How to Remove Asbestos Siding
Asbestos siding needs to be replaced after a certain time period. The task can be difficult and needs to be set about in a special way. Removing an average sized asbestos siding can take several hours of your time.
Things Required:
– Pry bar
– Nail puller or nail-head cutter
– Polythene plastic sheeting
– HEPA, purple colour coded respirator
– Paper coveralls
– Rubber boots
– Rubber gloves
– Safety glasses
– Debris containers
– Asbestos waste disposal bags
– Duct tape
– Water hose
– Liquid dish washing detergent
Instructions
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1
Asbestos can be potentially harmful for living beings. Before you start the removal, display a warning sign printed on a six-foot wide strip of 6-mil polythene plastic sheeting along the side of your property close to the work area. Lay down a similar sheet right next to the area where you will be working.
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2
Liberally spray water from a hose onto a large section of the asbestos siding. Add a small quantity of liquid dish-washing detergent to a pint-sized spray bottle and then fill the bottle with water.
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3
Put on the pair of rubber gloves, safety glasses, rubber boots and purple colour coded respirator equipped with HEPA filters. Suit up with disposable paper coveralls before starting the removal process. Moreover, keep several asbestos waste disposal bags nearby.
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4
Carefully start to remove small pieces of asbestos siding. You will need to pull the nails with a nail puller or cut them at their heads with a nail-head cutter for this purpose. Use a pry bar if lifting up a nail head is required. Try not to break the siding. However, if it does, immediately spray mixture in the pint sized spray bottle onto the cracked or broken areas. Be sure to spray each asbestos siding piece you remove at the back with the same mixture. Moreover, do not throw or drop pieces of asbestos siding onto the ground. Instead, lower them nice and easy. Be sure to keep debris on the plastic sheet and keep spray water from the hose onto it.
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5
Continue in this manner until the entire siding has been removed. When you are done, load the debris in debris containers and enclose each container in an asbestos waste disposal bags. Secure the opening of each bag with a piece of duct tape. Be sure to bag all debris.
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6
When the debris has been taken care of, bag the plastic sheet into which you were placing the asbestos siding pieces so that it can be disposed safely.
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7
Before getting out of your coveralls and other safety equipment, spray yourself with water. Remove the respirator and then take off boots, glasses, gloves and then coverall. Be sure to properly wash all the tools you used before storing them away.
