Month: January 2021

Asbestos Removal from Historical Homes in Winchester, VA

Winchester, VA is known for its many historical homes. Homes built prior to the 1980s most likely contain some kind of asbestos materials. Years ago, many building materials used in the construction of homes and other buildings contained asbestos. For this reason, asbestos removal may be necessary if you plan on renovating your home in Winchester, VA.

Common materials that may be present in your Winchester, VA home today and may contain asbestos include—

  • Plasters
  • Sheetrock
  • Roof shingles/felt
  • Siding
  • Textured popcorn ceilings
  • Vinyl floor tiles
  • Cement sheeting
  • Caulking
  • Concrete
  • Millboard
  • Ceiling Tiles

If you suspect any of these materials are present in your older historical home in Winchester, VA, call the experts at Envirotex Environmental Services to come and identify exactly which materials in your home are asbestos–containing materials. Asbestos removal or any handling of asbestos in any way should only be done by professionals to prevent asbestos exposure.

Depending on the condition of the asbestos–containing materials, asbestos removal is not always required. Asbestos–containing materials that are in good condition and completely intact are generally safe but should be watched carefully; however, asbestos removal should be done if they become disturbed in any way.

Asbestos removal at your home in Winchester, VA may look something like this—

A professional asbestos removal team will come into your home and turn off your HVAC units and seal vents, which will prevent asbestos fibers from circulating throughout your Winchester, VA home. They will seal off the work area with plastic sheeting. Wet cleanup tools and HEPA filter vacuums are used to clean the workspace. Any asbestos materials removed from your Winchester, VA home will be placed in leak–tight containers, clearly marked, and later taken to the proper landfill for disposal.

Homeowners in Winchester, VA should never attempt asbestos removal on their own. Illegally dumping asbestos materials could result in fines and penalties and even jail time.

For all your environmental concerns, call the team at Envirotex. They will be glad to come to your Winchester, VA home and assess your situation and advise you of the next step to take to remove any asbestos from your home that could be causing potential harm to your family.

Asbestos Contractor Should Handle Asbestos at Homes in Washington, D.C.

Mishandling asbestos at homes in Washington, D.C. may lead to exposure to asbestos; therefore, only an asbestos contractor should handle, remove, and dispose of any asbestos–related materials. An asbestos contractor can handle asbestos safely by following proper regulations. Individuals who are exposed to asbestos may develop mesothelioma and other asbestos–related diseases.

When asbestos is mishandled by Washington, D.C. family members at home, the fibers may become airborne, causing the individual to be exposed to asbestos. Asbestos fibers can be inhaled and become lodged in the linings of the lungs, abdomen, or heart causing diseases such as mesothelioma, asbestosis or lung cancer.

Homes in Washington, D.C. built prior to the 1980s could still contain asbestos–related materials. Because asbestos fibers are not visible to the human eye, it can be difficult to identify. Homeowners should treat any potential asbestos–containing materials as hazardous. Until an asbestos contractor can verify these materials, these areas of the home in Washington, D.C. should be avoided.

An asbestos contractor will perform a visual inspection and remove pieces of any questionable materials and send off to a lab for analyses. If the samples from your home in Washington, D.C. contain asbestos, then your asbestos contractor will recommend the removal or encapsulation of the asbestos materials.

The condition of the asbestos materials depends on whether it will be removed or encapsulated. During an encapsulation at your home in Washington, D.C., an asbestos contractor will coat the asbestos materials with a sealant which will prevent fibers from becoming airborne.

If the asbestos needs to be completely removed, your HVAC units and seal vents will be turned off to prevent asbestos fibers from circulating into the air, the work area will be sealed off with plastic sheeting, wet cleanup tools and HEPA filter vacuums will be used to clean up the workspace and materials will be removed from the home in Washington, D.C. in sealed containers clearly marked and discarded at proper landfill sites.

During the removal or encapsulation, the crew will wear protective clothing and respirators for their protection against any asbestos fibers that are released into the air.

If you have questions about materials in your home in Washington, D.C. which may contain asbestos, give the professionals at Envirotex a call and set up an appointment for them to come to your home and assess the situation.

What Front Royal, VA Homeowners Can Expect During Asbestos Remediation

Asbestos–containing materials commonly found in older homes in Front Royal, VA include flooring, insulation, fireproofing, roofing, wall and ceiling materials, and adhesives. Asbestos remediation is the process of removing or mitigating the effects caused by asbestos.

The first step is to have an inspection if you suspect asbestos materials in your Front Royal, VA home. Not all materials may be removed during asbestos remediation if the materials are intact and undisturbed and are kept in place with a low risk of exposure.

Any handling of asbestos should be left to a professional environmental service company such as the team at Envirotex. They can inspect your Front Royal, VA home and then map out a plan for asbestos remediation if necessary.

What should you expect during asbestos remediation? The team at Envirotex will lay out a direct plan to rid your home of any harmful asbestos materials. The hazardous areas will be clearly marked. All members of your family will need to vacate the Front Royal, VA home until the asbestos remediation has been completed and a clearance test is performed.

Air ducts should be sealed off, the HVAC system must be disabled, and any areas not being treated should be sealed off with thick plastic sheets, along with air pressure differential and filtration.

Special hand tools and wet methods will be used to remove or repair the asbestos–containing materials from homes in Front Royal, VA. Protective clothing and respirators will be worn by the crew doing the remediation to protect themselves. Materials will be placed into disposal bags, sealed and removed properly from the premises, and later transported to a proper waste facility.

Special vacuums with HEPA filtration are used for asbestos removal work to minimize the dispersing of asbestos fibers during the cleaning of surfaces and other work involved in the process.

After the asbestos–related materials are removed and all surfaces cleaned with wet methods and HEPA vacuuming, an independent inspection should be conducted to confirm the asbestos remediation was successful.

You should receive a report containing permits, site logs, and copies of all licensing by the environmental company performing the asbestos remediation, as well as copies of the inspection results and laboratory analysis. These records must be kept for your own protection that you complied with environmental regulations.

If you have any questions about asbestos at your home in Front Royal, VA, call the experts at Envirotex Environmental Services.

Guidelines for Mold Remediation in Manassas, VA

Mold exposure can cause a variety of health issues. The following are guidelines for the remediation of mold and moisture problems for homes in Manassas, VA. Mold can be found wherever moisture is growing on paper, wood, carpet, insulation, and food. If excessive moisture is present, mold growth will most likely occur, particularly if the problem hasn’t been found or addressed.

Mold can be controlled by controlling the moisture inside your home in Manassas, VA. Uncontrolled humidity in homes without adequate ventilation can lead to moisture buildup causing mold growth. Roof leaks, gutters, and landscaping where direct water goes into or under your home can cause mold growth.

How to Prevent Mold Growth

  • Fix any leaky plumbing as soon as possible
  • Increase ventilation, keep heating, ventilation, and HVAC drip pans clean and flowing properly, vent dryers to the outside of homes in Manassas, VA
  • Maintain low indoor humidity
  • Clean and dry any wet or damp areas within 48 hours
  • Properly drain and slope ground away from the foundation

Plan for Mold Remediation

  • Professional mold remediation is required from a licensed environmental service company such as Envirotex.
  • They will assess the size of your mold or moisture problem and the damaged materials at your Manassas, VA home and then plan mold remediation.
  • Wet Vacuums will be used to collect accumulated water.
  • Nonporous (hard) surfaces will be wiped or scrubbed with special detergents and dried quickly to discourage further mold growth.
  • Porous materials that are wet and have mold growing on them may require to be discarded.
  • For final cleanup during mold remediation, a HEPA (High–Efficiency Particulate Air) vacuum is used to clean up areas after materials are dried and contaminated materials are removed from the Manassas, VA home. Any dust that has settled outside the mold remediation area will also be vacuumed.
  • Damaged materials are sealed in plastic bags to avoid dispersing mold spores throughout the Manassas, VA home and taken to appropriate landfills to be discarded.

If you are experiencing any mold growth at your home in Manassas, VA, call the experts at Envirotex for mold remediation so your home will be safe for your family.

What Washington, D.C. Homeowners Can Expect from an Asbestos Inspector

Exposure to asbestos at homes in Washington, D.C. poses health complications for family members. Depending on the age of your Washington, D.C. home, homeowners need to be aware of the possibility of asbestos–related materials still in the home. Asbestos was widely used in building materials prior to the 1980s. Having an asbestos inspector come to your Washington, D.C. home and do an on–site evaluation will inform you of any asbestos in the house, and they can map out a plan for asbestos removal so that your family will no longer be in danger.

The asbestos inspector will do a thorough visual inspection. Sample extraction and laboratory analysis will be done as well. Depending on the results, if asbestos is detected, recommendations will be made to rid your home of this unwanted material.

The asbestos inspector may take these samples from many different materials within your home. These professionals are familiar with the types of materials that may contain asbestos, including—

  • Floor tiles
  • Adhesives
  • Ceiling tiles
  • Plaster
  • Gypsum board
  • Joint compound
  • Grout
  • Caulking
  • Thermal insulation
  • Siding
  • Roofing
  • And many other products

Sometimes the asbestos inspector may recommend removing the asbestos–related materials from the Washington, D.C. home. Other times, if the materials are in good condition, they will be left alone. However, these materials will require the homeowner to keep an eye out for future damage. As long as these materials have not been damaged in any way, they should not be a threat to the family.

Homeowners in Washington, D.C. need to be aware that anytime you choose to renovate a certain area of their home where asbestos materials are located, even if in good condition, it will require professional asbestos removal. Your asbestos inspector will give you a report of the location of any asbestos–related materials that are not necessarily a threat unless you cut into, drill, nail, or damage in any other way. Once this happens, it sends asbestos fibers into the air where family members can breathe into their lungs, which can be detrimental to their health.

Call the team at Envirotex Environmental Services for one of their asbestos inspectors to come to your home in Washington, D.C., and help determine if those materials in question contain asbestos and how to make your home a safer place for you and your family.