Cold water storage tanks, toilet cisterns, boiler flues and the insulation inside old electric storage heaters are the asbestos items most often met during ordinary plumbing and heating work. None of them is a problem while it sits there doing its job. All of them become one when a plumber cuts, breaks or drops them, which is why they belong in the register and in the conversation before the work rather than after.
Tanks and cisterns
Grey, thick walled cold water tanks and high level cisterns were made in asbestos cement. They are heavy, they ring dull rather than sharp, and they are usually found in a loft or above a WC. Removing one whole is straightforward for a contractor who expects it; breaking one up in a loft to get it through the hatch is how a loft becomes a decontamination job.
Flues
Asbestos cement flue pipe served gas and solid fuel appliances for decades, running through ceilings and out through roofs. Flue removal is normally non-licensed work, and the cost is driven by access and by how many floors the flue passes through rather than by its length. Old flue linings and rope seals at the appliance are separate materials again.
Storage heaters and appliances
Older electric storage heaters were insulated with asbestos containing millboard and paper, sealed inside the casing. Left alone and intact they are contained; dismantled or scrapped carelessly they are not, and scrap merchants will refuse them. Have them removed and disposed of as a unit rather than opened up.
Planning it into the job
Nearly all of these are met by a plumber, a heating engineer or an electrician rather than by an asbestos contractor. The duty holder has to tell them what is there before they start, and a homeowner is well advised to do the same. A trade told in advance plans around it; a trade that finds it mid job stops, and the stoppage costs more than the survey would have.
Questions people ask about asbestos water tank
Is an asbestos cement tank safe to keep using?
A sound tank in service is not releasing fibres into the air. The decision to replace usually comes with a bathroom or heating job rather than on its own.
What does asbestos flue removal cost?
It is priced from access and the number of floors the flue passes through, plus making good the ceilings and the roof penetration, rather than from a rate per metre.
Can I scrap an old storage heater?
Scrap yards will not knowingly take asbestos insulated appliances. They are removed intact and disposed of as hazardous waste.