Concrete asbestos water tank removal

ChroniC

ChroniC

ChroniC

Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
10,209
Boarding my loft so I need it removed.. I haven't got a quote yet but I suspect several hundred, even when it's essentially a lift and shift job. Has anyone ever paid for this save me phoning a company?

Question is, should I risk doing it myself. It's not broken and will fit through the loft hatch, just about. I could seal it in thick black bags. It has some holes at the top that I could attempt to jerry rig with rope in the hope of lowering it down.

Anyone attempted to do this or am I exposing myself to too much risk?
 
ChroniC said:
Boarding my loft so I need it removed.. I haven't got a quote yet but I suspect several hundred, even when it's essentially a lift and shift job. Has anyone ever paid for this save me phoning a company?

Question is, should I risk doing it myself. It's not broken and will fit through the loft hatch, just about. I could seal it in thick black bags. It has some holes at the top that I could attempt to jerry rig with rope in the hope of lowering it down.

Anyone attempted to do this or am I exposing myself to too much risk?
Click to expand...


I would look at manual handling regs first.
 
In previous homes (in three counties) I've removed various asbestos including breaking it up as required just using appropriately graded masks and clothing. I've then taken it to council waste sites approved to take it in sealed bags.
 
ChroniC said:
Anyone attempted to do this or am I exposing myself to too much risk?
Click to expand...

It would probably be worth researching the risk posed by concrete asbestos. Any risk would come from fibres being generated, i.e. abrasion of the tank. I wonder if concrete asbestos might be less of a risk, because the asbestos would be more bound in the material? You may be able to remove it relatively safely (heavy weight aside), if you can do it without causing abrasion.

Once you've got it out, you will need to pay for disposal anyway I believe (haven't checked if the council might offer this), as asbestos needs correct disposal because of its hazardous nature. So you'll have cost anyway, and the actual removal cost may not be much more.
 
Last edited:
It's prolonged exposure of the fibres that gets you/your family. If you can bag it safely masked up; worth checking if you can then drop it off somewhere local.
 
Terminal_Boy said:
Get some quotes in as you’ll be paying asbestos disposal specialists to get rid of the tank anyway.
Click to expand...
You read you can take it to the tip

radderfire said:
It would probably be worth researching the risk posed by concrete asbestos. Any risk would come from fibres being generated, i.e. abrasion of the tank. I wonder if concrete asbestos might be less of a risk, because the asbestos would be more bound in the material? You may be able to remove it relatively safely (heavy weight aside), if you can do it without causing abrasion.

Once you've got it out, you will need to pay for disposal anyway I believe (haven't checked if the council might offer this), as asbestos needs correct disposal because of its hazardous nature. So you'll have cost anyway, and the actual removal cost may not be much more.
Click to expand...

As much as I've read, it's the lowest risk as the fibres are bound by the concrete. Any breakage will raise the risk of release.
My plan is to wrap it with very heavy duty plastic bags and lower it down through the hole. Wearing appropriate masks and overalls.

I feel like that's something achievable that doesn't need to be paid for. The local refuse Centre will except it.
 
Last edited:
dlockers said:
It's prolonged exposure of the fibres that gets you/your family. If you can bag it safely masked up; worth checking if you can then drop it off somewhere local.
Click to expand...

It's not prolonged exposure, it can be any significant exposure (i.e. could be one big exposure). The problem is that once any fibres are in your lungs, the lungs cannot clear them. So the fibres sit in your lungs forever and then cause cancer.
 
Last edited:
radderfire said:
It's not prolonged exposure, it can be any significant exposure (i.e. could be one big exposure). The problem is that once any fibres are in your lungs, the lungs cannot clear them. So the fibres sit in your lungs forever and then cause cancer.
Click to expand...

It surprises me the fear people have with how to deal with low grade risks. Take the tank down and outside the house (wrapped for the paranoid although undamaged it will be no problem). If it needs breaking up then either wear appropriate mask or put it in a large plastic bag and break as required. Take to local council dump that accepts asbestos and job done.

What concerns me more is the hidden dangers I've had in renovating many homes over more than 4 decades as some cement, mortars, plaster, paints, sheeting, insulation etc could contain nasty stuff I am not aware of and hence may not be using the right PPE.
 
I was exposed once and it haunts me ever since. I always hope that none of it got into my lungs and/or it wasn’t the bad stuff. I’m pretty sure we were just chucking concrete on crushed, wet asbestos, I think it had already been crushed before I got there. Still not ideal though. Had a family friend die from the stuff having worked on the docks for years.
 
CaptainRAVE said:
I was exposed once and it haunts me ever since. I always hope that none of it got into my lungs and/or it wasn’t the bad stuff. I’m pretty sure we were just chucking concrete on crushed, wet asbestos, I think it had already been crushed before I got there. Still not ideal though. Had a family friend die from the stuff having worked on the docks for years.
Click to expand...
It was a massive killer of certain people on ships, the worst types of asbestos were used everywhere.
 
I think its the fact its invisible is what gets people, like radiation. I'm super paranoid about radiation (i work with the nuclear industry) as you can't see it or smell or taste it, it's just there. Kinda the same with Asbestos as you just don't know if you're breathing it in causing you untold harm down the road.

After having to sit through hours of mandatory asbestos training, personally i'd never take a chance with asbestos and would always pay someone to do it properly, some people seem to enjoy gambling with their health to save a couple of quid and fair enough i guess it's their choice. I just see how super seriously asbestos removal is done where i work, fully tented up with airlock style entry's etc and know i'd never ever be comfortable doing it myself in case i got something wrong.
 
sovietspybob said:
...some people seem to enjoy gambling with their health to save a couple of quid and fair enough i guess it's their choice. I just see how super seriously asbestos removal is done where i work, fully tented up with airlock style entry's etc and know i'd never ever be comfortable doing it myself in case i got something wrong.
Click to expand...

I've never dealt with asbestos to save money, just to do the job appropriately. For example at my last home myself and neighbours had asbestos soffits and I replaced all mine with uPVC myself, but my neighbour used a big brand commercial company to do theirs because of their proper asbestos handling (they even questioned if I was a risk to them!).

However I removed mine wearing appropriate masks and clothing carefully, bagged it up as removed and disposed off at the nearest council site. My neighbours 'professionals' wore masks to protect themselves (not sure of grade/filtration) but dumped the broken pieces everywhere for many hours before eventually bagging them in bags that has some holes as they threw the bits in and who knows if they actually declared it during disposal.

There are different types of asbestos and different risks on how it has to be removed so the air tent style removal is not need for many situations. If a tank has been in a loft for years then moving it and bagging it up (and potentially breaking it in a bag) is not an increased risk.
 
I'd say there are very much different levels of risk when it comes to asbestos. It was used a lot on submarines and battleships, e.g. in insulation, gaskets and fireproof clothing. Day to day use meant fiber generation in enclosed spaces for prolonged periods, meaning the possibility of significant inhalation. This would not compare to something which isn't getting degraded in the open air for example.

The other thing I'd say is if you do employ someone, make sure you vet them well, as I'd imagine asbestos disposal attracts its fair share of cowboys because of the large sums that can be charged.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom