Asbestos Vacuum

Hi all I'm after an affordable (note I'm not saying cheap) vacuum with a HEPA filter for asbestos. It is for cleaning up after asbestos sheet removal and for mounting towel rails etc in old bathrooms.

A mate used a Nilfisk for about $600 I think. The cheapest quote on a Nilfisk I could find was $1000 or $2400 for a more heavy duty one. I've researched a bit, the H12 and H13 filters in many domestic "HEPA" vacuums don't really cut it, need a proper "99.97% of 0.3 micron particles" HEPA filter.

Any ideas?

TIA Pulse

My first guess would be the Festool range, they have Hepa filters available.

It depends on how serious you are and if you need to adhere to a workcover guideline/specification


Festool have the Dust-extractor SRH 45 E described as Special application dust extractor SRH - carcinogenic dust / asbestos, for $2640 ouch!!

You'll need to talk to Festool whether the HEPA filters in the less expensive units give you the filtering your after, but if the vac cleaner has to meet
Vacuum cleaner identified for asbestos use and fitted with a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter and assorted accessories

good luck

ian

Thanks Ian, not too serious, for home use only, I'm pretty aware of all the workcover policies on overalls/ P2 filters/ wetting down /no power tools etc, just trying to play it safe, it just seems these things are damn expensive

Cheers Pulse

Hire?

Not many places hire them - the only place I know of is a removal company who leases some of their spare equipment (do a google search).

HEPA rating and 'safe for use with hazardous dust' are two totally different things - don't confuse the two. Most HEPA units only filter the exhaust air and leave the user highly exposed when it comes time to open or empty the unit - hazardous dust rated units do not. Another concern is the potential legacy of fibres in the machine given the lack of internal filtration and fibre capture.

I wouldn't bother asking festool if their standard range is asbestos safe - technically they aren't and anyone who said they are is treading a very fine line. Capable: yes Safe: no

I used a rainbow vacuum to clean up at home when I did some work. I bought it a few years ago. The unit comes with a water reservoir and 5 stage hepa filter. Anything picked up by the vac goes straight into the water and is caught up in it. The air is ''washed'' and pumped through the filter. By no means cheap coming in at $4000.00. Its awsome for families with allergies, and is easy to clean up after use. The company sells them as an air wash unit.:)

One thing to keep in mind if you use a any vac/DE for asbestos (assuming it is suitably rated in the first place), is it likely to be a hazard to use it for other purposes. As Eastie points out - the legacy of fibres caught in the machine or accessories. It depends on the subsequent vac use/user I guess, but once used for asbestos, the vac should be considered a contaminated item and treated as such, and labelled.

Once a machine has been used for asbestos all subsequent users and especially people who will perform maintenance on it need to be advised it has been used for asbestos in the past. You would not want to expose an unsuspecting repair man to any particles that may be caught in the machine, be it canister or other internals. Most repair departments will not accept items which have been used for asbestos cleaning and the smarter ones ask you to sigh a document saying you guarantee it has not been used for asbestos and other hazardous or carcinogenic materials.

It is good to be considering protecting yourself when coming into contact with the rotten stuff, but the safest way to manage the issue and protect you and others health is with a machine correctly rated for asbestos, and dedicate this machine and accessories to that task alone. Also, suitably protect people from coming into contact with the machine. Use correctly rated accessories, filters and very important the correct filter bags. Also, the bags need to be clearly labled and properly disposed of.

It's a bloody shame we have to come into contact with it and deal with it so often. At least Pulse and people like him are aware of it's dangers and are willing to tread carefully. I have a friend who was advised by his builder to best dispose of his asbestos shed by smashing it up into as many small pieces as possible so the dumpster guy won't notice it in the dumpster when he comes to collect it. D1chhead builder put my friend, my friend's children, the dumpster owner and people working and visiting the tip all at risk.

You can probably tell by now I don't like asbestos much :eek::eek::eek:

Anyway, that's my unqualified opinion on the matter.

Thanks Anthony, thats the plan, a dedicated asbestos vacuum for all the small jobs that involve drilling into asbestos, when it can't be avoided.

Looks like the Nilfisk could well be the option in the end...

Thanks for the replies everyone

Cheers
Pulse

Do you need a vacuum. When removing sheets punch the nails through the sheets so they are more likely to come off in one piece. When drilling, tape an open plastic bag to the wall below where the hole is to be drilled, to catch any waste. It may require using some method of keeping the bag open. When finished wipe up any dust with wet rags then place contaminated rags in plastic and treat the same as other asbestos waste.

Regards,
Ray

Cheers Ray, good point I think that might have to do until I can afford a vacuum.

Cheers
Pulse