Asbestos Remediation and the M820

[ben0192]

I've tried to contact a few of the guys on Steel Soldiers who have M820s but haven't heard back...

I just bought an M820 that has not had the asbestos de-mil treatment. I did find a PDF copy of the work order for it (which just basically says to remove heat registers, fill vents with expanding foam, and replace vent registers with sealed cover, also disconnecting electricity to heaters).

But, my question is, can a better job be done of it? Ideally I'd like to safely remove the heaters (which seem to have a fabric, possibly asbestos gasket) and remove the asbestos ducts and replace them with non-asbestos ducts. And then install a modern, efficient RV hvac in place of the heaters and a/c.

Anyone know anything about doing this safely? And also, anyone know if there's any other asbestos lurking elsewhere?

Thanks!

 

[maddawg308]

If it has to do with asbestos, I'm not sure anyone can give you 100% reliable information without some form of liability for breaking environmental remediation laws or OSHA regs. This is pretty unique territory, I wish you the best, but I fear noone here would give you suggestions without potentially being liable.

 

[ryan77]

I deal with the stuff at work always! If its a little piece wet it down and double garbage bag it! There is so much stuff made with asbestos that people are not even aware off! One of them is floor tile, people just pull it up with a scrapper and break it up and breath it in. To do it right you have to tent the deuce and provide air filtration, showers etc!!!

 

[goldneagle]

Once you get the heaters out you can sell them. They are multi-fuel heaters if I remember correctly.

 

[m816]

No aspestos in floor tiles since the forties. It's all vynl tile any more. The only time we come in contact with it is when some old home had multiple floor coverings applied and it finaly got to the point that cabinets won't open. Industrial or commercial applications are becoming rare and require specialized trained crews and enviormental safe guards to remediate it safely

 

[ryan77]

No aspestos in floor tiles since the forties. It's all vynl tile any more. The only time we come in contact with it is when some old home had multiple floor coverings applied and it finaly got to the point that cabinets won't open. Industrial or commercial applications are becoming rare and require specialized trained crews and enviormental safe guards to remediate it safely

The stuff in the late 50's and early 60's has it! At least in the chicago land area!

 

[ben0192]

If it has to do with asbestos, I'm not sure anyone can give you 100% reliable information without some form of liability for breaking environmental remediation laws or OSHA regs. This is pretty unique territory, I wish you the best, but I fear noone here would give you suggestions without potentially being liable.

Hah, I hadn't thought of that. Geez, this litigious society of ours! Somehow everyone's ok giving advice related to many other more immediately dangerous aspects of vehicles (gas tanks/fuel, brakes, etc.), but this area gets everybody scared! I'm not saying you're wrong, I suspect your cautiousness is entirely justified. Just lamenting that that's the state of the world.

If anyone does want to respond, you can instead tell me about how to safely remove deposits of "aspirin" (wink, wink) that were somehow caked onto the vents, etc.

 

[ben0192]

Once you get the heaters out you can sell them. They are multi-fuel heaters if I remember correctly.

Part of me would love to fix 'em up and use them, but I figure getting that and the AC to work, on top of just keeping the vehicle itself working, might be too much for me. Thanks for the tip on selling 'em, I wasn't sure how much of a market there might be.

 

[rickf]

If you have 9" X 9" floor tile then it is asbestos. BUT! It is nowhere near as bad as insulation since the asbestos is encapsulated. I have been replacing my subfloor so I have had to deal with it. As long as you are not grinding it or cutting it with a power saw you are not going to be putting fibers into the air. Same with asbestos wall shingles. It is when asbestos is ground into a powder or dust that you have to worry. How many guys here realize that the NOS brakes you buy could very well be asbestos? They can be 40-50 or more years old. That black dust in your brake drums.............. DO NOT BREATH IT!!!!!!!

Rick

 

[goldneagle]

Wetting dry stuff down helps keep the dust to a minimum. If you can add a gelling agent like gell-o to it to help keep the dust down. This is just a general observation...

Those heaters will sell for $100 plus each.

 

[steelypip]

I asked advice about asbestos brake dust of my OSH doctor back when I worked in a lab and got semiannual checkups.

His reply was that the only way asbestos was dangerous was if you inhaled it. His advice was also to wet it down. He said that non-friable asbestos (that is, where the fibers can't easily get into air) is not hazardous to anybody, and often the best management practice was to encapsulate it where it sits/leave it alone.

In the case of the brake dust, we settled on a good hosing-down with brake cleaner dripping into a pan as being sufficient to get the dust off the equipment and keep it out of your respiratory tract.

 

[Riftweaver]

I work in a field that has it regularly. I also work around it all the time. Yes, it's only dangerous if it's airborne. Thus you can inhale the particles which can lead to serious problems. I'm not going to tell you I take it out, or you can take it out. What I will tell you is that when it is taken out (removed from an area) the area is tented off completely. They also use special air exchangers that have filters to move the air out of the area. When those exchangers are taken out, they have to be specially cleaned as well. All waste has to be specially handled, double bagged and gotten rid of through special hazardous waste channels as well.

I can say the main point is this......"they" keep the area wetted down (just water will work or something like WD-40 or the jello shots..) "They" wear respirators that will eliminate the intake of particles as well. We aren't talking dust masks but fitted repirators with the proper canisters on them. Once dne they drop their suits and shower....Never blow off anything with compressed air.


Good luck!

 

[renovate7]

Didn't know anything about asbestos in MV's. Can anybody fill me in as to where it is?...Not all 9x9 floor tiles are asbestos. Here in FL there were many that were vinyl from the 50's and 60's. A test I was told was to take 2 of them and hit them together. If they sound like glass they are asbestos. I've remodeled mnay old houses and only found asbestos a few times. It just wasn't that common here.

 

[Speedwoble]

Shaving cream will suppress dust and does not dry as fast as water. It is used to drill holes through asbestos tiles.

 

[ben0192]

Shaving cream will suppress dust and does not dry as fast as water. It is used to drill holes through asbestos tiles.

That's a great tip, I was wondering what sort of substance you could use in that sort of situation.