[Closed] Asbestos Garage Roof.

We paid someone to remove ours and replace with furry-lined steel. It's much less drippy now.

Cost about £1400 and it was all done in a day.

Whichever you feel like, depends how much you want to spend some money. Leaving it won’t harm you.

Whichever you feel like, depends how much you want to spend some money. Leaving it won’t harm you.

Is that deffo true? I've heard the view that it's basically talcom powder, I suppose it's possible the dust is just cement, but these things never seem to be backed up with any certainty.

Against that there's a whole industry based on scaring people.

It seems near impossible to get good data on asbestos.

It seems near impossible to get good data on asbestos.

It's very likely that it is a cement bound white asbestos which is better than the very dangerous blue asbestos.
That said I would very definitely get rid of it as soon as possible as it is becoming harder and harder to dispose of these sheets now full stop as already said I would replace with plastic coated Steel sheet with the fleece lining.
We replaced the roof on a very large barn a few years ago and also a small amount of roofing from a house we were doing up last year the latter cost a lot of money to get rid of.

Not really, countless tests available and then subsequent advice on how to manage risk.

I could have sworn I googled this a year or so back and thought there was nothing, but you're right, thanks:

https://www.bradley-enviro.co.uk/services/asbestos-consultants/asbestos-self-sampling-kits

That said I would very definitely get rid of it as soon as possible

It's shared. My neighbour and I could reach agreement on this in 3 minutes flat. However, our wives have a complex set of changing asthetic requirements that can't really be met, so although everyone agrees we want to replace it, we're in stalemate. It's all very friendly, but it is a permanant impasse. (Ironically they do't like the look of the asbestos either.) A bit of evidence of danger might encourage them to agree something.

We paid someone to remove ours and replace with furry-lined steel. It's much less drippy now.

had same - I got it dealt with, method (budget)

1) buy a good asbestos kit from ebay / the chemical hut (£30 ish)

2) (optional) take a sample and send to scopes (£25ish)

http://www.scopesaasl.co.uk/

if asbestos then put kit on again, if not, i'd still wear the mask

3) ask the council if they can take asbestos away (if not ask their recommendation of who does)

4) DIY and stick it in the bags to be taken away

(as mentioned above, this assumes it's the white less dangerous stuff, if not then get the pros in)

My neighbour and I could reach agreement on this in 3 minutes flat. However, our wives have a complex set of changing asthetic requirements that can't really be met, so although everyone agrees we want to replace it, we're in stalemate.

If you're any where near Leeds I can dig out who did ours. I think it was Grimston Garages.

Removed and disposed of (probably asbestos) roof and replaced with furry lined non drip steel stuff mentioned above within a 2-3 hours. Cost just over a grand I think, maybe £1300.

Dismantled our double asbestos garage as part of a larger house refurb last year. Thing to bear in mind is that it's not that dangerous as long as you don't smash it up.

Process

1/Bought test kit from the web. £20
2/Test Returned as positive for White Asbestos
3/Bought the appropriate Safety Gear (actually went to the next level on the safety gear). £70-80
4/ Bought the plastic sheets/bags and hazard sealing tape. Can't remember what this cost about £50
5/ Got the builder's (who was building our extensions etc) labourer to do the hard work, which he did in a morning. Call that about £100

Found an asbestos specialist to take it all away, think that was about £400, maybe £500

You can do it yourself for a lot less than £1300. Go to the local dump and book out sufficient of the special thick visqueen sheet. Wear a dust mask, keep everything soaked in water and package the sheets of corrugated cement, taping everything nicely shut then transport them to the dump and put them in the special container. The dump staff will book the sheet back in again.

....then guess what? They will be tipped on a landfill and a huge tractor thingy with spiky wheels will go over them, tear open the visqueen sheet and break up the roof sheets all over the place.

Go to the local dump

http://www.recycleforessex.com/disposing-of-asbestos/

http://www.doncaster.gov.uk/services/bins-recycling-waste/asbestos-disposal

https://www.bedford.gov.uk/environment_and_planning/pollution/asbestos.aspx

https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/info/20140/environmental_concerns_and_requests/87/request_asbestos_removal

Thanks all, some pretty useful posts. All good but paton, Bimbler & akeys001 singled out for special mention, thanks. I will get it tested beause I'd like to test my soffits as well but from paton's link it seems pretty clear the garage roof is asbestos.

I'm now very concerned that it's been dripping white powder down. I must have inhaled a load of dust when sweeping in there over the last few years. In hindsight I'd guess a fair bit of the dust on the floor has come from the roof. Quite tempted to clear it all out and hose all the dust out. I'm guessing hosing it out is safer than sweeping? Or hire an industrial hoover?

It feels to me like there's a ton of advice about disposal, which can be done very easily and safely, but no mention of condensation carrying dust down which seems to me to be far more dangerous exposure than (say) someone spending a single day in the fresh air clumsily removing the stuff from a roof. Stuff like this " fibres are not given off if it is left alone. It is only if you disturb it and make fine dust that it becomes dangerous." seems pretty misleading if it drops dust down naturally all the time.

I've been googling and found this which suggest that there's little evidence that white asbestos is that much safer once it's released as dust:

Thanks all, again.

Just for balance:

[i]Asbestos, tyres and gas cylinders
Asbestos
Asbestos requires specialist processing and dealing with such a dangerous material at a public facility is difficult and expensive. From 1 April 2017, asbestos is no longer accepted at any recycling centre.

Before starting any work where asbestos may be present, consult local business directories to find a company licensed to remove and dispose of asbestos waste.

Useful information and licensed contractors can be found by visiting the Health and Safety Executive website.

HSE
To search for a Cheshire based company, at the bottom of the page enter County in the search field and CHES in the second field. A list of asbestos licence holders within Cheshire will be displayed[/i]

If your local tip will take it now then get rid, because you can bet they're not going to make it easier to dispose of in the years to come.

Thanks, my local tip does take it. My guess is it will be much cheaper for me to take it as a home owner, than for a pro to get rid of it (and if I dispose of it I'll know it's not fly tipped.) Plus I know I'll do a proper cleanup.

However, fitting the new roof I'm not really up to, so that will have to be done by someone else.

My immediate concern is to get as much dust out of the garage as possible. I'm thinking hire some kind of industrial hoover. Anyone have any thoughts?

I've just been out to the garage, it's no more or less dusty than any other garage. If I lick my finger and touch the roof in various likely places it doesn't come away white but I'm pretty certain that drips *are* carrying down white powder and presumably have been doing so for years and a good portion o that dust is still there.

Think I'll call the local authority tomorrow, see what they have to say.

Or hire an industrial hoover?

Agree with km - for the dust in the garage i’d at least damp (wet) it all down, let it settle and then hoover up with the screwfix (£30) wet dry hoover - all while masked / kitted up and i’d probably sacrifice the hoover afterwards - this is bare minimum for me...and a defo bodge...

Do not do this for suspected asbestos dust. Ever. The fibres are at their most dangerous airborne. A normal hoover won't have the filters required for this sort of thing and they'll end up getting flung out the other end making things much, much worse.

Thanks. Not sure what options that gives me. Wipe down any dusty surfaces with a damp cloth and use a hose to swill it out? Sweeping stikes me as a very bad idea too!

Seems to me pretty much everyone with an asbestos roof has this paradox. On the one hand we're carefully double bagging the intact sheets which are giving off almost no dust, on the other hand a portion of all the dust that's ever dropped off them for the last 60 years is still wafting around the garage!

The chances are that if in good condition it's fairly harmless and with a bit of reading and weighing up the risks you could tackle it yourself safely.

It's not really a subject anyone who knows enough about it would want to give you advice on a forum, except to seek out professional advice. Likewise, anyone who tells you not to worry, just get stuck in, you wouldn't want to take their advice!

Agree with km - for the dust in the garage i’d at least damp (wet) it all down, let it settle and then hoover up with the screwfix (£30) wet dry hoover - all while masked / kitted up and i’d probably sacrifice the hoover afterwards - this is bare minimum for me...and a defo bodge...

Thanks, all noted.

It's not really a subject anyone who knows enough about it would want to give you advice on a forum, except to seek out professional advice. Likewise, anyone who tells you not to worry, just get stuck in, you wouldn't want to take their advice!

1) Close and lock garage. 2) Wait 'till Bob-a-job week. Get fresh-faced Scouts to give it a good thorough sweep.

Job jobbed.