Un Wrapped Duct Work

ofourcobra

Hey guys Im actually an electrician by trade but i had a question ,i was called to a home to wire a furnace ,only when i got there the unit wasnt in yet ,so at that time i asked the home owner why and he said he decided to hold off,untill he could get a second opinion on the duct work(why he didnt call me before i showed up i hqave no idea) .i guess the duct work is only 6 inch round and is wrapped in an old asbestos fabric ,which seems to be an 1/8 inch thick .the problem is he is worried about the duct work sweating and creating a whole new problem for him ,so i told him i would get a some opinions from a forum i belong too ,so my question is does that asbestos fabric hold any r value ?if so will it be suffice for cooling

flashheatingand

I would say...let it be. If the homeowner was strapped for the new furnace, leave it alone. Is it a bag of worms the h.o. wants to get into? However, as I write, why not just insulate it w/ fresh duct wrap. Cover the asbestos and all. Sure, some dust may spread, but not enough to cause misotheilioma. If one wants to minimize the dust, build a temporary curtain.

However, if the guy wants to invest in new ductwork, and get rid of the asbestos, don't stop him.

ofourcobra

i honestly dont know why ,but i just felt bad for the guy ,,but his problem isnt the wrapping it s insulating whats in the walls that he cant get too

ofourcobra

maybe i worded it wrong ,i guess i should of said with that thin asbestos fabric on the duct work in the walls would u think it would be safe to add central air to a system with basically no insulation besides that thin asbestos

flashheatingand

In that case it should be ok. Unless the metal is corroding or something weird has happened. But, if the metal is intact, it should be good. Insulating the pipe wouldn't hurt as far as the utility bill goes.

A.D. Const

Install new furnace, wrap whatever duct is exposed. In the walls insulation is of very little difference anyway. Just be careful with the ductwork that you (or him) will be messing with during furnace installation. You want to keep dust to a minimum.

nhmaster3015

I would be concerned that messing with the ductowork may force asbestos fibers into the ductwok interior via the joint. 6" round duct pipe is pretty inexpensive. I think I'd replace it all.

knothole

What are you going to do with the asbestos.........

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nhmaster3015

I'm not touching it, a licensed abatment contractor will.

indyonline

I would say it would be ok. Although, I myself would have to remove the asbestos materials.

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cfcitywide

It will defintely cause problems... Serious Problems... MOLD! You can use a product similar to this in the walls and wrap the exsisiting (which would be against code here in Chicago) or have it abated then wrapped w/ a R6 Bubble wrap and all joints sealed with foil tape

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