Since asbestos cannot be accurately recognized visually the age of your roof can be an important clue.
My house has asbestos roof.
Roof or siding replacement makes more sense than attempting repairs in most situations involving asbestos shingles or fiber cement siding.
Your neighbour s may have asbestos roofs.
As your roof or siding deteriorates damaged tiles can lead to water infiltration rot mold and structural damage to your home.
Can i remove it.
Pipes that aren t insulated but have white or gray insulation remnants particularly on the fittings.
To determine if your building has asbestos check areas where the material was most commonly used like the roof bathroom and basement.
If you suspect a part of your home may contain asbestos check periodically for tears abrasions or water damage.
Because some asbestos containing roof cement coatings and mastics are not labeled as asbestos containing information about the dates of the roofing installation may also be sufficient to rule in or out the possibility that your roofing contains asbestos.
The process of removing asbestos shingles from your roof or siding will disturb the materials and create a hazardous environment.
Chrysotile and amosite fall into the serpentine asbestos mineral family as opposed to amphibole asbestos.
You may live near an industrial area where there are many hectares of asbestos roofs and there may be other asbestos products that we do not know about that is close by.
The materials should be assumed to be asbestos containing materials if there is uncertainty.
These are typically used in walls ceilings roofs floors cement sheets and insulation.
Also look around the siding roofing and soffit materials for small dimples or shallow craters on the surface which are signs of asbestos.
The soil around your home may have asbestos in it from inappropriate removal or storage or from deteriorating roof or wall cladding or other sources residential risk assessment.
When residential construction products made with asbestos are damaged those fibers become airborne and could pose a danger to anyone who inhales the toxic dust.
The table below outlines the risk of asbestos exposure based on the age of a home and the presence of asbestos containing materials in the home structure.
If asbestos material is more than slightly damaged or if you are going to make changes in your home that might disturb it professional repair or removal is needed.
In older homes specifically asbestos may be found in many different materials from pipe insulation to flooring adhesive to roof shingles.
Most floor tiles of this size used asbestos.
An outline of old flooring tiles in a 9 inch by 9 inch pattern.
However signs that a home may have contained asbestos include.
You are most likely to find chrysotile or amosite asbestos present in your home.
Check for tears abrasions or water damage.
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.
If you discover slightly damaged material limit access to the area and do not touch or disturb it.
The pragmatic answer to this question is simply this.
Discover the age of the house.
This is an essential step in the process of spotting asbestos materials within your home.