professionally at a unmentioned extra cost.. I have cancelled the whole work. Now, knowing it is there how would this affect the sale of my house ? Would a surveyor know what was there by just looking round the house? Loyal Usenet followers won't reply to this. |
#24
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1970s Soffits - Asbestos?
On Wednesday, 19 October 2016 13:14:03 UTC+1, Bettyboo wrote:
replying to TheScullster, Bettyboo wrote: I recently had a quote from reputable up can Windows etc firm for replacements of soffits and facias down pipes and gutters. It was going to be £5300 for a detached 6x9 metre house with attached garage. They took a sample of soffits and came back to me saying that it would need to be removed professionally at a unmentioned extra cost.. I have cancelled the whole work. Now, knowing it is there how would this affect the sale of my house ? Would a surveyor know what was there by just looking round the house? -- for full context, visit http://www.homeownershub.com/uk-diy/...os-554104-.htm They were bull****ting you. Only minimal precautions are needed to remove asbestos cement. There is a government website on the topic. http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/guidance/a14.pdf |
#25
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1970s Soffits - Asbestos?
On Wednesday, 19 October 2016 13:14:03 UTC+1, Bettyboo wrote:
replying to TheScullster, Bettyboo wrote: I recently had a quote from reputable up can Windows etc firm for replacements of soffits and facias down pipes and gutters. It was going to be £5300 for a detached 6x9 metre house with attached garage. Seems rather steep They took a sample of soffits and came back to me saying that it would need to be removed professionally at a unmentioned extra cost.. I have cancelled the whole work. If it's asbestos, do you need to replace them? It's long lasting & maintenance free. Now, knowing it is there how would this affect the sale of my house ? no Would a surveyor know what was there by just looking round the house? If a bungalow, yes, otherwise no. Lots of houses are sold with asbestos in/on them. Do youself a favour and get a sensible newsgroup client. This is news:uk.d-i-y. NT |
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