Photo Guide to Asbestos Pipe Insulation in Buildings InspectAPedia® -
Asbestos pipe insulation in buildings - used on heating pipes, water pipes, and on occasion drains
How to make a visual identification of asbestos insulation without laboratory tests
How to spot abandoned or incompletely removed asbestos pipe insulation
Our site offers impartial, unbiased advice without conflicts of interest.
We will block advertisements which we discover or readers inform us are associated with bad business practices,
false-advertising, or junk science. Our contact info is at
InspectAPedia.com/appointment.htm.
This page illustrates abandoned and partly-covered-up asbestos pipe insulation in buildings. Materials like this should
have been removed during asbestos abatement, and so form an indication of amateur workmanship, raising the question of asbestos
particle contamination in other building areas.
This document assists building buyers, owners or inspectors who need to identify asbestos materials (or probable-asbestos) in buildings by simple
visual inspection. We provide photographs and descriptive text of asbestos insulation and other asbestos-containing products
to permit identification of definite, probable, or possible asbestos materials in buildings.
Also see Asbestos HVAC Ducts a field identification guide to
visual detection of asbestos in and on heating and cooling system ducts and flue vents.
Asbestos pipe insulation, still in use or abandoned on building pipes, compared with fiberglass pipe insulation
The pair of photographs shown here assist in distinguishing between corrugated asbestos paper pipe wrap (photo on the left)
and fiberglass insulation pipe warp (photo at right). Look carefully at the end of these wrapped insulation sections to see the
difference. In the photo of fiberglass pipe insulation, I peeled back a little of the white-painted outer fabric to show the yellow
fiberglass interior.
The photograph shown at the page top is some "new old stock" corrugated asbestos pipe insulation that was never used - just left in a basement ceiling.
Look closely at the photo as it is a clear example of the visual characteristics of the corrugated-paper-like asbestos wrap which was
used along the lengths of heating and other plumbing pipes in buildings.
While an expert lab test using polarized light microscopy may be needed to identify the specific type of
asbestos fiber, or to identify the presence of asbestos in air or dust samples, many asbestos-containing building products
not only are obvious and easy to recognize, but since there were not other look-alike products that were not asbestos, a visual identification of this material can be virtually a certainty in many cases.
A professional asbestos removal company would not have left these un-used asbestos pipe insulation sections "stored" here.
ASBESTOS Pipe Insulation FOAMED-OVER - Asbestos pipe insulation, insulated over with spray foam
Here's an example of an insulation retro-fit using spray foam insulation.
A professional would not have left this asbestos pipe insulation in place.
Perhaps more of this material will be found elsewhere in the building. If a section of asbestos insulation were found to have been totally encapsulated
by the new spray foam insulation, such as in a wall cavity, most experts would be expected to recommend that it be simply left alone.
Continue reading in this article using direct links to the sections listed below.
Critique, contributions wanted: Contact Us to suggest corrections or additions to articles at this website, and if you wish, to receive online listing and credit as a contributor. Particular thanks are due to the many experts and also consumers who read and critique technical articles at InspectAPedia.com.
Additional technical contributors & reference sources for this article are listed below.
Use links just below or at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.
06/07: thanks for photographs of transite asbestos heating ducts, courtesy of Thomas Hauswirth, Managing Member of
Beacon Fine Home Inspections, LLC and (in 2007) Vice President, Connecticut Association of Home Inspectors
Ph. 860-526-3355 Fax 860-526-2942 beaconinspections@sbcglobal.net
Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair
Our recommended books about building design, inspection, and repair, and about indoor environment testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore.
Fiberglass: Indoor Air Quality Investigations: Health Concerns About Airborne Fiberglass: Fiberglass in Indoor Air from HVAC ducts, and Building Insulation
Enviro-Scare: Electric Power Lines, Electromagnetic Fields, Cancer Risk, & "Enviro-Scare" - The Normal Curve Cycle of Public Fear of Environmental Issues
Dust from the World Trade Center collapse following the 9/11/01 attack: the lower floors of this building contained spray-on fire-proofing asbestos materials.
Asbestos Information Links: Asbestos Detection, Testing, Recognition, Hazards, Field Photos, and Information Sources, including
health-related links such as legal services and information about mesothelioma and other cancers.
Asbestos Identification and Testing References
Asbestos Identification, Walter C.McCrone, McCrone Research Institute, Chicago, IL.1987 ISBN 0-904962-11-3. Dr. McCrone literally "wrote the book" on asbestos identification procedures which formed
the basis for current work by asbestos identification laboratories.
Stanton, .F., et al., National Bureau of Standards Special Publication 506: 143-151
Pott, F., Staub-Reinhalf Luft 38, 486-490 (1978) cited by McCrone
InspectAPedia® Home & Site Map - Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, Repair, & Problem Prevention Advice: In-depth research & advice on diagnosing, testing, correcting, & preventing building defects & indoor environmental hazards. Unbiased information, no conflicts of interest.
The Mold Information Center: What to Do About Mold in Buildings, When and How to Inspect for Mold, Clean Up Mold, or Avoid Mold Problems
Environmental Inspection, Testing, & Diagnosis On-Site IAQ, Gas, Air Testing, Mold Investigation, Sick Building Diagnosis, Lab Services, & Remediation Plan Preparation - indoor air quality testing, problem source determination, supporting lab work, written remediation plan addressing removal of environmental and other hazards and prevention of their recurrence.