If you are planning to remodel your house, you must contact a licensed asbestos removal service to ensure you have no asbestos around the house. The professionals are trained in a manner that they can inspect the building premises and detect the presence of this hazardous mineral.
Asbestos inspection and removal are also a must when you are putting your house for sale and when you are buying a house.
Homes built before the 1980’s generally contain asbestos. It may be possible that home inspectors may not take up the responsibility of detecting asbestos. In this case, you may call in asbestos removal contractors. You can contact them online too.
Demolishing a structure? Wait!
If you plan to renovate your home completely by demolishing the original structure and building a new one, you must not skip asbestos inspection.
Asbestos is a dangerous mineral. Its fire-resistant property is commendable, but the fact that its micro fibers easily get inhaled by people and can cause lung damage makes it a perilous substance. That’s the reason you are better off without having asbestos in and around your home.
That’s not all. Inhaling asbestos fibers may not always produce immediate problems. Symptoms may take more than a decade to develop!
Another thing about asbestos is that you can’t detect the mineral at once, neither can you smell it. The mineral could be right under your nose, but you may not recognize it unless you are trained in asbestos detection.
So, it’s best to leave the job of inspection and removal to asbestos removal companies.
Key steps of asbestos removal
1. Clearing the area:
You as a homeowner must clear the area by moving your belongings. However, you can leave a few items inside the area to be inspected and take help of the professionals, if needed.
2. Building a containment area:
The professionals will hang four sheets around the detected asbestos. Two sheets are made of 6 mil poly and the other two are made of regular poly. This is called the containment area that contains the asbestos structure. In addition, the professionals will cover important barriers like doors, windows, and unused HVAC openings.
3. Building containment units:
The asbestos removal contractors will build three units or chambers:
- Clean room: This is the changing room in which the contractor changes into a Tyvek suit and mask that provides asbestos protection.
- Shower room: During a lunch break or when the project is over, the contractor takes a full shower in the shower room WITH THE MASK ON.
- Dirty room: The contractor leaves all the tools in the dirty room BEFORE taking a shower.
After the shower, the contractor moves to the clean room to change into fresh clothes and to remove the mask.
The last step is removing the mask.
Removing asbestos
First, the contractor sprays the mineral with a mixture of surfactant and water so that there is not an iota of dust in the asbestos work area. Then, the contractor removes the asbestos and puts it into pre-labeled bags with two layers. The bags are then sealed tight.
The bags take the same route as the asbestos removal contractor: they pass through the dirty room, then arrive in the shower room for a wash, and then are moved to the clean room. Finally, they are put in an enclosed dumpster brought in the area specially for asbestos disposal.
Crux:
Asbestos removal requires utmost skill and care. Only a well-trained professional can handle this task well. Make sure you contact only the most reputable asbestos removal companies to get the job done in the most impeccable manner.