Asbestos flue pipe. What about the mortar?

Gothic Draconia · 27 Jun 2013 at 13:07

Hi

This might sound stupid but here goes.

I have acquired a house and have been in the loft to see what i can find. There is a flue pipe rising up through the floor to the vent on the ridge of the roof. This pipe is made up of sections and has Urastone stamped in to it. I have read that these pipes are made of asbestos cement and contain 10-15% chrysotile. The house was built in 1972.

My question is, would the mortar which has been used to seal the section joints on this flue pipe contain any asbestos?

I have read that asbestos mortar used to be available. Is heat proof mortar needed on a flue pipe? A fair amount of the mortar used to seal the sections has fallen out on to the loft floor. I even managed to make a small amount fall out when i acidentally banged the flue pipe. The flue is not in use as there is no fire hooked up downstairs but now i'm getting worried as i have been clearing/ vacuuming the loose debris from the loft floor.

Any thoughts greatly appreciated.

Nightglow · 27 Jun 2013 at 14:29

Urastone, well there a name I haven't heard of for many years.

You should be able to remove the pipes with out affecting the ridge vent, the pipes are safe unless they are broken.

Cement is unlikely to contain asbestos, but they may have packed in asbestos rope seal in the joint before finishing joint with cement.

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rc...yw51oGaNryLJQwQ&bvm=bv.48340889,d.d2k&cad=rja

Gothic Draconia · 27 Jun 2013 at 18:24

better pics

Hi

Thanks for that. The flue pipe will not be moving. I'm leaving it in place. I'm just concerned that it is losing its section sealing cement and if it were to be toxic cement/ mortar/ putty (got it in my head that it needs to be heat proof like asbestos fire cement or similar), it's slowly going to contaminate my loft as it crumbles away. I can sometimes hear it landing on the insulation paper and boards across the joists as i'm moving around next to it. If i grab the flue, i can make the section joints move slightly which releases more cement from the joints. If it isn't toxic, i'm not too concerned and will treat it like normal rubble and dust. I know not to damage the actual Urastone piping.

I've attached some better pics.

PobodY · 27 Jun 2013 at 18:33

Looks like "fire cement" to me; I think it's probably safe.

I've got a copy of the British Standard for cements at work, I can have a look to see what the recommended composition is. - I've got a feeling that it's OPC-based high-alumina for the temperature resistance.

As above; asbestos is (relatively) low-risk as long as you don't start breaking it and exposing the fibres. - The big problem comes if you want to remove it.

FerretBoy · 27 Jun 2013 at 19:41

Doesn't everyone have thousands of fibres in their lungs anyhow? Just working with it day to day increases this substantially

Matutu · 27 Jun 2013 at 19:45

Thats fire cement! Get that stuff out of there quick!. Tap it and wrap it then crack it and bag ASAP taping everything

Gothic Draconia · 27 Jun 2013 at 21:16

So is fire cement dangerous or not? It looks more or less like normal cement which is why i vacuumed some from the loft floor. Had i known i was living under a condemned roof space, i would have ran a mile. Surely this degradation of jointing material is common on houses of this age (1972)?

Westyfield2 · 27 Jun 2013 at 22:18

Asbestos? I'd wear a mask to get it out, and then sneak it in the local tip. CBA with the asbestos costs!

<Yes, you may die. Don't try this at home. Etc.>

john_s · 28 Jun 2013 at 08:53

Westyfield2 said:
sneak it in the local tip. CBA with the asbestos costs!

Some tips will accept it without sneaking (or charging you for it)... you usually just have to notify them in advance. Then take it bagged / wrapped and put it in the asbestos skip.

Transam · 29 Jun 2013 at 10:31

Ignore it. "Fire cement" means nothing (pop down to B&Q and they'll happily sell you a tub) and just seal up the bits that look a bit crumbly with new fire cement. Your risk of asbestosis from that sort of exposure (and tbh it doesn't even look like asbestos) is pretty much zero.
You don't get asbestosis from a little exposure like that - stacks of houses are full of the stuff and it harms nobody unless you are removing large quantities and putting lots of fibre into the air. If you are worried, keep it damped down while you scrape off what you need to and stick it in a bag while still wet, then sling it in the local tip. They are well used to asbestos being sneaked in and take all the necessary precautions!