Typical cost in Seattle
About 30% of Seattle’s homes predate 1950, and the boilers, furnaces and pipes in older ones may be wrapped in white insulation. Sampling comes first. Seattle Asbestos Removal takes the wrap out when a sample is positive and the wrap has to go.
Thermal system insulation is named in PSCAA’s definition of friable material, so pipe wrap falls under tighter rules than tile does. A notice is due when friable material on pipes reaches 10 linear feet in a calendar year. We work in Seattle, White Center and Tukwila.
Wrap in good shape that nobody will disturb can stay put. PSCAA lists leaving it alone as a choice, because asbestos turns into a risk when it is disturbed or deteriorating. Replacing a furnace or opening a ceiling beside it changes the picture.
For a few inches of torn or frayed tape wrap on a heating duct, PSCAA describes re-sealing it with duct tape. Damaged hot water pipe insulation can be covered with a specially designed fabric. PSCAA also calls encapsulation the best option for heating system insulation. None of this needs a PSCAA notice while the material stays undisturbed.
A boiler or duct run that is being replaced takes its wrap with it. The area is sealed, the insulation is soaked and the pieces go into sealed containers. PSCAA requires a certified asbestos abatement contractor for friable material, except in a single-family house the owner occupies.
Wrapped ducts up in the attic or down in the crawl space are sampled where they will be handled, then measured. Pipe wrap is counted in linear feet and other surfaces in square feet, since that is how the PSCAA and L&I thresholds are written.
These jobs grow out of a repair or a replacement, so timing matters.
Linear feet of pipe and square feet of everything else count toward the building’s yearly totals. Those totals tell you whether PSCAA and L&I notices are due.
Work on furnace or boiler wrap means the system is off for a while. Winter scheduling deserves some thought.
Friable waste goes to a site on PSCAA’s list with a waste shipment record. Seattle jobs cannot use Cedar Hills; the list names Republic Services on 3rd Avenue South, which asks to see the PSCAA notice.
Sampling comes first and is covered on asbestos testing and surveys. A house coming down follows a different path, described under pre-demolition asbestos abatement. If you are replacing a furnace or boiler, ask for the survey before the equipment is ordered, since the wrap and its quantity affect the schedule. Remaining services, from ceilings to rentals, are on the Seattle Asbestos Removal home page.
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