# Forum Home Renovation Asbestos  A couple of Asbestos Q's

## henry7

Hi all, 
I have a couple of questions regarding asbestos building products. 
1. I am installing a security system on my mums fibro house. I need to drill a hole in the fibro eave (tested & contains Chrysotile & Amosite asbestos) for the alarm siren. What kind drill bit should I use and what should I do for minimizing dust? 
2. My house was built in 1985. I removed an eaves lining panel and it did not have any manufacture markings. It had a dimpled pattern on the back, like the rough side of some masonite boards. Does any one know if this may contain asbestos? 
Cheers.

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## Bedford

Welcome to the Forum, not sure on the drill bit but read the Stickies at the top of the page for more info on Asbestos.   

> 2. My house was built in 1985. I removed an eaves lining panel and it did not have any manufacture markings. It had a dimpled pattern on the back, like the rough side of some masonite boards. Does any one know if this may contain asbestos?

  Can you post a pic of it? 
If it is a sort of honeycomb shaped pattern, I would say it's highly likely to be Asbestos.

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## PVS

^^^^ Agree with Bedford, the honeycomb pattern on the back is the norm on most asbestos sheeting. I had a whole bathroom, laundry, and toilet it full of it, with no printing or marking on it to indicat so (thanks James Hardie)  :Rolleyes:

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## henry7

I will try to upload a picture of the back of the eaves in the weekend, as the house is being renovated. The builders decided to smash down the eaves lining and left it in a pile in the front yard, amongst other rubbish.

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## watson

Take pics of the piles too.............just a heads up for future reference.

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## Bloss

> Take pics of the piles too.............just a heads up for future reference.

  Pictures of 'piles' - for a moment there I thought I'd logged onto the wrong forum . . .  :Wink:  :Smilie:  
Bedford's right - probably asbestos sheeting. For the holes use masonry bit and you can use a dust catcher attachment which are at hardware stores or for an overhead job simply push a piece of foam over the bit and wet it before you drill. Regardless use goggles, gloves and a mask. I have also use a vacuum cleaner (with a disposable bag and a HEPA certified filter) held with one hand while drilling with the other. Water is far better though - it is the atomised dust that carries the risk.

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## henry7

Thanks for your advice. I took some photos of the back of the sheets, which I will upload when I work out how to   :Confused:  
The back of the sheets have "HARDIFLEX" in big capital letters on the back and do not have any warnings printed onto the sheets. The sheets are 6mm thick and do not have a honeycomb pattern, but more of a light, slightly dimpled pattern. The builders smashed the sheets of the eaves, which was a mess for two days until the cleaned it up and piled it on the front lawn. 
Thanks

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## watson

G'day...here's a link on how to post pics.  http://www.renovateforum.com/f36/add...ur-post-91653/ 
Just click on that link for a little tutorial.

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## asbestos john

> Hi all, 
> I have a couple of questions regarding asbestos building products. 
> 1. I am installing a security system on my mums fibro house. I need to drill a hole in the fibro eave (tested & contains Chrysotile & Amosite asbestos) for the alarm siren. What kind drill bit should I use and what should I do for minimizing dust? 
> 2. My house was built in 1985. I removed an eaves lining panel and it did not have any manufacture markings. It had a dimpled pattern on the back, like the rough side of some masonite boards. Does any one know if this may contain asbestos? 
> Cheers.

  hi 
the product you are talking about does contain asbestos , if you have to drill a hole ,make your mark, place the drill on the mark ,then spray shaving cream over the spot you are drilling ,
any dust will be soaked up in the cream , when finished scrape off .

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## d00biez

> hi 
> the product you are talking about does contain asbestos , if you have to drill a hole ,make your mark, place the drill on the mark ,then spray shaving cream over the spot you are drilling ,
> any dust will be soaked up in the cream , when finished scrape off .

  wow you learn something new everyday! i never thought of that. not that i make a habit of drilling my fibro sheets but sometimes its unavoidable when the mrs decides she has to have a painting hung up in THAT spot, right NOW. i used to just have the vacuum right up against the area as i drilled.... :Frown:

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## Bloss

> hi 
> the product you are talking about does contain asbestos , if you have to drill a hole ,make your mark, place the drill on the mark ,then spray shaving cream over the spot you are drilling ,
> any dust will be soaked up in the cream , when finished scrape off .

  Hardiflex from 1985 does not likely contain asbestos as Hardie stopped using asbestos in it in 1981. From the mid 70s there were asbestos warning labels on sheet backs too, but they were paper stick-ons initially so some installed sheeting would have it some not and they came off over time. 
BTW - the dimpling is simply another way to describe 'honeycomb' and probably more accurate that patterns in no guarantee either way on asbestos content. 
The above is useful advice anyway of course. Shaving cream as dust reducer/collector has been used in various trades since not long after the aerosol packs were introduced in the 60s (especially drilling into overheads to stop dust getting into eyes) good to see it mentioned again in this context. 
Safest way with fibre sheeting in any building older than 1990 is to assume asbestos and handle as per stickies. The dust from any of this sheeting is not healthy (no dust is!) - so don't get it on you let alone breathe it in.

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