Another "Is this asbestos?" thread...

[Paxman]

We have plenty of threads covering this topic, and they often lead to discussions about the dangers of asbestos and how it should be handled. I find it very interesting, but I'm not really looking to start a new such discussion; I just want help to dismiss/confirm if what I've found is asbestos.

This is what it looks like:





This is the ventilation in the sauna, and it is completely incorrect. Therefore, I plan to redo it entirely, and this square, gray pipe will be removed. The question is whether the pipe could be asbestos. The sauna was built in the second half of the '80s as it is located in the room that housed an oil tank for the boiler until 1985.

Best regards,
Fred

 

[roland53]

Yes, square gray ventilation pipes were commonly made with asbestos mixed in.

There is a high likelihood that your pipes contain asbestos, if you want to be 100% certain, take a sample and send it for analysis.

 

[KnockOnWood]

It is quite likely that what we see in the pictures are eternit pipes. And eternit is a form of cement-based material, reinforced with asbestos. You can clearly see the asbestos mat's plain-weave pattern in the pipe in the top picture.

And there is still plenty of asbestos around us, for example in all facades with siding panels


And yet we might still have the highest average life expectancy in the world

 

[Demmpa]

It looks exactly like our eternik channels looked, I threw out all eternit channels in connection with the switch to an FTX system.

 

[Paxman]

So asbestos/eternit was used as late as the end of the 80s...? And why was such a pipe chosen specifically in the sauna?

 

[Paxman]

Yes, square gray ventilation pipes were commonly made with asbestos mixed in.

It is highly likely that your pipes contain asbestos; if you want to be 100% sure, take a sample and send it for analysis.

But if I'm going to handle a sample and send it away, I might as well just remove the pipe...

 

[Stefan N]

So asbestos/eternit was used as late as the end of the 80s...? And why did they choose such a pipe specifically in the sauna?

A total ban came in 1982.

 

[KnockOnWood]

But if I'm going to handle a test and send it away, I might as well just remove the tube...

I think you're absolutely right there. Just take it out entirely, or in as large pieces as possible, so you won't have to worry later.

 

[roland53]

Fast ska jag hantera ett prov och skicka iväg kan jag ju lika gärna bara ta bort röret...

Yes, I would have done that too, wouldn't even have asked here on the forum.

Suppose it takes longer to get an answer than to do the actual job......

But would have been normally careful with a face mask. ....

 

[Paxman]

Total ban came in 1982.

In that case, it must be reuse if it really is an asbestos duct... since the oil burner was thrown out in 1985 (from what I can conclude from the clues I've found). The sauna couldn't have existed before the oil burner was replaced with the electric boiler because the tank, as mentioned, stood where the sauna was later built, and still stands today.

Yes, I would have done the same, wouldn't have even asked here on the forum.

Suppose it takes longer to get an answer than to do the actual work...

But would have been normally careful with a face mask....

I ask on the forum because I like to learn things! My thought is to create positive pressure in the sauna so that any fibers that come loose when I handle the duct blow out through the fresh air vent that's visible in the pictures. Then I maneuver the duct into a plastic bag and tie it up... naturally, wearing a respirator.

 

[KnockOnWood]

Maybe OT, but as I recall, Tylö recommended that the sauna should be ventilated only to and from the adjacent room.

That is, the intake vent is a hole in the wall under the sauna heater, and the air is extracted up near the ceiling diagonally across on the other side of the sauna, and out into the same room from which the intake air is drawn.

So no ducts, asbestos or otherwise, should be needed.

It may be enough to just block the duct then.

 

[Paxman]

You are absolutely right, KOW... that's exactly what I mean in the first post where I write that the ventilation is completely incorrect. The duct that is there now is not needed, so it should be removed. I've temporarily stuffed the fresh air vent with some fiberglass.

It wasn't a sauna expert who built the sauna, so there are more things that are wrong, like the heater is not on the same wall as the door, and the benches are placed on the shortest wall in the rectangular sauna! :banghead:

I'm going to redo the ventilation entirely by having a separate duct for when the sauna is used (which does not involve the fresh air vent) and another duct for when I want to extract moisture using a fan. I actually have another thread about this...