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Hi, posting here in the hope someone can help me. Just moved into a 1950s detached rental and really don't like the look of the back of the boiler re. asbestos. It's standing on the kitchen floor and there's a few inches gap between it and the wall. It's an Ideal Mexico of some kind so I know it probably contains asbestos, it just looks so...exposed. Plus the kitchen also has a washing machine so floor vibrations happen. For context, I have lost two close family members to horrific illnesses directly caused by asbestos. I might be working myself up but I'm sleeping at a friend's tonight because I'm so anxious. Don't know how I'm going to last out a year's lease without panicking and avoiding the kitchen. Please help. Have included a photo.
IMG_20190209_172847.jpg
 
Asbestos is fine if left alone, the only thing I can see on the boiler that may contain asbestos is the rope seal, don't touch it and you'll be ok.
 
Asbestos is fine if left alone, the only thing I can see on the boiler that may contain asbestos is the rope seal, don't touch it and you'll be ok.
So the back panel isn't? And is the level of fray a worry, given the amount of vibration the room gets? I'm also concerned by the vent at the bottom of the front, so that anything problematic and crumbling that might be inside could be coming out. Sorry if I sound paranoid, it's just with what's happened with my family I had a full blown panic attack when I saw it.
 
There's nothing going to be crumbling inside that will be of any worry to you, the back panel I can see in the pic is cast iron and it's covered in dust that's all. The front grill is for air intake and again will only contain dust. It's understandable why when what has happened that you will be naturally anxious but in this case, try not to worry.
 
To put your mind at ease ask your landlord when the next gas safety check is due, if it's soon then ask if he can send someone sooner rather than later to give the boiler a thorough clean and Inspection and do the safety check while he is there.
 
Thanks so much Craig for your kind and helpful responses. I think I'm just in panic mode now and probably need to do something to put my mind at rest. Do you think it would be worth calling someone for an asbestos assessment specifically, or is a gas safety person better to deal with this? I have no idea what they check or whether airborne fibres would be something they would flag up.
 
Well that's where it gets a little tricky, an asbestos surveyor cannot look in the boiler as he isn't gas safe registered and a gas engineer may not have any formal asbestos awareness training, but really the only things within the boiler that may contain asbestos are the rope seal, some gaskets and the insulation boards located in the burner and neither of these are going to cause you any bother unless you start disturbing them.
 
How come that "tail" sticking out is cleaner than the rest of the rope, what you up to jisseh?
 
Well that's where it gets a little tricky, an asbestos surveyor cannot look in the boiler as he isn't gas safe registered and a gas engineer may not have any formal asbestos awareness training, but really the only things within the boiler that may contain asbestos are the rope seal, some gaskets and the insulation boards located in the burner and neither of these are going to cause you any bother unless you start disturbing them.
Thanks for this. My instinct just wants to put a big sealed box around the whole machine and cover the rope in duct tape but I am guessing that's not an option. Sorry to keep asking questions, but would vibrations from a very nearby washing machine count as disturbing it? Both the washer and the boiler are on a lino floor.
 
Unfortunately the boiler is open flued so you can't just box it up in a sealed box :D. The washing machine will be fine. To disturb it enough to release any fibres you will need to be handling the product, vibrations won't do anything.
 
Anyone who carries out an asbestos check will have instruments that measure the asbestos in the air (if any) they would then under analysis be able to identify the asbestos type and determine if it is harmful, they would not need access to the boiler, just its surrounding area and will issue a clean air certificate for the premises if appropriate.
 
under analysis be able to identify the asbestos type and determine if it is harmful.

Just out of curiosity which asbestos type is harmful and which isn't? :D

And the access to the boiler was to point out to the customer what the boiler is constructed of and show her she has nothing to worry about.
 
Asbestos needs to be contained in position, not left exposed, If the Asbestos fibres have started to break up, then vibration could cause them to float into the atmosphere, according to what type the danger is real, the option is to get the Landlord involved if it's their machine and ask for a clean air certificate.

Crocidolite
More commonly referred to as 'Blue Asbestos' and generally considered the most dangerous, Crocidolite fibres are short and spiked, meaning then tend to puncture the lining of the lungs causing long-lasting damage

Amosite
More commonly referred to as "Brown Asbestos". Voluntarily banned from import into the UK in 1980, Amosite is considered another very dangerous form of asbestos.


Chrysotile
More commonly referred to as "White Asbestos" Chrysotile is by far the most commonly found asbestos type, not just in the UK, but worldwide. Unlike Amosite and Crocidolite, Chrysotile is part of the Serpentine family of minerals and as such has different characteristics in terms of fibre shape. Chrysotile is made up from small curly fibres. This enables fibres to be breathed out more easily as they are less likely to become lodged in the lungs or other parts of the respiratory system.

 
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Thanks Mike. I guess my big question is: what would you do if it was your family in this situation? Do a plumber check and accept what they say? Break the lease? Pay to replace the whole system if the landlord isn't bothered to?
 
A plumber or any individual would not know how to identify if the Asbestos is of a lethal type or not, only by testing are you able to identify the different types, if I was in that situation I would contact the landlord and express my concern's if they are any type of decent landlord they should be just as concerned and address the situation. In my pervious life it was always accepted that if a any building was built around the 1960's it was assumed it had Asbestos somewhere in its construction and testing was carried out and a clean air certificate was issued once it had been address or not found, Asbestos was even used as facia boards.
 
You could try contacting the manufacturer to see if their technical team know if asbestos was used during production or if it’s listed in the instructions (usually downloadable).o_O
 
A plumber or any individual would not know how to identify if the Asbestos is of a lethal type or not.
For a start, all types of asbestos are leathal/harmful if your exposed to enough of it. A heating engineer may not be able to test which type of asbestos is present but he will be able to show where the possible asbestos is. I can tell you without looking that unless that rope seal has been replaced, there is a good possibility that it contains asbestos, I also know from the numerous asbestos awareness courses I have been on, that if the rope does contain asbestos, it will be brown asbestos. Very dangerous stuff when messed with, don't mess with the rope and you'll be fine. The other possible location will be in the burner, again it will be either of the blue or brown variety and again it is perfectly safe if it is not messed with.
Op, if you can tell me what boiler you have installed, I will check it against the database of boilers/heaters that are known to contain asbestos.
 
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Thanks. I have a scanned copy of the last safety check and it lists an Ideal Mexico CF40-50.

I'm not sure what would constitute disturbing the rope in a dangerous way - as it's frayed and sticking out into the kitchen (though not where it can be directly bumped), it will move because the boiler will be bumped, the floor will vibrate, air circulation will happen (the oven will blow air in its vicinity) etc. I don't have any concept of what would be enough to cause fibres to break off.
 
Latest is that the landlord's usual plumber came this morning and said that the only asbestos in the boiler is the rope. That seemed unlikely to me based on what I've read, but all I can do is take his word for it. Tomorrow we have an asbestos assessor coming in who I hope will recommend it be removed - I don't think I'll ever feel ok in the kitchen while that fray is there, and I'm a passionate cook so that will be difficult. The plumber wasn't at all keen on the idea of a new boiler.
 
I'm sure I read somewhere that asbestos rope tended to be made of longer fibres and thus less likely to be breathed in.

Strictly speaking, a tradesman should treat any material that might be asbestos as if it were asbestos, and since your house is currently rented, no one that is not qualified to carry our licensable or non-licensable asbestos works should be touching it at all, even the landlord. So if the boiler instructions show that asbestos is not present, then the boiler can be worked on. If they show that asbestos is present, then even a Gas-Safe Registered Installer would not be allowed to disturb the asbestos in the boiler - couldn't even remove the casing if the seal being unsealed is asbestos, unless the Registered Installer also has had specific training in non-licensable asbestos work.

The logical thing would be to check the manufacturer's instructions and, then, possibly, get a specialist asbestos inspection company to take a sample and analyse it.

Quick point I've noticed though: if you hold a lighter under the end of a fibre string and it starts to melt, then it is ceramic fibre as used in modern wood-burning stoves: asbestos will glow red, but won't melt. You can see why asbestos was the preferred option in the old days.
 
Latest is that the landlord's usual plumber came this morning and said that the only asbestos in the boiler is the rope. That seemed unlikely to me based on what I've read, but all I can do is take his word for it. Tomorrow we have an asbestos assessor coming in who I hope will recommend it be removed - I don't think I'll ever feel ok in the kitchen while that fray is there, and I'm a passionate cook so that will be difficult. The plumber wasn't at all keen on the idea of a new boiler.
No suprise the landlords usual plumber wasn`t keen on a new boiler, not sure what you expected there and I get the feeling you aren`t going to be comfortable there whatever you`re told so start looking for somewhere else to live.
 
I could be wrong on this as things may have changed, but I think when removing anything containing asbestos, the percentage of the asbestos compared to the rest of the product is taken into account. So because the percentage of the asbestos compared to the boiler is so low, it can be removed without the need of a registered asbestos removal firm.
 
rpm you're probably right. But we are stuck in a 12-month lease and I want as much peace of mind as is possible for that time. Along with the family I lost, I was exposed to a lot as a child (dust cloud levels) in an accident. I'm only 31 and had a 34yo friend die of mesothelioma last year with no idea of when she had been exposed. So I'm already high risk, about to try to start a family, and willing to fight/pay if need be.

Here are some more photos including the serial number from inside when the plumber opened it this morning. Serial number is JE-8800511.
exterior.jpg
exterior 2.jpg
pipes.jpg
serial no.jpg
 
I could be wrong on this as things may have changed, but I think when removing anything containing asbestos, the percentage of the asbestos compared to the rest of the product is taken into account. So because the percentage of the asbestos compared to the boiler is so low, it can be removed without the need of a registered asbestos removal firm.
We were instructed to do this when I was a contractor for BG. I still wouldn’t.
 
rpm you're probably right. But we are stuck in a 12-month lease and I want as much peace of mind as is possible for that time. Along with the family I lost, I was exposed to a lot as a child (dust cloud levels) in an accident. I'm only 31 and had a 34yo friend die of mesothelioma last year with no idea of when she had been exposed. So I'm already high risk, about to try to start a family, and willing to fight/pay if need be.

Here are some more photos including the serial number from inside when the plumber opened it this morning. Serial number is JE-8800511.View attachment 36899 View attachment 36900 View attachment 36901 View attachment 36902
My list states that it has mastic containing fibres.
 
That it is in the heat proof silicone that they use to hold some of the appliance together.
I read about wax containing asbestos used as sealant, which could melt away and leave friable fibres - is this likely what it's referring to? If so, I guess the plumber missed it and sounds like it could be a nasty one
 
I read about wax containing asbestos used as sealant, which could melt away and leave friable fibres - is this likely what it's referring to? If so, I guess the plumber missed it and sounds like it could be a nasty one
Nope. Completely different.
 

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