Removal of Asbestos siding

Atchuuu · Oct 23, 2018

I have a property with a 1,300 square foot home on it. Home was built in the late 50's and has asbestos siding. I would like to remove the siding, replace the windows and install hardi plank.

Our area allows the homeowner to remove the asbestos and the local dump will accept it.

Wondering if the removal of the siding is as big a deal as it is made out to be. I will wear the appropriate mask but do I need to suit up and water down the siding?

My thinking is I can just use a nail puller and remove most of the siding without damaging it. Thoughts?

4570Man · Oct 23, 2018

I’d leave it alone.

LouNY · Oct 23, 2018

I would keep a water hose handy if you start to see any dust you can wet it down.
Asbestos siding in a solid form not being broken up and releasing fine fibers is quite safe.
The small fibers are the dangerous aspect of asbestos. A good well fitted dust mask and lots of plastic to wrap up the remove siding.

Rustyiron · Oct 23, 2018

It's no more dangerous than the hardi your getting ready to put up.
It contains the asbestos but it will not become airborne (just like fiber cement siding) until you put a saw into it. Little to no dust is created by simply breaking it or driving/pulling a nail.

YLee Kioti · Oct 23, 2018

Asbestos is like working in a contaminated area in a nuke plant.
Full face respirator period.
Tyvek suit, gloves, all entry points taped shut neck, arms and legs.
Not for the average guy.

I'm living on God's grace.

I did not even wear a dust mask and did not know our house had exterior lead paint and asbestos tiles.
Yep removed both totally unprotected, 15 years ago.

Now, I cringe when I read posts like these and folks trying to get by on the cheap. Hey I get it pro help is pricey I do get it.
But risking one's life without a full understanding of protection protocols is a needless risk.
Please read up more on what it take to protect yourself first.
The statement of 'wear a dust mask' makes me cringe.

Regards...

tomplum · Oct 23, 2018

Yep, do it right and protect yourself from the dust on what you take down and put up. Now, you can use more friendly methods than sawing when it comes to Hardi. By me, I can't take freaking drywall to the dump with a rolled texture on it w/o having a lab test it. Really.

ultrarunner · Oct 23, 2018

Yep... same here... few and only expensive choices.

quicksandfarmer · Oct 23, 2018

Have you gotten it tested to be sure it's asbestos? I'd do that before doing anything.

Strike that. First I'd find out what the legal requirements are where you live. You may find that if you know it's asbestos you're obligated to do things you wouldn't be if you didn't know.

2LaneCruzer · Oct 23, 2018

When I was in industry, and later with the Health Department, part of my responsibilities were enforcing the asbestos regulations. I strongly suggest you contact your local Department of Environmental Quality for the regulations and more importantly, the recommended removal procedures. Although siding is not like fibrous asbestos, aged siding will deteriorate and release fibers, as will the removal procedure. Wetting is mandatory, as is breathing apparatus...face mask is not adequate. I read in some of the literature that pathology studies indicate that very few fibers can cause cancerous tumors. It's not always the case, of course, but why take the chance. FWIW, asbestos is the only known cause of Mesothelioma.

I believe the siding will require special handling and disposal. Don't get caught having to pay to reclaim contaminated ground and recover improperly disposed material. You would be amazed how much that can cost. Not only did we assess penalties on violators, we had the authority to order them to clean it up, and we always did. Do it right.

Here's a guidance document; it looks legit, but I can't vouch for it, but it will give you an idea. You should still contact your DEQ for the rules and their guidance.

How to Remove and Dispose of Asbestos Siding and Roofing | Today's Homeowner

4570Man · Oct 23, 2018

tomplum said:
Yep, do it right and protect yourself from the dust on what you take down and put up. Now, you can use more friendly methods than sawing when it comes to Hardi. By me, I can't take freaking drywall to the dump with a rolled texture on it w/o having a lab test it. Really.

I bought a Hardi shear. It didn’t come cheap but it makes the process go way easier and dust free. It’s also a lot quieter than a saw if that matters. I spent nearly $500 on the shear and a roofing nailer, but I figured that was about the cost of having that small job professionally done and I’ll use those tools again.

Zippo1 · Oct 23, 2018

Atchuuu said:
I have a property with a 1,300 square foot home on it. Home was built in the late 50's and has asbestos siding. I would like to remove the siding, replace the windows and install hardi plank.

Our area allows the homeowner to remove the asbestos and the local dump will accept it.

Wondering if the removal of the siding is as big a deal as it is made out to be. I will wear the appropriate mask but do I need to suit up and water down the siding?

My thinking is I can just use a nail puller and remove most of the siding without damaging it. Thoughts?

I don't have a good answer for you but I do have my own story to relate. About 30 years ago I bought a house with old siding. At the time I didn't know that some siding contained asbestos but I did no it looked awful and needed replacing. I had the local sanitary service bring me a dumpster and I went ahead and removed the siding (and old roofing) myself and put it all in the dumpster. I did not wear any protection since I didn't know there was any problem. Two days after the service company picked up the dumpster I got a call from a local air quality guy who explained to me that the siding contained asbestos and asking me to come into his office. I went and he explained that the sanitary service company had to shut down the whole recycle center and stop all inbound deliveries while people in hazmat suits separated my asbestos siding from all the garbage. They had to specially double bag all of it (about 3 yards or so total) and take it to a special landfill somewhere down near Seattle. I told him that if I'd known it contained asbestos and that it was such a problem I would have just dug a hole and buried it on my property. He informed that he didn't just hear me say that and - if he had - he was required to report it! Sheesh! Apparently I could have been charged for all the work removing and bagging my siding and for the time the sanitary service company was shut down. Fortunately they didn't do so. Would I do it myself again? No, I wouldn't.

tomplum · Oct 24, 2018

So I have a question pertaining to the disposal. Is the reason they treat asbestos products different in regards to the disposal primarily due to the possibility of the people at the landfill ingesting it or once disposed, does it do something wrong in the hole in the ground?

LouNY · Oct 24, 2018

The last I knew an individual could remove asbestos containing material and dispose of it in a landfill with no issues, non-friable asbestos removal and disposal by an individual owner is / was treated completely different then the same removal by a company.
While asbestos is a some what hazardous material to handle it is not coiled up and waiting to spring out and grab you the only hazard is breaking up the material and releasing the small fibers in the air.
I was qualified back in the 90"s to contain and remove asbestos, I can't count the number of classes and training I had to go thru because I worked on or near equipment that had the possibility of having asbestos containing material in or on it.
Also almost all of the time asbestos containing material is quite safe to be around until it is disturbed.

Diggin It · Oct 24, 2018

Atchuuu said:
Our area allows the homeowner to remove the asbestos and the local dump will accept it.

Thoughts?

My thoughts are the some of the responders didn't read that line.

The stuff won't whack you down like a King Cobra or mixing bleach and ammonia. You're outside with plenty of ventilation. Just don't break it up into small pieces or use a saw if you can avoid it.

Streetcar · Oct 24, 2018

tomplum said:
Yep, do it right and protect yourself from the dust on what you take down and put up. Now, you can use more friendly methods than sawing when it comes to Hardi. By me, I can't take freaking drywall to the dump with a rolled texture on it w/o having a lab test it. Really.

The texture coating frequently has asbestos in it. Asbestos is bad , really bad if you smoke. Remove it properly

oosik · Oct 24, 2018

I've been in the Environmental Health field for 25+ years. My advice - either leave it alone or have it removed by professionals.

Now there is a footnote to this - no forget the footnote.

Mace Canute · Oct 24, 2018

People have gotten stupid almost to the point of hysteria with regards to asbestos, much like they have with PCBs. If it was a bad as some claim, every person who has worked in the asbestos industry would be dead. Think about it...very few if any used masks back then during the hayday of asbestos production and we (yes, a full year working in an asbestos mill at Clinton Creek, Yukon) breathed in HUGE quantities of asbestos dust. There used to be over 2500 different uses for asbestos so everybody was exposed to great quantities. People should have been dropping like flies...but they didn't.

It's commonly said that there is no safe level of exposure to asbestos but do not conflate that with meaning a very small exposure will definitely cause cancers in everybody. It has caused cancer in some people but seriously, how many products do cause cancer and are still sold in great quantities?

I just wish the same standards were applied equally to everything.

As a bit of FYI... The 116 things that can give you cancer the full list | Society | The Guardian

buckeyefarmer · Oct 24, 2018

Dare i say it? The only danger from asbestos is inhaling large quantities of the dust fibers. People and laws have over reacted to the danger.

teejk · Oct 24, 2018

Mace Canute said:
People have gotten stupid almost to the point of hysteria with regards to asbestos, much like they have with PCBs. If it was a bad as some claim, every person who has worked in the asbestos industry would be dead. Think about it...very few if any used masks back then during the hayday of asbestos production and we (yes, a full year working in an asbestos mill at Clinton Creek, Yukon) breathed in HUGE quantities of asbestos dust. There used to be over 2500 different uses for asbestos so everybody was exposed to great quantities. People should have been dropping like flies...but they didn't.

It's commonly said that there is no safe level of exposure to asbestos but do not conflate that with meaning a very small exposure will definitely cause cancers in everybody. It has caused cancer in some people but seriously, how many products do cause cancer and are still sold in great quantities?

I just wish the same standards were applied equally to everything.

As a bit of FYI... The 116 things that can give you cancer the full list | Society | The Guardian

I think some of the most hazardous occupations were ship building, boiler work and automotive brakes where it was often used in its non-bound form and then it was repeated exposure over a long period of time. Same hysteria can be said of lead in plumbing where I have to wonder how much of a soldered joint ever enters the water flow. MIL's toilet shut off valve (compression fitting) failed recently because the valve maker can no longer use lead and the compression caused the valve body to crack. The plumber said there have been cases where the valve has actually shot-off the stub and flooded buildings.