Necessary Asbestos Removal Equipment

If you are planning on removing asbestos products in your home or other building it is important to understand what asbestos removal equipment and tools are necessary. Buying or renting the right asbestos removal equipment will make the job safer for you and others. If you are doing the removal on your own to save money, you may want to get a few estimates from professional abatement companies because the asbestos removal cost can sometimes be just as high even if when you do the job yourself.

Ideally, there will be three people performing the job, but at least two. Doing everything yourself can make for a very difficult project. However, it is illegal to hire anyone to help you if they are not licensed professionals. Family members can help, but are considered non-paid volunteers. When three people are performing the job, two will be doing the work while the third person will be outside the work area providing water, tools, other asbestos removal equipment, and any other needed supplies. Without this third person it would be necessary to remove protective clothing each time a worker went outside to get more tools, supplies, and other necessary asbestos removal equipment.

Depending on the type of job, different types of asbestos removal equipment will be necessary. For example, you will need different tools for asbestos flooring removal than you will for asbestos ceiling tile removal or other types of asbestos removal.

Asbestos Removal Equipment is Needed for All Workers

Before beginning the removal process you will need to obtain important asbestos removal equipment such as breathing respirators for all workers, coveralls, rubber boots and gloves, and goggles. The breathing respirators will each have two HEPA filters, color coded purple. It is important that the respirator fit properly to prevent asbestos fibers from entering. If any of the workers have facial hair it can interfere with the proper fit of the respirator. People with facial hair will need to shave or they should not help with the work. Breathing respirators are certainly the most important pieces of asbestos removal equipment, but there is more asbestos removal equipment that is vital to own or rent.

Each time a worker enters the enclosed work area they will need to wear disposable coveralls. This means that each worker must have a few pairs because every time they exit the work area their coveralls must be hosed down and placed into an asbestos disposal bag. Without this safety measure, some asbestos fibers could become airborne outside the work area.

Asbestos Removal Equipment – More Necessary Items

Eye protection is another important piece of asbestos removal equipment and can easily cause visibility problems in the work area due to humid conditions. For this reason it is important to purchase non-fogging goggles. Rubber boots can be disposable, but do not have to be. They can be hosed and wiped off each time a worker exits the containment area. Several pairs of disposable gloves should be available for each worker. This will allow used gloves to be disposed of each time a worker exits the containment area.

In addition to protective clothing there are some necessary tools and asbestos removal equipment that should be obtained before the work begins. Asbestos-containing products must be thoroughly wet before removal. To wet these products you should have a 2 or 3 gallon tank sprayer. The liquid in the tank sprayer will be mixed at one cup of liquid dish washing detergent per five gallons of water. The liquid detergent helps in the absorption of the water into the asbestos materials. Putty knives that are somewhere between four to six inches in width will be used for scraping popcorn ceilings.

Polyethylene plastic sheeting that is 2 to 3 mil in size will be used to completely enclose the work area. Make sure you have enough of this crucial asbestos removal equipment before the job gets underway. In addition, 6 mil plastic sheeting will be used on the floor. The plastic sheeting for the floor will be two layers thick. The upper layer will later be rolled up to contain the debris on the floor and should be laid out in smaller sections for easier handling and removal when the job is done. Duct tape is needed for two reasons. First, it will be used to fasten the plastic sheeting to the walls of the containment area. And second, it will be used to seal the waste disposal bags. As you can clearly see, there is a lot of asbestos removal equipment that will be needed.

Waste disposal bags made especially for asbestos disposal will be used to contain all asbestos debris and will be 6 mil. When determining how many disposal bags you will need, figure 1 bag per 25 square feet of ceiling to be removed. Each bag will be 33 inches by 50 inches.

When scraping popcorn ceilings you will also need lots of clean, disposable rags. These rags will be used to wipe off any excess ceiling texture that has been left behind after scraping. Be sure to have enough on hand because you don’t want to be smearing the leftover debris on the ceiling, you want to be removing it completely.

Once the removal work is finished you will need to seal the areas with latex primer paint. Encapsulating the surfaces where asbestos ceiling texture was removed will prevent any leftover debris from later becoming airborne. Also, a bucket will be needed to help rinse off any tools or other asbestos removal equipment used during the removal process. Cleaning up used asbestos removal equipment is important for the safety of anyone using this equipment later.

If you are interested in purchasing or renting specific asbestos removal equipment and tools you can find vendors in your local phone book or directory that will have the asbestos removal equipment you need. Having sufficient amounts of the right asbestos removal equipment will ensure that you won’t have to stop midway through the job to go out and buy more supplies.