3 HVAC-Related Asbestos Risks That May Be Present In Your Rental Properties

While being a landlord comes with many responsibilities, none are as crucial as ensuring that your tenants have a safe place to live. It's especially critical to remain mindful of health-related building issues. Environmental problems, such as the presence of asbestos, can threaten the long-term health of occupants and contractors while opening you up to premises liability claims.

Although builders no longer use asbestos in new homes, it's still present in many older properties, especially in their HVAC systems. As the building owner, you generally have a responsibility to test for these issues and disclose them to workers or contractors. If you're concerned about your building, here are three areas you might find asbestos in your HVAC system.

1. Older Boilers

Large residential structures often use boilers for hydronic heating systems. Boilers provide efficient heating that's relatively easy to maintain and scale, and well-maintained units can last a very long time. If you own an older building, you may still have a boiler manufactured before widespread awareness of the problem with asbestos.

When it comes to boilers, you'll usually find asbestos on the tank insulation or seals around doors or other access points. This material can expose contractors or other workers who need to maintain the boiler system. You don't necessarily need to replace a functioning asbestos boiler, but you do need to be aware and alert contractors when it eventually needs repairs or replacement.

2. Transite Exhaust Pipes

Another HVAC concern in older buildings is the presence of transite exhaust pipes or flues. Transite products contain asbestos and cement, and they were a common choice for exhaust vents and similar purposes. Contractors also sometimes used transite boards around or near HVAC equipment for added fire protection, and you may find these above a furnace or boiler.

Your building may still use transite even if you've replaced the HVAC equipment since the installers may have left the previous exhaust flue in place. While you can leave a transite flue in place, you should seal it as soon as you replace your existing HVAC equipment. Note that newer transite products no longer contain any asbestos and are safe to leave in place.

3. Duct Tape

Older forced-air heating and central air conditioning systems may use asbestos tape to seal joints in rigid ducting. This tape is potentially one of the highest-risk forms of asbestos you may find in your building's HVAC system. Asbestos tape can release fibers into the air when disturbed, potentially distributing them throughout the building through the ductwork system.

If you suspect that your building contains asbestos duct tape, you should have a professional testing company confirm as soon as you can. In most cases, the safest option is hiring an abatement company to remove the tape safely. Unlike other HVAC-related asbestos issues, this tape can pose a severe hazard to workers and residents in your structure.

For more information on asbestos testing, contact a company like Sharpe Brothers, Ltd.