A Common Pipe Gripe: Asbestos Pipes and What to Do Next
Over the past few decades, homeowners have learned a great deal about how to manage their asbestos flooring, roofing, and other building materials. You might take all the necessary precautions with what’s up top, but what about what’s down below? As it turns out, asbestos pipes are yet another thing Kiwis have to contend with.
How to Identify Asbestos Pipes
Pipes containing asbestos don’t have big red warning signs on them saying they contain asbestos. That’s because when they were installed for local water supply networks from the 1950s to the 1970s, asbestos risks weren’t widely known.
However, as tricky as they can be to identify, there can be a few features to look out for. You may notice grey asbestos cement water piping under your home or a cloth-like lagging around your hot water cylinder or hot water pipes. If your downpipes, drain traps, and gutters appear mottled, they also may contain asbestos, along with spouting and rainwater heads.
In saying that, the only way to be sure is by contacting an asbestos removal company. They can carry out removal jobs in New Zealand so that you know what to do next.
I Discovered Asbestos Pipes, Now What Do I Do?
It’s time to take action – or not. Once you’ve received confirmation that asbestos is present in your home or business’s piping, you’re going to need to make a decision. Talk to your local asbestos experts to find out what the best course of action might be.
You may be able to reline the pipes to make them safer, leave them in the ground and install new pipes next to them, or remove them altogether. If removal is the safest and only option, bringing in the experts is paramount.
Relining
Relining pipes is not a standard solution, but it can be a solution nonetheless. Products exist, such as cured-in-place pipe lining (CIPP), that can end up being a low-cost way in which to make asbestos pipes in good condition a lot safer.
Leave Them in the Ground
If your asbestos pipes are covered and pose no risk, it may not always make sense to increase the exposure risk and pull them out of the ground. Another ideal option may be to leave them in place but install new piping next to the old pipes to make the asbestos pipes redundant.
Many people think along the same lines when installing new flooring. Rather than lift old lino that might contain asbestos, they place boards and new flooring over the top.
Removal
If your asbestos pipes are damaged or pose a health risk already, removal can be your only option. It might be time to hire a Master Plumber plumbing business.
Can’t I Solve the Problem Myself?
You might have a few clues about the precautions you need to take with asbestos, but the presence of asbestos is only half the problem. As you will be installing new pipework and fittings that are connected to appliances and sanitary fixtures, you are legally required to hire a plumber.
Given the prevalence of asbestos throughout the average Kiwi home built pre-2000, plumbers are well-versed in the precautions they must take to keep you and themselves safe around asbestos pipes. While an asbestos testing and removal company can identify the asbestos of presence, a plumber can be your next port of call once it has been identified.
They know:
Where to find asbestos
The risk of exposure to asbestos
The questions to ask
How to protect themselves and you
How to keep your home and property safe
How to dispose of asbestos waste safely
You’re Not Alone with Your Asbestos Pipe Gripe
When you find yourself dealing with asbestos testing and removal, you can feel alone in the process. This is particularly true if you purchased an older home while all your friends have built or bought them new.
It might make you feel better to know that the entire nation, and even our neighbour, Australia, are dealing with this problem, not just you. Many of our local water supply networks contain asbestos pipes with a life expectancy of around 50 years. Some of these networks are now up for renewal, with the entire 36,000+ kilometre pipeline valued at nearly $9 billion.
At least 9,000 kilometres of those pipes feature asbestos cement, which would need to be replaced in the next two or three decades.
According to the World Health Organisation, the cancer risk may be lower if asbestos fibre particles are swallowed in water rather than inhaled dry in the air. Still, if the pipes were to be cut or broken when dry, they can pose a significant health risk.
Asbestos Requires Action
Whether you’ve identified asbestos in your piping, insulation, flooring, or somewhere else, it’s crucial to act. Get the asbestos testing process underway to determine where it’s present and call an asbestos removal company that knows what to do next once you’ve confirmed asbestos in your pipes.