Fiberglass or Asbestos in insulation?

asarendt

I'm dismantling an old Trianco-Heatmaker boiler in my basement. It has toc.95 and 6/87 stamped on it. I'm assuming the 6/87 means it was made in june of 1987. It certainly looks from that era.

I took off the outer housing to find it lined with what looks like a dark gray fiberglass looking material. I'm wondering if this material might have asbestos in it? I plan to throw it out, but want to be as careful as possible. Any tips?

Jamie Hall

In 1987 it should have been fiberglass. There's no harm (excpet to your pocketbook) having it tested, though.

pecmsg

When in doubt check it out. 

The dates say no. That’s not conclusive!

Solid_Fuel_Man

Guilty until proven innocent. 

But in '87....fiberglass

Mad Dog_2

I have held licenses in Asbestos Removal from NYC DEP. I have personally removed hundreds of feet of it. You can generally tell what's "HOT" on sight, but there is only one way to verify...Lab TESTING. Most asbestos pipe insulation stopped being used around 1970 when the lawsuits started. Mad Dog

mattmia2

I guess they were still putting asbestos in the backing of flooring through the late 80's so testing is a good idea. It sounds like it is rockwool.

Mad Dog_2

REALLY??? Morons...they knew the hazards. Mad Dog

EBEBRATT-Ed

'I started in 73'

I can remember specifically going into a supply house sometime in the 70s and walking out with a bag of Asbestos Shorts which we mixed with water to cover pipe fittings.

When we removed the old "snowmen" boilers we simply took hammers and beat the stuff off to get at the sections for demo.

As best I can recall it was around 1980 that it became widely known that the stuff was bad for you.

We installed Smith boilers (this was later on) where they used "insulating cement" between the sections. It contained no asbestos (at least we were told that) and I defy anyone to tell it apart from asbestos by looking at it.

reggi

EBEBRATT-Ed said:

'I started in 73' I can remember specifically going into a supply house sometime in the 70s and walking out with a bag of Asbestos Shorts which we mixed with water to cover pipe fittings. When we removed the old "snowmen" boilers we simply took hammers and beat the stuff off to get at the sections for demo. As best I can recall it was around 1980 that it became widely known that the stuff was bad for you. We installed Smith boilers (this was later on) where they used "insulating cement" between the sections. It contained no asbestos (at least we were told that) and I defy anyone to tell it apart from asbestos by looking at it.

Then you looked like a Snowman.. How many bandanas did you have at the ready hanging from your back pocket ? 73 .. what a year 

Mad Dog_2

My Asbestos edification Timeline:

1975 - 8 yrs old read in School about dangers of asbestos
1980 - 13yrs old pointed out to Friend Billy that the steam pipe covering that rained down dust on his bed
in the basement, whenever we punched the heavy bag or did chin-ups on the 1 1/2" Dry Return,
NOT good for us!
1981 - 14 yrs old - My Favorite Thoroughbred Racehorse of our Close Fambly's friends string of 6 horses,
El Bombay, The Gentle Bay Gelding, with the Face that looked like someone threw flesh-colored
paint on 75% of it kicked a gaping hole in his Wooden stall at Aqueduct Racetrack and ate the
asbestos insulation that became exposed. Within two day of ingesting it, his normal Bay face
turned to flesh color. The Vet said it was painless, but it freaked us all out - young and old
horsemen and women- alike. I still loved him and he still won races!
1986 - U.A. Plumber's Local #2 Apprenticeship School on Baychester Ave, Da Bronx. Mr Eddie Booth, my
first year teacher: "WE DON'T TOUCH ASBESTOS! IF YOUR FOREMAN OR BOSS TRIES TO FORCE YOU
TO REMOVE IT, YOU CALL YOUR BUSINESS AGENT!!!!!" Over the next 5 years, I was put in that very
position about 5 times. I got "laid off" and/or sent home 4 out of the 5 times I refused.
One time, I got a 30 man job in a Luxury Townhouse in Manhattan shut down when I said I wasn't
taking off the asbestos!! The young Project manager freaked out and sent everyone home.
I was REEEEL popular with all the guys on THAT job and the bosses...HA Ha. The very
sympathetic Business Agent, Mike Eustace (Great guy) Local 2, , got me back to work right away,
twice.
he assured me I would be safe in THIS last shop. 3.5 yrs went by, all good.
1991 - Financial district, same shop, new foreman takes over a job from our regular foreman John Nolan
who was
with the shop forever and was a Great, experienced Plumber in the US Navy and Brooklyn Navy
Yards in the late
1950s, but was butting heads with a Big Jerk G.C. 'Tom" who was making us do dangerous things
(OSHA??? He never heard of No Stinkin' OSHA!!!). Our big boss, afraid of losing the contract,
fires John and his replacement is, a 60ish Full-O-Blarney Irishman from Dublin, John Davie,who
took
over. Two weeks later, we are on OT on a Saturday. We had to tie in roof drains in to
6" Galvanized steel Storm water conductors. No Problem, Boss, but can you atleast get me an
asbestos respirator and a spray bottle with warm soapy water to wet down this insulation first?
In a heavy Irish Brogue: "Yull cut it off with this jab saw and cut out the BULL----Sweeney!"
Self-assured at 21 and living at home with my widowed, but not destitute mother, I said NO!!!!
John said: "Then yull be goin' home now will ya!!!!" Two weeks later, while this multi-year job
was in full swing, I got my layoff slip.....The Business agent was very sympathetic but, the
economy was going South and good plumbers were out of work. This turned me off, so much,
to the Union and Construction Industry in general (But never plumbing), that I decided to finally
go to College and then Law School over the next 5 years. Thankfully, when I returned back to
Plumbing and Heating full-time in 1996, the tide had turned to my side. I went to work for
Uncle Richard an his progressive, cutting edge firm R.S. English out of Plainview in the same
industrial areas as Dan's Old Bosses, Wallace Eannace. at 35, the Young Uncle Richard
would never put you in danger. So, in retrospect, I'd say between 1991-1996 Asbestos had
become Verboten! Persona non grata and nolo contendre! Kaput! Thank The Lord. Mad
Dog.

JakeCK

Is your friend billy still around 43 years after sleeping under it for I can only imagine years?

Mad Dog_2

Billy is alive, kickin and as crazy as ever...Rock Drummer  computer expert...jokester  lungs are 🙂.  Asbestos affects everyone differently.  Some are exposed to a small amount once and it kills them...others inhale scary amounts   lnd nothing comes of it   md

ethicalpaul

Mad Dog_2 said:

REALLY??? Morons...they knew the hazards. Mad Dog

Whatever happened to those days of freedom we used to have, where we could use what insulating material we wanted to, traveled where we wanted to, and used radon where we wanted to? How did we get here?

pecmsg

ethicalpaul said:

Mad Dog_2 said:

REALLY??? Morons...they knew the hazards. Mad Dog

Whatever happened to those days of freedom we used to have, where we could use what insulating material we wanted to, traveled where we wanted to, and used radon where we wanted to? How did we get here?

We just lost Tony Brandy Local #30 IUOE from Mesothelioma. 45 years at the Plum Isle Animal Disease Center. He worked the power plant and Decon building. Both loaded with asbestos.

I can live without it!

Mad Dog_2

I lost my two oldest plumber freinds, Rabbis, and paesans to asbestosis and mesothelioma.  You protect as much as possible,  in fact, besides being Mad Dog, I  have been called OSHA MAN (Mr Safety goggles, respirators et cetera..  and Grammar Man (Post Stony Brook).  I don't take asbestos lightly at all, AU CONTRARE!  but you're in the WRONG business if you think you're not going to eat some over the years.  As the Great Hobbes said about life in the old days..."it was nasty, solitary, brutish, and short."  That sums up plumbing and heating...sometimes we have a partner and some of us live till 85!, but its generally true.  If you can't handle that and getting down and dirty, the trade is NOT  for you..Someone's gotta do the "DIRTY JOBS"
I have a saying...if you don't LOVE IT.....YOU WILL hate it.. trust me.  Seen many, many washout (pun-intended).  Mad Dog   🐕