Anyone ever use asbestos cement pipe? 4

[looksatstars]

We are replacing a water pipe that looks like a hard plastic but was told it was Asbestos cement.
Anyone have any experience with this pipe? Was it common to use before and I assume it is illegal now.
When cutting into it, should we use standard precautions?

 

[stephenw22]

We have old underground fire water piping that is transite (asbestos cement). I'm not a civil engineer, but I know that the civils here hate dealing with it.

When it springs a leak, they replace a section, and then it starts leaking just beside where they had fixed it. Generally, this goes on and on, until they have replaced the pipe all the way to a catch basin.

Check your applicable OH&S regulations for the correct work classification. In my neck of the woods, it's a low-risk category as long as there's lots of water around to keep everything wet.

 

[dcasto]

Transite was also used as siding on buildings. The key term in the safety and regulations is Fryable, or haveing the ability to become dust. When working with it, keeping it wet will reduce the hazard of becoming dust.

Today, contractors have the safe removal down to an art and it's not an overly cumbersum task to remove and dispose of anymore.

 

[cvg]

transite is very brittle and any kind of disturbance may cause it to break. special procedures are required to cut and dispose of the pipe. especially when sawcutting, use water to prevent airborne fibers. It is expensive, as it generally must be taken to a specific hazwaste landfill. In this area, that means hauling about 500 miles to another state. However, I have heard from one client agency that they got permission to leave it in the original trench which avoided the trip to the landfill.

 

[dcasto]

Transite can be hauled to your neighborhood dump if packaged and labeled correctly.

 

[cvg]

apparently, there is no permitted landfill in this state to do that

 

[dicksewerrat]

Put the new pipe close to the old one and reroute the water services. Then fill the old pipe with flowable fill and leave in the ground.

Richard A. Cornelius, P.E.

http://WWW.amlinereast.com