How to identify Soffit material
Nick Terry
Any suggestions as to what the bit under the eaves (soffits?) might be
made of?
I want to cut a hole in it to fit the exhaust for a shower extraction
fan.
Having had a close look at the material it doesn't look like wood or
hardboard. Its in sheets nailed to the overhanging roof truss on one
side and sitting in a groove in the eaves board on the other. In places
I can see bits of the word "warning" stencilled in black on the board.
The word "asbestos" comes to mind. House it about 20 years old is this
likely?
Thanks
Nick
Edward Parsons
John Armstrong
The modern material that fits the description would be Supalux, the
older one would be Asbestolux, which as the name suggests contains
asbestos. Should be fine if left alone, but cutting should definitely
be avoided.
Could you remove a section of board (without cutting) and replace it
with a new section of Supalux or plywood with your hole cut ?
--
John
Nick Terry
Hi John,
Thanks for the suggestion - a web search on Asbestolux is not good
reading. I'll see what I can find out about this stuff before distrubing
it. I might just leave well alone and hire a core drill to come through
the wall instead. Not wishing to get all paranoid but why on earth were
people still using asbestos 20 years ago in new buildings. Its not like
the health problems/risk weren't known then.
Cheers
Nick
Andy Hall
"Nick Terry" <ni...@nospam.embedded.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:3BFA523F...@nospam.embedded.demon.co.uk...
>
Not wishing to get all paranoid but why on earth were
> people still using asbestos 20 years ago in new buildings. Its not like
> the health problems/risk weren't known then.
Known and accepted are two different things. First of all it was cheap and
presumably effective.
IIRC, the debate about the connection between asbestos and diseases such as
mesothelioma (which has since proved to be *only* related to asbestos) was
going on. The industry playing the normal game of denial and "it could be
something else", and the government playing their normal distancing game.
If you look at industrial history you see that it is littered with
situations like this. Generally the larger the potential liability, the
longer the debate runs and the longer the product stays in use. Taking a
product of the market is a tacit acceptance that it's not safe.
After all, tobacco is still on the market.........
.andy
Nick Terry
Just to follow up. I spoke to the technical services people at Cape
Boards who made Asbestolux and they said:
1. After 1973 the amount of asbestos in their products was
"substantially" reduced
2. No Asbestolux was manufactured after 1978
3. Asbestolux became a generic name covering "that kind of product" so
it could be anybodies.
4. Consult my local environmental health department for advice/testing.
All I wanted to do was cut a hole. :-))
Nick
Brennan GODDARD
>
> After all, tobacco is still on the market.........
>
and beer (thankfully).
Andy Hall
>
> Just to follow up. I spoke to the technical services people at Cape
> Boards who made Asbestolux and they said:
> 1. After 1973 the amount of asbestos in their products was
> "substantially" reduced
> 2. No Asbestolux was manufactured after 1978
> 3. Asbestolux became a generic name covering "that kind of product" so
> it could be anybodies.
> 4. Consult my local environmental health department for advice/testing.
>
> All I wanted to do was cut a hole. :-))
>
> Nick
Has anyone painted over your gas tap at all??? ;-)
.andy
Tony Bryer
> Not wishing to get all paranoid but why on earth were people
> still using asbestos 20 years ago in new buildings. Its not like
> the health problems/risk weren't known then.
Mainly because there were few alternatives when it came to providing
fire resistance. IIRC plasterboard was not acceptable in cases where
the Building Regs required non-combustible construction so the main
alternative was wet construction, plaster on expanded metal and the
like. The advice at the time was not to saw and drill asbestos-based
materials in confined locations and not to use power saws.
Personally (IANAD) my instinct is the health risks are vastly
overstated. Of course I am not in the least surprised that those who
worked in dust-laden asbestos factories have been affected, but is
there any measurable level of asbestosis amongst all the central
heating installers who spent the 1960's cutting up asbestos flue
pipes and the carpenters who were cutting and fixing the sheet
material. Not to mention the car mechanics blowing brake dust out car
brake drums which I guess we all did in our impecunious youth.
--
Tony Bryer SDA UK 'Software to build on' http://www.sda.co.uk
Peter Taylor
> Just to follow up. I spoke to the technical services people at Cape
> Boards who made Asbestolux and they said:
> 1. After 1973 the amount of asbestos in their products was
> "substantially" reduced
> 2. No Asbestolux was manufactured after 1978
> 3. Asbestolux became a generic name covering "that kind of product" so
> it could be anybodies.
> 4. Consult my local environmental health department for advice/testing.
>
> All I wanted to do was cut a hole. :-))
Nick, although John may be correct about Asbestolux, it is just as likely the
soffit board is 6mm asbestos cement board. I think this is probably more
likely, as this was standard practice. Asbestolux was really intended for
indoor use. Both contain asbestos of course, but asb cement contains a very low
percentage of Crysotile (white asbestos) which is the least dangerous of the
three types. I don't know about Asbestolux. You can tell the difference
between the two - asb cement is very hard and brittle while Asbestolux is quite
soft and crumbly.
John's advice to replace a complete length of board rather than cutting a hole
is extremely sensible. If you are dealing with asbestos cement you will be
perfectly OK if you wear a mask and thoroughly wet the board before removing the
nails and keep it wet while you're handling it. Don't try cutting it though.
In our area they take asbestos cement at the local tip in a special container.
It's free for DIY-ers, but you have to wrap it up in polythene and tape it, and
mark a big "a" (lower case A) on it. I stripped my garage roof 2 years ago and
took it bit by bit to the tip. Why don't you call your council and ask their
advice about disposal.
Oh, and BTW, in answer to Tony, I don't really know about measurable numbers of
deaths, but even one is one too many. I lost a very dear and close friend with
asbestosis 4 years ago. He was only 54 and one of the world's most highly
experienced and qualified welders. He worked on very special and difficult
projects and used to go all over the world training and testing other welders.
He used asbestos in his job when he was a young apprentice, but not to any great
extent he said.
Peter