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possible asbestos materials...hepa vac
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Posted by suzenla (My Page) on Thu, Mar 6, 08 at 10:43
| I am planning to remove a wall in a home that was built in '69 or '70. One side of the wall is paneling but the other side is sheet rock so the removal will create a lot of dust. I have been searching for a hepa vacuum that is approved for asbestos dust removal but have not had much success finding a unit small enough for home use. Has anyone here ever used one or know where I might find one? Thanks |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: possible asbestos materials...hepa vac
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| You can buy hepa filters for most shop vacs. Sheetrock removal can be done to minimize dust---it is much less dusty to remove than to install/mud/sand. Try scoring large outlines and taking off large pieces--take off the paneled side first and cut along the studs---to remove larger sections. |
RE: possible asbestos materials...hepa vac
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I don't know if it is "rated" for asbestos, but the Festool shop vacs are hepa-filter units. It's also quiet enough to use for your home, unlike the majority of shop vacs.
Casey |
Here is a link that might be useful: My Festool vac
RE: possible asbestos materials...hepa vac
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| No matter the quality of the vac or filter, if you suspect asbestos, have it tested and if proven positive, have it professionally removed. |
RE: possible asbestos materials...hepa vac
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| I agree that professional removal is the way to go. Back in 1986, we had to remove asbestos covering pipes in the cellar of an old house we were selling. We had it done professionally, at considerable cost, and had the asbestos content in the ambient air tested after the job was done. They found none. Asbestos removal is a complicated job. They wear special clothes, head gear and mask which they remove and discard along with the toxic stuff according to special rules. You don't want to mess around with that stuff. |
RE: possible asbestos materials...hepa vac
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| Forget the HEPA filter; if there is asbestos you will most likely distribute it throughout your house if you try to do it yourself. |
RE: possible asbestos materials...hepa vac
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| What material is it that you suspect of containing asbestos? Most interior walls don't have any, unless you're cutting into old heating pipes or something.. Have it tested, definitely. Testing is only $20/sample, so it's worth it for peace of mind to test everything that COULD possibly be asbestos-containing BEFORE you start demolition. I did this in my house, and actually got a pleasant surprise - it turned out that some tile adhesive I'd thought was surely asbestos-containing and going to need to stay in place WASN'T. That being said, it's pretty unlikely that your sheetrock has asbestos in it. Some joint compounds used to have a small amount, so be sure to include a taped joint when you take samples for testing - but even that is fairly unlikely. Gypsum dust's not something you want to breathe a ton of, but a normal shop vac "HEPA" filter will take care of it quite well. If there is asbestos you need to know if it is friable or nonfriable - the test results will tell you that as well - and from there you can decide how to proceed. Floor tile with asbestos in it, for instance, can safely be removed DIY; furnace pipe insulation, on the other hand, is definitely a job for the pros. |
RE: possible asbestos materials...hepa vac
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| The important thing to learn here is to never guess about a building project when you can get a definitive answer from a testing agency. You should not have even looked for an asbestos filter before learning if there was asbestos present. As others have suggested, gypsum dust is not difficult to control with conventional equipment, the most important of which is a good tight fitting mask with removable filters. |
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