Asbestos Insulation Removal in Little Rock, AR: Pipes, Boilers & Attics
White or gray wrap on the pipes in a basement or crawl space, a chalky jacket on an old boiler or furnace, tape on the seams of the ductwork, or loose fill in the attic of a Little Rock house built before 1980: all of these can be asbestos insulation, and the pipe and boiler kind is the most dangerous type in a house because it crumbles when touched. We test it, remove it wet in a sealed area, and leave the pipes or the attic ready for a plumber, an HVAC crew or new insulation. Call (501) 817-7825 for a written quote.
What asbestos insulation looks like
Pipe wrap. A white, gray or off-white covering on steam and hot-water pipes, often looking like plaster over a corrugated paper core, sometimes wrapped in canvas and painted. Elbows and joints are a lumpy white cement. When it is damaged it is powdery and the paper layers show.
Boiler and furnace jackets. A hard white or gray coating over the outside of an old boiler, furnace or water heater, or a blanket wrapped around it.
Duct tape and duct insulation. White tape on the seams of old sheet-metal ducts, and paper-faced insulation on the outside of ducts in the crawl space.
Attic insulation. Loose gray-brown pebbly fill is vermiculite and gets its own page: vermiculite attic insulation removal. Batt and blown-in fibreglass and cellulose are not asbestos.
None of this can be confirmed by looking. A sample to the lab, $50 to $75, two to three days, settles it. See asbestos testing.
Why pipe insulation is the one not to touch
Floor tile and siding hold their asbestos in cement or vinyl and only release it when cut or ground. Pipe and boiler insulation is the opposite: it is soft, it is often already damaged, and brushing past it in a crawl space puts fibers in the air. That is why plumbers and HVAC crews in Central Arkansas will not work on a pipe with old wrap on it until it has been tested and, if positive, removed. If you have wrap that is falling off the pipes, keep people out of that space, do not sweep up the pieces, and call.
How we remove asbestos pipe and boiler insulation
Seal the space. The basement, crawl space or boiler room is sealed in plastic with the air kept under slight suction. On a single pipe run we can use a glove bag, a sealed sleeve around the pipe, and leave the rest of the room open.
Wet and strip. The wrap is soaked so it comes off in wet sections, cut and stripped into bags without dry breaking. Elbow cement is wetted and chipped into bags.
Wipe and seal the pipe. The bare pipe is wiped clean and sealed with a coating so any remaining fiber is locked down, then it is ready for a plumber to re-insulate.
Clean and check. The space is wiped and vacuumed with filtered equipment, and on a larger job an air test confirms it is clean. See air testing after removal.
A basement of pipe runs is usually one to two days. A boiler jacket is one day.
What asbestos insulation removal costs in Little Rock
Pipe and boiler insulation removal usually runs $50 to $150 a linear foot of pipe, so a basement with 40 feet of wrapped pipe is roughly $2,000 to $6,000. Elbows and joints, a tight crawl space and a boiler jacket push it up. Duct tape and duct insulation are priced by the length of duct. Attic vermiculite is priced separately on its own page. Every price on the site is on the asbestos removal cost page.
Prices on this page are estimates from previous work. We cannot quote an exact price. The actual cost can be lower or higher depending on the job. The person who knows is the professional who will do the work. You get a written quote after we see the house.
How to get started
Call (501) 817-7825 and tell us where the insulation is, roughly how many feet of pipe or what equipment it is on, and whether it is damaged. We book the sample visit and you get a written price. If you would rather write, use the contact page.
Related services
Asbestos insulation questions
How much does asbestos pipe insulation removal cost?
$50 to $150 a linear foot of pipe in Little Rock. A basement with 40 feet of wrapped pipe is roughly $2,000 to $6,000. Elbows, joints, crawl-space access and a boiler jacket move it up.
What does asbestos insulation look like?
On pipes: a white or gray plaster-like wrap, often over corrugated paper, with lumpy white cement at the elbows. On boilers: a hard white jacket or a wrapped blanket. In attics: loose gray-brown pebbles (vermiculite). Fibreglass batts and gray blown-in cellulose are not asbestos. A lab sample confirms it.
Can the plumber just work around it?
Most plumbers and HVAC crews will not touch a pipe with untested old wrap, because disturbing it puts fibers in the air. Test it. If it is positive, it comes off before the plumbing work; if it is negative, they carry on.
Can asbestos pipe insulation be sealed instead of removed?
If it is intact and nobody needs to work on the pipe, it can be wrapped in a sealing jacket and left. If it is damaged or the pipe has to be worked on, it comes off. See asbestos encapsulation.
Is the insulation in my attic asbestos?
If it is loose, pebbly and gray-brown, it is vermiculite and should be treated as asbestos until tested. Fibreglass and cellulose are not. Do not disturb loose fill until it has been sampled.
Do you remove asbestos insulation in Conway and Cabot?
Yes. Little Rock, North Little Rock, Sherwood, Jacksonville, Cabot, Bryant, Benton and Conway. Call (501) 817-7825.
Wrap falling off the pipes?
Keep people out of that space and call (501) 817-7825. Test, written price, insulation off wet and the pipes left clean.