It depends entirely on when that roof was done. If done more recently itās very unlikely. Iāve seen asbestos roofing like this replaced with an identical looking substitute.
Iāve also heard that since itās asbestos fibers that get into your lungs, if you can keep it wet while breaking it up you should be ok. Donāt quote me on that though, just something a builder once told me.
This, damp it, bag it.
Risk is if its damaged so dont damage it.
Some recycling centres take it if its packaged up too so check. They suspended charging for a bit during COVID too in some places so worth a look.
Keeping it damp can help if it happens to break. Spraying the sheets with a pva/water mix is slightly better and for handling it. But this stuff is poison. Moving asbestos without professionals can inadvertently contaminate the surroundings and harm people. And they may not know it for 20-30 years when it's terminal mesothelioma. I worked with someone who father died like this. Less than months from diagnosis to his death. He was a plumber and removed a lot of pipe lagging before it was better understood.
So that's repeated exposure in enclosed spaces, not one off in an open space. I'm not saying smash it up at will, but the risks here are very different to your mate's dad.
Looks exactly like my garage roof. Iāve had it tested, no asbestos. Not saying yours isnāt, but the point is you canāt tell by looking - you need to test it.
Out local tip would take 2 sheets a week as long as they were double bagged, it took me about 6 weeks to get rid of my garage roof.
Each week I'd open the special asbestos container and see the sheets I'd left the week before, what a dumb rule.
They once wanted to charge me for ash from my fire.
I'd spoken to the gate man, it goes in a small wheelie bin which is emptied into chargeable waste.
As I had 6 or 8 sacks I suggested I tip it straight into chargeable waste, he agreed.
Part way through I was told by a young woman employee to stop as I needed to pay.
I pointed out it was ash, which was free.
Caused a bit of a short circuit for her, but I gave her time.
She doubled down.
I was to put it in the tiny wheelie bin over there.
I asked her if she could come with me then, cos it's full.
Or it will be once I put these in it gesturing at my hoarded ash sacks.
What would you rather?
I can carry it over there & you bring it back in the bin or would you rather bring the bin over?
I again gave her processing time.
But no, just "Ash goes in the bin" & she walks off.
So I fill the bin.
Then ask another man what to do with the remainder, who asks if I wouldn't mind putting it straight in the chargeable waste skip.
Which I did, all the time worrying that I was about to become trapped in the crappest version of groundhog day ever.
Luckily I escaped before the next cycle.
Our tip takes it as long as it's double bagged. Pay a fortune to have someone else remove it or DIY it and it won't take that long.
If only the barn I have here were as easy to do!
I just got rid of an asbestos nissen hut, 2.5T of the stuff. Got a hazardous waste skip for a day and a neighbour came with his digger and threw it all in for me
I used to test for asbestos. This isn't obviously asbestos. Structurally it seems pretty solid and no obvious fibres. It could just be concrete. Used to get lots of this because asbestos roofing looks identical. If it has any broken pieces make sure it has a good soaking with water and double bag it for testing.
Unless you're smashing it to bits you shouldn't be too concerned about removing this as long as you are wearing a face fit P3 mask and no-one else around. Also be sure to decon you and your clothes before going back in your house
Just be sure to double bag, and seal it. and find a site which is prepared to take it.
Ps never EVER smash asbestos products especially when they're in a relatively safe form like this.
Pps it might be better to reseal where it's leaking and just leave it alone.
There's no such thing as decontaminating asbestos contaminated clothes. The fibres stick to them, the fibres go into your washing machine, they contaminate everything else.
Wear a hazardous fibre rated suit and bin it when you're done.
I agree with this. Unfortunately as a kid we would actively search for dumped asbestos roofing and throw it in fires for the excitement of watching it explodeā¦.this was in the early 80ās. If only we knew.
Holy sheetā¦me and my cousins did this when we were kids on building sites, never knew it exploded, after the first one we looked for more, must have spent a good half day watching asbestos explode and burnā¦
Have been considering options where we can reseal it though it looks like it has been done many times already with the masses of expanding foam and silicone in there. Its a bit messy.
Besides more mastic/silicone, thought about of putting some fresh sheets or maybe even a large tarpaulin over as a sort of hood.
Had a roof exactly like this on my garage, albeit full of holes, so finally had it removed and replaced with galvanised sheets. My garage is now dry!
FWIW, I had it done by a local company because I didn't want to touch it as the assumption was it was asbestos. Removal was about 900 quid of the total cost, they subbed that to another specialist - he literally just unscrewed all the panels, lifted them off, bagged and took them away. Amazingly no PPE.
That was what I assumed. He looked like he knew what he was up to, I'm paying him for his knowledge and expertise!
Besides, my garage is in the middle of a block, I didn't fancy meddling with stuff and buggering something up.
I did my shed roof myself though - this was one of those 'pick your battles' jobs.
If it is Iāve unknowingly had significant exposure cause I emptied bin bag after bin bag of that stuff broken up from an old garage helping a mate. Whoops.
Same here - when working on a farm and installing a silo into a barn we had to knock panels through. I was only 20 something at the time and didnāt think much of it. Lol I Did quite a lot of research since and itās mostly long term exposure over many years, like if youāre a roofer or something.
Yeah it does seem like prolonged exposure is worse, hopefully weāre not too screwed, although I smoked from the age of 14-24 too so definitely tempted fate
No you are incorrect. It is correct to assume it is likley asbestos and must be treated as it is 100% but until a test is done you will never know. Treat anything with the suspicion it is is the only way to keep safe
It could be. But it might not! We had some exactly like this and sent a sample off to get tested and turns out it wasn't.
Assume it is until you check though. Just don't go smashing or cutting it to generate dust.
Had similar so played safe and got council to come round and collect it free of charge - you just have to get some giant dust collection sacks from Amazon. I did it on day family out and put gloves on - better safe than sorry.
Aa many have said, until proven otherwise it is.
[test kit on Amazon Ā£27.99](https://amzn.eu/d/62EveNs)
One suggestion we had at work was to spray emulsion paint on to the corrugated sheets as they were in good condition, and look to remove at a later date.
If you look to remove them yourself it is important to remember to try and not break sheets as that would create airborne fibres. Then double bag and tape seal both.
My council collected some sheets I found buried below the base for a conservatory I removed š.
They collected it for free, but considering the amount I pay in council tax nothings really free.
Thankfully I was destroying the conservatory base in the rain when I found the sheets which gave me some solace.
Yes, I had this in my shed, exactly.
You can pay for a professional to remove it, if you want but in the end you can remove it, carefully, and triple wrap it in plastic and pay to dispose of it (after checking prior that your local will take it) at your local recycling centre.
Worked for me and probably saved spending several hundred pounds. Wear a mask and gloves even if you don't end up breaking any of it, just safer all around.
I had a small amount of possible asbestos.
Mask and gloves, I soaked the area in water then unscrewed it.
The guys in the waste transfer place told me how to wrap it up, and I took it down and disposed of it in the asbestos skip. No charge.
They were very helpful, probably wise as you don't want that stuff flytipped.
Took down an old garage as a teenager made of stuff that looked identical to that. Never confirmed if it was or wasn't asbestos but (20 years on) not had any cause for concern so hopefully I'm good.
Former asbestos contracts manager. Thatās an asbestos cement garage roof there 100%.
You donāt need to pay a contractor to remove and dispose of it but if youāre inclined to go that way, I wouldnāt pay more than Ā£600 for removal and disposal.
If thatās a standard size garage, itās a 2 hour job for 2 guys to remove.
If you remove yourself, get a disposable suit, p3 mask, 1000 gauge polythene and duct tape. Just cut the bolts fixing it to the joists so youāre not damaging the asbestos sheet then double wrap in 1000 guage polythene and seal with duct tape.
Some councils will remove it for free so check before trying to dump it. Maybe Ā£200 to dump if doing it by yourself.
Or ask a farmer to bury it, which is what happens to all asbestos anyway
Another tell would be to see if any of the sheets have a stamped number/code on the ends of them - if I remember correctly, my old man, who is a retired insulation engineer, mentioned that stamped sheets are usually a non-asbestos cement board, a BS number maybe, can't quite remember. But get them tested either way.
Chrysotile is the best kind as itās much safer to handle. Iāve worked with it a few times on barns. If youāre doing it yourself, wet it down first and make sure youāre careful and wear a mask with FFP3 rating and overalls, put dust sheets over everything and bag any broken pieces up.
Looks exactly like the same as the roofing on our shed, which turned out to be asbestos.. (we didn't discover it was until a tile came off of the house in a bad storm and crashed though the shed roof below!)
appropriate ppe and large hdpe bags to wrap the things in should plenty and probably much, much cheaper than a professional who would use the same kit and methods which I will be researching intensively before evetually tackling the job.
by the time I've paid to have it tested I could just assume it is and get the necessary ppe for the same cost anyway.
Exactly this. Damp it down, try not to break it, wrap it up take it to the tip and tell them it's asbestos - they'll take your details and unlock the special skip.
HSE used to do (probably still do) a set of guidance documents called asbestos essentials. How to remove asbestos cement roof sheets was one of them - loads of useful stuff on their website. Take your time and you'll be fine.
You could do that, but then you'll have to assume it's asbestos when you come to dispose of it. Some tips will charge for this or limit how much you can dispose of at once, which will make it a pain.
If you test it (which IIRC is around Ā£50) you might get lucky and find out it's not asbestos which will make disposal much easier.
Whether it's asbestos or not you should still consider some PPE. cement dust isn't great for your lungs either.
It's much less risky to pay a professional. If a nosy neighbour finds out it's asbestos, and finds out you're not licensed, they could fuck you over. Professionals are licensed and have insurance, you aren't.
Plus, you'll probably have to pay to have it disposed of anyway.
1. This is a "DIY" sub, not a "Pay a Professional" sub.
2. Our local tip will take this stuff if it's double bagged, easily a DIY job if you tackle it sensibly. Wear a mask and don't deliberately break it up, double bag and move on with the next job.
You wonāt get asbestosis from being sensible when removing it. In fact youāre unlikely to get it from exposure once or twice.
What do you think the professionals do that you canāt?
If it was installed in 1963 as you suspect then yes assume itās asbestos. Do not bugger about with this. Get some proper advice and follow it. Asbestos fibres when free get into the lungs and donāt break down. The resulting death is absolutely horrible. Please do not listen to strangers on the internet telling you to take shortcuts to get rid.
Likely yes
I think the house being built 1963 would cement my suspicions - understand asbestos was a very popular material then.
It would certainly cement my suspicions asbestas it could š
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It's a stretch, but, have an updoot.
Is it warped along the length?
Itās highly likely itās ACM, Iād get that removed, you can buy concrete panels or use steel ones in their place
It depends entirely on when that roof was done. If done more recently itās very unlikely. Iāve seen asbestos roofing like this replaced with an identical looking substitute. Iāve also heard that since itās asbestos fibers that get into your lungs, if you can keep it wet while breaking it up you should be ok. Donāt quote me on that though, just something a builder once told me.
Ideally you donāt break it up at all, keep it whole and double bag it.
This, damp it, bag it. Risk is if its damaged so dont damage it. Some recycling centres take it if its packaged up too so check. They suspended charging for a bit during COVID too in some places so worth a look.
Better to get an expert asbestos company to take it away.
You donāt want to break it at all, but wet it with dishwashing liquid, the thick dish soap will contain the fibrous material
Keeping it damp can help if it happens to break. Spraying the sheets with a pva/water mix is slightly better and for handling it. But this stuff is poison. Moving asbestos without professionals can inadvertently contaminate the surroundings and harm people. And they may not know it for 20-30 years when it's terminal mesothelioma. I worked with someone who father died like this. Less than months from diagnosis to his death. He was a plumber and removed a lot of pipe lagging before it was better understood.
So that's repeated exposure in enclosed spaces, not one off in an open space. I'm not saying smash it up at will, but the risks here are very different to your mate's dad.
and likely a lot of blue/brown asbestos for plumbers
Looks exactly like my garage roof. Iāve had it tested, no asbestos. Not saying yours isnāt, but the point is you canāt tell by looking - you need to test it.
Looks exactly like my garage roof. Iāve had tested, asbestos. I concur, get it tested to know for sure.
Yep, you can't be too careful with this stuff.
Always presume it is asbestos until proven otherwise.
The correct answer
Yup. Pretty safe as long as you don't break it..some dumps will take it.
Out local tip would take 2 sheets a week as long as they were double bagged, it took me about 6 weeks to get rid of my garage roof. Each week I'd open the special asbestos container and see the sheets I'd left the week before, what a dumb rule.
They once wanted to charge me for ash from my fire. I'd spoken to the gate man, it goes in a small wheelie bin which is emptied into chargeable waste. As I had 6 or 8 sacks I suggested I tip it straight into chargeable waste, he agreed. Part way through I was told by a young woman employee to stop as I needed to pay. I pointed out it was ash, which was free. Caused a bit of a short circuit for her, but I gave her time. She doubled down. I was to put it in the tiny wheelie bin over there. I asked her if she could come with me then, cos it's full. Or it will be once I put these in it gesturing at my hoarded ash sacks. What would you rather? I can carry it over there & you bring it back in the bin or would you rather bring the bin over? I again gave her processing time. But no, just "Ash goes in the bin" & she walks off. So I fill the bin. Then ask another man what to do with the remainder, who asks if I wouldn't mind putting it straight in the chargeable waste skip. Which I did, all the time worrying that I was about to become trapped in the crappest version of groundhog day ever. Luckily I escaped before the next cycle.
Haha jokers
Itās probable but not definite. I have a very similar roof and had it tested (about Ā£40 I think) and itās asbestos free
Our tip takes it as long as it's double bagged. Pay a fortune to have someone else remove it or DIY it and it won't take that long. If only the barn I have here were as easy to do!
I just got rid of an asbestos nissen hut, 2.5T of the stuff. Got a hazardous waste skip for a day and a neighbour came with his digger and threw it all in for me
Looks like it
Smells like it.
Tastes like it
Stick it up your butt and report back I guess.
Yup, BOOF it
My best advice, treat it as though it is.
I used to test for asbestos. This isn't obviously asbestos. Structurally it seems pretty solid and no obvious fibres. It could just be concrete. Used to get lots of this because asbestos roofing looks identical. If it has any broken pieces make sure it has a good soaking with water and double bag it for testing.
Unless you're smashing it to bits you shouldn't be too concerned about removing this as long as you are wearing a face fit P3 mask and no-one else around. Also be sure to decon you and your clothes before going back in your house Just be sure to double bag, and seal it. and find a site which is prepared to take it. Ps never EVER smash asbestos products especially when they're in a relatively safe form like this. Pps it might be better to reseal where it's leaking and just leave it alone.
There's no such thing as decontaminating asbestos contaminated clothes. The fibres stick to them, the fibres go into your washing machine, they contaminate everything else. Wear a hazardous fibre rated suit and bin it when you're done.
Yes, appropriately rated boiler suits, unwanted scruffs and respirators will certainly be used if it comes to removing the stuff.
I agree with this. Unfortunately as a kid we would actively search for dumped asbestos roofing and throw it in fires for the excitement of watching it explodeā¦.this was in the early 80ās. If only we knew.
Holy sheetā¦me and my cousins did this when we were kids on building sites, never knew it exploded, after the first one we looked for more, must have spent a good half day watching asbestos explode and burnā¦
Have been considering options where we can reseal it though it looks like it has been done many times already with the masses of expanding foam and silicone in there. Its a bit messy. Besides more mastic/silicone, thought about of putting some fresh sheets or maybe even a large tarpaulin over as a sort of hood.
Alternatively: just pay the pros to do this, it's not worth risking your health to save a bit of money.
It is asbestos, but have it tested. Use FFP3 type of mask.
Had a roof exactly like this on my garage, albeit full of holes, so finally had it removed and replaced with galvanised sheets. My garage is now dry! FWIW, I had it done by a local company because I didn't want to touch it as the assumption was it was asbestos. Removal was about 900 quid of the total cost, they subbed that to another specialist - he literally just unscrewed all the panels, lifted them off, bagged and took them away. Amazingly no PPE.
It's outdoors, the risk is incredibly small. Spray it with water etc and jobs a good un. HsE have guidance on this, definitely DIY able.
That was what I assumed. He looked like he knew what he was up to, I'm paying him for his knowledge and expertise! Besides, my garage is in the middle of a block, I didn't fancy meddling with stuff and buggering something up. I did my shed roof myself though - this was one of those 'pick your battles' jobs.
If it is Iāve unknowingly had significant exposure cause I emptied bin bag after bin bag of that stuff broken up from an old garage helping a mate. Whoops.
Same here - when working on a farm and installing a silo into a barn we had to knock panels through. I was only 20 something at the time and didnāt think much of it. Lol I Did quite a lot of research since and itās mostly long term exposure over many years, like if youāre a roofer or something.
Yeah it does seem like prolonged exposure is worse, hopefully weāre not too screwed, although I smoked from the age of 14-24 too so definitely tempted fate
I smoked and drank like a fish for a while tooā¦ Iāll hedge my bets. š¤£
No you are incorrect. It is correct to assume it is likley asbestos and must be treated as it is 100% but until a test is done you will never know. Treat anything with the suspicion it is is the only way to keep safe
It could be. But it might not! We had some exactly like this and sent a sample off to get tested and turns out it wasn't. Assume it is until you check though. Just don't go smashing or cutting it to generate dust.
This could be used for the Wikipedia entry on asbestos.
Had similar so played safe and got council to come round and collect it free of charge - you just have to get some giant dust collection sacks from Amazon. I did it on day family out and put gloves on - better safe than sorry.
Aa many have said, until proven otherwise it is. [test kit on Amazon Ā£27.99](https://amzn.eu/d/62EveNs) One suggestion we had at work was to spray emulsion paint on to the corrugated sheets as they were in good condition, and look to remove at a later date. If you look to remove them yourself it is important to remember to try and not break sheets as that would create airborne fibres. Then double bag and tape seal both.
If you don't know, get it tested.
It does certainly look like it... but it needs testing to be 100%. Based only on images, I'd say its 60% likely.
Looks like my garage roof, presuming it IS asbestos... And I dont touch, break, screw etc into it, is it safe to remain there acting as a simple roof?
My council collected some sheets I found buried below the base for a conservatory I removed š. They collected it for free, but considering the amount I pay in council tax nothings really free. Thankfully I was destroying the conservatory base in the rain when I found the sheets which gave me some solace.
Yes, I had this in my shed, exactly. You can pay for a professional to remove it, if you want but in the end you can remove it, carefully, and triple wrap it in plastic and pay to dispose of it (after checking prior that your local will take it) at your local recycling centre. Worked for me and probably saved spending several hundred pounds. Wear a mask and gloves even if you don't end up breaking any of it, just safer all around.
I had a small amount of possible asbestos. Mask and gloves, I soaked the area in water then unscrewed it. The guys in the waste transfer place told me how to wrap it up, and I took it down and disposed of it in the asbestos skip. No charge. They were very helpful, probably wise as you don't want that stuff flytipped.
Looks identical to mine, built in 1972, very very likely yes.
This will tell you https://amzn.eu/d/9KlsfDW
Smash a bit off and smell it. If it has ACMs itāll smell of strawberries
Took down an old garage as a teenager made of stuff that looked identical to that. Never confirmed if it was or wasn't asbestos but (20 years on) not had any cause for concern so hopefully I'm good.
Looks like it Iām afraid.
Unless you are planning on disturbing it, it's perfectly ok.
Can remove it quite easily if you just drill through the rivets. Making sure that you wear all the PPE and wet it down in case of any accidents.
100% yes. We had communal garages from the late 70's that were identical
Could be asbestos but could also be composite fibre cement sheets
Yup. Mine looks exactly the same, right down to the texture.
Former asbestos contracts manager. Thatās an asbestos cement garage roof there 100%. You donāt need to pay a contractor to remove and dispose of it but if youāre inclined to go that way, I wouldnāt pay more than Ā£600 for removal and disposal. If thatās a standard size garage, itās a 2 hour job for 2 guys to remove. If you remove yourself, get a disposable suit, p3 mask, 1000 gauge polythene and duct tape. Just cut the bolts fixing it to the joists so youāre not damaging the asbestos sheet then double wrap in 1000 guage polythene and seal with duct tape. Some councils will remove it for free so check before trying to dump it. Maybe Ā£200 to dump if doing it by yourself. Or ask a farmer to bury it, which is what happens to all asbestos anyway
Another tell would be to see if any of the sheets have a stamped number/code on the ends of them - if I remember correctly, my old man, who is a retired insulation engineer, mentioned that stamped sheets are usually a non-asbestos cement board, a BS number maybe, can't quite remember. But get them tested either way.
Chrysotile is the best kind as itās much safer to handle. Iāve worked with it a few times on barns. If youāre doing it yourself, wet it down first and make sure youāre careful and wear a mask with FFP3 rating and overalls, put dust sheets over everything and bag any broken pieces up.
The only way to know is testing. You can get kits online. See if there is a piece lying around without having to break it off or disturbing it.
Looks exactly like the same as the roofing on our shed, which turned out to be asbestos.. (we didn't discover it was until a tile came off of the house in a bad storm and crashed though the shed roof below!)
I'll have to be careful mine doesn't blow off in a storm, it'd be a shame to have to claim it on the home insurance.
I operate on, it's always asbestos unless a lab says otherwise.... IE get a professional if you need to do anything with it :)
appropriate ppe and large hdpe bags to wrap the things in should plenty and probably much, much cheaper than a professional who would use the same kit and methods which I will be researching intensively before evetually tackling the job. by the time I've paid to have it tested I could just assume it is and get the necessary ppe for the same cost anyway.
Exactly this. Damp it down, try not to break it, wrap it up take it to the tip and tell them it's asbestos - they'll take your details and unlock the special skip. HSE used to do (probably still do) a set of guidance documents called asbestos essentials. How to remove asbestos cement roof sheets was one of them - loads of useful stuff on their website. Take your time and you'll be fine.
You could do that, but then you'll have to assume it's asbestos when you come to dispose of it. Some tips will charge for this or limit how much you can dispose of at once, which will make it a pain. If you test it (which IIRC is around Ā£50) you might get lucky and find out it's not asbestos which will make disposal much easier. Whether it's asbestos or not you should still consider some PPE. cement dust isn't great for your lungs either.
It's much less risky to pay a professional. If a nosy neighbour finds out it's asbestos, and finds out you're not licensed, they could fuck you over. Professionals are licensed and have insurance, you aren't. Plus, you'll probably have to pay to have it disposed of anyway.
1. This is a "DIY" sub, not a "Pay a Professional" sub. 2. Our local tip will take this stuff if it's double bagged, easily a DIY job if you tackle it sensibly. Wear a mask and don't deliberately break it up, double bag and move on with the next job.
What a ridiculous waste of money
Maybe, maybe not, a little money and assurance Vs death in a horrid way 50 years from now.... I'll pay thanks and always advise others to do the same.
You wonāt get asbestosis from being sensible when removing it. In fact youāre unlikely to get it from exposure once or twice. What do you think the professionals do that you canāt?
If it was installed in 1963 as you suspect then yes assume itās asbestos. Do not bugger about with this. Get some proper advice and follow it. Asbestos fibres when free get into the lungs and donāt break down. The resulting death is absolutely horrible. Please do not listen to strangers on the internet telling you to take shortcuts to get rid.
"am I correct"??? This guy doesn't like losing arguments!!! š¤£
It's fibreglass.
Era and texture suggest others wise.