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Asbestos in Boiler?
![k60](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/2ea5279ec60f355c378cf481160f3730/?default=https%3A%2F%2Fvanillicon.com%2Fa3f5e01d76a8b227a1a810ff8897888f_200.png&rating=g&size=200)
k60
Member Posts: 16
I have an exercise bike right next to my Weil Mc-Lain EG-40 and it dawned on me that it might have asbestos.
Weil Mc-Lain's online serial number lookup said it was manufactured 9/20/79. Does anyone know when they stopped using asbestos? The house was built in 1920 in Brooklyn. I moved into the house 2 years ago. The previous owner finished the basement and it looks like she removed any insulation that was previously on the pipes. I have attached a few pics, including one of the boiler's insulation.![](https://us.v-cdn.net/5021738/uploads/editor/cm/fycuq5y5de9c.jpg)
![](https://us.v-cdn.net/5021738/uploads/editor/a4/8f83wr9esll2.jpg)
![](https://us.v-cdn.net/5021738/uploads/editor/du/ioqcp137al0u.jpg)
Thanks.
Weil Mc-Lain's online serial number lookup said it was manufactured 9/20/79. Does anyone know when they stopped using asbestos? The house was built in 1920 in Brooklyn. I moved into the house 2 years ago. The previous owner finished the basement and it looks like she removed any insulation that was previously on the pipes. I have attached a few pics, including one of the boiler's insulation.
![](https://us.v-cdn.net/5021738/uploads/editor/cm/fycuq5y5de9c.jpg)
![](https://us.v-cdn.net/5021738/uploads/editor/a4/8f83wr9esll2.jpg)
![](https://us.v-cdn.net/5021738/uploads/editor/du/ioqcp137al0u.jpg)
Thanks.
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Comments
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Looks like fiberglass to me.All Steamed Up, Inc.
Towson, MD, USA
Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
Oil & Gas Burner Service
Consulting3 -
Thanks for the responses, everyone.
@NBC and @pecmsg
There is a ton of rust in our water so it’s hard to say where all of the rust began. Is there anything I can do about the boiler rust to prevent a failure down the road?
The basement gets cold so I have been sort of ignoring the lack pipe insulation because once I cover those pipes, the basement will no longer have a radiant heat source.
@EBEBRATT-Ed and @Intplm. and @Steamhead
I ordered an asbestos testing kit that allows me to send in one sample. Should I not sample the fiberglass-looking substance? Where in the boiler am I most likely to find asbestos?
The white object in the first photo is actually a painted support beam. But in the photo, it does look like an asbestos-insulated pipe.
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It is hard to tell from the pictures you have provided. From what I can see , you do not have asbestos.
If the color of the insulation is yellow it is most likely fiberglass insulation.
Provide some more pictures as previously requested. Maybe we can get a better look at what you have.0 -
That rust is from water leaks. Ever so small leaks but leaks the same. At 30 years of age I wouldn't touch it. Begin the search for a great contractor. Do a load / loss calculation on the house to see exactly what size you need. My calculation do not include the basement. Basements get a separate system or zone and a good dehumidifier or 2.0
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That is not asbestos. That is fiberglass from what I can tell in those pictures.
Since you have ordered the test kit. Go ahead and use it. If nothing else, it will give you some peace of mind. It should also verify what I can see in the pictures.
You should also note that asbestos is not considered to be dangerous unless it becomes "friable."
Friable asbestos is asbestos that can be crumbled or crushed. When crumbled or crushed it can than be breathed in. That's what you don't want.
Looks to me that you have fiberglass insulation pictured.
Go ahead and have it tested on the rare chance that the fiberglass has some asbestos in it.
And @k60 please post the results of that test here. Would like to know what is found.
Also. Start looking into getting the boiler replaced. It has seen better days👍🏼1 -
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Why not just ask Weil-McLain? They should know if asbestos was used in their boilers then.0
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You might be more concerned about the removal job on the piping of the last owner. Sometimes there are still crumbs hanging on the piping....not done by the pros.
I can't imagine Weil-McLain committing one way or the other.
Their safe answer would be for you to have it tested.
That year of 1979 could be a gray area.1 -
Are you riding an exercise bike by it, or tearing things apart?
Asbestos is generally considered an issue if you disturb it.
Single pipe quasi-vapor system. Typical operating pressure 0.14 - 0.43 oz. EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Control for Residential Steam boilers. Rectorseal Steamaster water treatment0 -
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I would think fans are the last thing you want when dealing with asbestos removal...…….Especially with open windows?Leonard said:If I had it think I'ld just put box fans in windows, wear respirator, wet it and floor down well with soapy water, and contractor bag it. Wet vac wash the floor after.
I have no idea how a proper removal is done, it just seems like that isn't it.Single pipe quasi-vapor system. Typical operating pressure 0.14 - 0.43 oz. EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Control for Residential Steam boilers. Rectorseal Steamaster water treatment1 -
Well....I was talking about what I might do, pump it all outside in a hurricane with bunch of box fans where it can "dilute" and rain mat it down to trap it. Rural here neighbors are far away.
Seen on PBS TV carpenters cutting asbestos siding shingles outside a house. They "crime scean" red taped off a zone about 10-20 feet from house. Inside of cutting zone needed a respirator, outside nothing. Also seen similar done bagging up tarpaper roofing on a building, they also had disposable white plastic suits. I might have used old disposable clothes and take a shower.
Suspect for inside, real companys use LARGE $$$ HEPA type filters to clean room air.0 -
The asbestos tests came back positive. Here is a summary:
SLAB Inc. using Asbestos Test Kit 1 PK (5 Bus. Days) Schneider Labs
Sample # 1; insulation homogeneous; Light Brown/Dark Brown Fibrous
Asbestos fibers: None detected
Sample #2; insulation homogeneous; Brown Fibrous
Asbestos fibers: 9.75% Chrysotile
Other Materials: 15% Cellulose fiber; 75.25% Non fibrous material
Since it the fiber was in direct contact with a hot pipe, and because people on this posting warned me about the rust, I replaced the boiler.
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Where was sample #2 from? I would have only expected to find asbestos in the gaskets and maybe wiring of the boiler itself.0
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