Asbestos insulation was widely used on heating pipes sometimes on water pipes and occasionally on other pipes in buildings.
Asbestos heating pipe insulation.
For asbestos pipe insulation that is in poor condition falling off it is beyond encapsulation and needs to be removed by a professional.
The lagging canvas is made out of fiberglass cross woven thread that is embedded with an inorganic rewettable coating.
Wear a face mask and gloves when spraying the encapsulation chemical or applying the tape or material to the pipe.
If spraying a chemical ensure that the area is well ventilated and the floor beneath the pipe is covered.
But if asbestos pipe insulation is in poor condition shedding damaged fallling off or if it is in a location where it is likely to be damaged it should be removed and the pipes cleaned and sealed.
Pipe furnace and boiler insulation can sometimes be repaired this way.
To get started use your tank sprayer to spray down the pipes that are covered with the asbestos.
Soak them heavily and allow the water to absorb into the asbestos material for about 20 minutes.
You can use a simple cover over any pipe you may that is asbestos until you can have it removed and replaced to make it safer if you have it in your home.
Apply your encapsulation material to the pipe.
Unfortunately we now know that asbestos is not safe.
Using your putty knife try scraping some of the material from the pipe.
In older homes specifically asbestos may be found in many different materials from pipe insulation to flooring adhesive to roof shingles.
Once moistened the rewettable coating becomes sticky and hardens once it dries.
Cover the entire area of exposed asbestos containing material.
Asbestos pipe was commonly used in residential and industrial applications because it was heat resistant and hard to damage.
Covering enclosure involves placing something over or around the material that contains asbestos to prevent release of fibers.
For years lagging cloth and asbestos paper was used by the hvac industry to line and insulate pipes in heating and cooling systems within homes offices and other buildings.
One of the most common materials containing asbestos fibers is attic and wall insulation.
But just because your insulation is old doesn t mean it is dangerous.
This should be done only by a professional trained to handle asbestos safely.
Once all the asbestos pipe insulation is repaired and any bare pipe as reinsulated wrap the insulation with rewettable canvas pipe lagging.
