Here's where to look for asbestos and what to do if you find it:
Heating ductwork. Some ducts, particularly in Southern California, are made largely of
asbestos; other metal ducts are wrapped with a cellulose-asbestos, air-cell insulation.
Both look a bit like off-white corrugated cardboard; asbestos-sheeting insulation has
a similar appearance but not the corrugations. In addition, registers may have
asbestos taping inside.
Ductwork made of asbestos is a major concern because when it begins to deteriorate,
fibers are blown into the house. Talk with an asbestos abatement contractor about
removal. Replacement is additional.
Wrapped ducts should be removed if wrapping is friable. A stop-gap measure for duct
wrapping that's sound is to have it encapsulated.
The furnace may have an asbestos lining at the base or sit on an asbestos pad. A special
asbestos cloth may join furnace or boiler to ductwork. If any of these are exposed to
damage, they should be encapsulated or removed.
To date, most research has centered around asbestos workers and their families, with
whom it has been proven chronic breathing of asbestos fibers causes permanent scarring
of the lungs (“asbestosis”), lung cancer and mesothelioma. Problems may show up 30 to
40 years after exposure.
A growing number of doctors and researchers are concerned about the long-term effects
of low-level exposure.
As a rule, asbestos fibers tend to attach themselves permanently to lung tissue;
long-term, residual accumulation might catch up with you. The prudent assumption,
voiced by Lee Thomas, former Administrator of the EPA , is that there is “no safe
exposure” to airborne asbestos.
Why use flexible air ducts?
You may wonder why it is important to have insulated flex ducts in your home. Or, does
this type of duct make a difference vs. standard ducting? The ducts we install are UL181
listed, have an R-Value of 6 and come with a 10 year warranty. Why insulated duct? The
insulation in the ducting will prevent condensation from forming on the duct.
Condensation forming on the duct is not a good thing. Another benefit of the insulated
flexible ducting is that it further reduces any “air noise” caused by the exhaust fan,
so your ventilation system works even quieter.
Benefits of R-6
It helps in your loss or gain of any heat in the ducts. In other words it helps in the
utility consumption & your comfort. That is what you pay for in the unit's operation
cost and the unit's capacity.
For air conditioning it prevents the condensation or sweating than can occur from those
ducts.
If leaks occur then loss of efficiency & / or sweating can happen. Also when wrap
insulation is pulled too tight it to loses it's R value (it's insulating value). The
higher R value the better is your insulation but a cost effective factor comes into
play. It really isn't cost effective to increase to the extremes.
Usually insulation for ducts is R4 or R6 with the more common R6 being used in the
insulation value. A formula used in insulation is: The actual attic air temperature
minus the inside duct air temperature & then divide that result by 15. Ex: 125 degree
in attic less 60 degree air inside ac duct = 65degrees then divide by 15 = R 4.3
We service the following areas
Mountain Brook, Birmingham, Hoover, Vestavia Hills, Cahaba Heights, Trussville, Homewood, Tuscaloosa, Irondale, Pelham, Helena, Montgomery, Tuscaloosa, Gadsden, Gardendale and the rest of Alabama.