How To Know If You Have Asbestos Siding

Contractors and inspectors or anyone identifying asbestos siding can t tell from just an on site inspection whether or not your siding really has asbestos in it.

How to know if you have asbestos siding. If you don t know the age of the shingles inspect them for wear. The only way to be sure if your siding has asbestos in it is to collect a sample and send it to an accredited testing lab. The use of a pressure washer for maintenance can crack the siding and lead to moisture intrusion if the pressure. After completing the job make sure that your inspector tests the air in order to determine whether there is any residual asbestos around.

Asbestos shingles were so common during the 20th century that almost any shingles installed between 1920 and 1986 probably include asbestos. Asbestos cement siding is very brittle and can be easily chipped cracked or broken. That s called a cement asbestos tile because the asbestos is inside of a cement binder. Asbestos wasn t always added to cement siding and there s no way to tell from a visual test or physical inspection on site if siding really does have asbestos in it.

In a house that was built in that era if it did have asbestos it would most likely be an asbestos tile. So if it s not a tile then it s not likely to be asbestos. It is generally very brittle and the back may be black and have the appearance of tar paper. If they look old they might have asbestos fibers in them.

Recognizing siding with asbestos. Actually what he said he mentioned lap board is what he said. Asbestos siding was manufactured to resemble many different materials so it doesn t always look the same. It is difficult.

Determine when the shingles were installed on your roof.