I don't know anything about transite but based upon what you're telling me it wouldn't scare me off.

Replacing ductwork is not hugely expensive (we are in a high-cost area and did ours for around $1500 for a single-story house, $1000 of which was for an asbestos abatement company to remove and dispose of it and then confirm with an air test that no particles had been released, as required by our state). It took a day to do. I don't know the price point of the house you're looking at, so that may be a lot or may not be a lot (but if it's a lot, chances are you're also in an area with a lower labor cost, too, so the work may be less).

Asbestos ductwork is very common in many areas. More older homes in our area have it than not, unless they've gotten new furnaces recently. It's not considered a health hazard unless the ductwork is damaged or crumbling in some way ("friable") and while it's obviously nice not to have it, many people with young kids do live in homes with it without concern.

I can't speak to water issues as we never encountered that, though (we were in our house for five years before getting around to replacing the ducts). Good luck!

What does your agent say? If she/he has been around any length of time I imagine that she/he has already run into this situation in this neighborhood

Good agents often have a list of go-to contractors that are competent and trustworthy.

Usually Transite ducts were used under a cement slab.

Any kind of ducting under a slab is not good - mold, insects, radon, etc.

Geoffrey, yes they are used on a cement slab, however from my understanding Radon is only an issue when there is a basement and there is no basement in this home. The first floor is cement slab. But regardless, the other things you mention are definitely concerns. I am having a contractor come out to give an estimate for abandoning the transite ducts on first floor and re-ducting. The second floor is fine because it is metal ducting. I'm planning to ask the seller to compensate for this work so we'll see how it goes.

When we bought our house in 2008, our inspector did not point at transite and we never new it ever existed. We raised 2 healthy kids (preemie) in the house. Now, when we are selling, the buyer's inspector did find it and the buyer (single widow) walked away from the contract even without air sampling after 5 weeks of playing game with us. We have invested a lot into the house (solar roof, vinyl siding, high efficiency HVAC with heat pump feature, etc.) and are selling below what we purchased it in 2008. The prospect that we have lost 2 months of Spring prime time, alternative buyer (yes, 2 buyers were bidding) and possible cost associated with abandonment of fully functional slab duct is really disturbing. Plus, the overhead duct will not provide sufficient heat as warm air is lighter.

How did you end up resolving your situation?

We ended up not selling the house from a reason beyond this topic. However, we realized, that the transite is a non issue. First, the asbesto is already encapsulated in the cement matrix. Second, since we don't experience duct pipe breaking due to slab settling or other mechanical causes, it is much better to just leave it on. Third, transite is really stronger than cement alone - this is the reason they invented it. So, anything wanna be better, like overhead duct, would not be better solution. My neighbor who has done that, has problems to keep the ground floor warm.

The transite duct still needs to be serviced and cleaned once in a while.

The asbestos mania is just to generate fear and ultimately to keep the money flowing. When we approach to sell the house again, I may end up sealing it anyway. Actually, it is better to disclose it up front and support the non issue claim with the air sampling report.

I felt the same way in terms of the "asbestos fear factory." But I had a contractor explain to me that the bigger issue is the cement dust (a carcinogen) that will be created once the interior coating on the cement wears off. He found that about mid 1960's built homes and earlier will be releasing cement dust. Easy way to check: rub your finger on the ceiling of the duct: if you have dark "smudge" that is clearly not house dust which would fall to the bottom of the duct...you have cement dust blowing into your house. My house was built in 1959...and there was definitely cement dust on my hand when I rubbed the interior ceiling of my duct. Plus there is the fact that the inspector called out the Transite ducts...and I just did not want to buy a house with any asbestos fibers not encapsulated. I am just sharing my experience and that I found Duct Armor to be a great solution...and they were definitely not promoting a fear of asbestos when I spoke with them which was refreshing. Cheers.

OLD POST

jaraczs67-

"...it is better to disclose it up front"

In fact, in a house known by the owner to have transite, there is no choice but to put that in the disclosures when one sells a house. Not doing so exposes the seller to substantial liability.

I am a home inspector with 18 years of experience. I would not put my family in a home with transite supply ducts in the floor unless the ducts were sealed and abandoned with new duct work rerouted. There has been many studies done on transite pipes. The health risks are too great as the pipes break down.