Asbestos pipe insulation is not always dangerous
Q. My home was built in 1926 and has asbestos insulation on all the hot water pipes under the building. Fortunately, all of this asbestos has been wrapped. When I first learned about it, I was horrified and wondered why my home inspector hadn't mention it when I bought the property. My main concern is what will happen when I eventually want to sell the home. Can I resell it in this condition, without penalty? Am I required to have the asbestos removed? And also, do I have recourse from my home inspector for not mentioning the asbestos?
A. Asbestos pipe insulation was common in the 1920s and is not regarded as a significant health risk when it is undamaged and intact. Fortunately, the asbestos insulation in your home has been encapsulated, rendering it in much safer condition than when it was exposed to the air.
As a seller, there is no requirement for removal of asbestos, and there are no penalties for merely having it. Your only requirement will be to provide full disclosure to prospective buyers, to let them know the asbestos material is present. If the former owners were the ones who had the pipes wrapped, they probably knew about the asbestos and should have provided some disclosure.
Environmental hazards such as asbestos are not within the scope of a home inspection. However, competent inspectors who take their work seriously will often point out situations where the presence of asbestos is likely, such as insulated pipes in an old home. This is something your home inspector would have been wise to do, even though not required to do so.
Q. I bought my condominium about three years ago and hired a home inspector. He found a few problems that the sellers repaired, but there is one major problem that was never mentioned. We recently learned there is radioactivity in our water, but water testing was not even suggested by our home inspector. I'm scared to death about possible heath effects. Is the inspector liable for this?
A. Water testing is not a normal procedure when purchasing a home, and it is totally outside the scope of a home inspection. There are some home inspectors who offer water testing as an additional service, and various testing labs promote water testing services to home inspectors as a source of additional income, but for the home inspection industry as a whole, water quality is not a consideration.
If you are on a municipal water system, radioactivity would be very unusual. Private water wells, however, are susceptible to all kinds of contaminants, including metals compounds, radon, high Ph, etc. If your condo complex is on that kind of system, the big question is whether the board members of the homeowner association, or HOA, are aware of the water-quality situation. That is a point to address at its next meeting.
• To write to Barry Stone, visit him on the web at www.housedetective.com, or write AMG, 1776 Jami Lee Court, Suite 218, San Luis Obispo, CA 94301.
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