Asbestos water tank removal
Cold water tanks in lofts were often made from asbestos cement, and a loft is also where cement sheet and asbestos insulating board are hardest to tell apart. We will not guess which one you have from a photo, and we will not put a number on the job until somebody has actually been up there.
- Over 12 years in asbestos removal
- Qualified & insured
- HSE Compliant
- Most jobs completed within a day
A loft is a hard place to be sure of anything
- Grey, rigid, moulded tanks, rectangular or with a curved top, are the classic shape for a cement water tank.
- The tank is rarely the only thing up there. Old pipe lagging, loose insulation and offcuts of board often sit around and underneath it, and not all of that is necessarily the same material as the tank, or ours to remove.
- Cement and asbestos insulating board look identical in a loft's poor light, and they need different handling once we know which is which.
- There is no reliable way to tell the two apart from a photograph taken through a loft hatch.
We look before we say anything about cost
Worth knowing
A loft tank is exactly the situation this rule exists for
Cement sheet and asbestos insulating board are visually identical once you are standing next to them in a loft, and getting that wrong has real consequences. So we do not give a price, or even a range, from a photo or a description. Somebody comes and looks first.
That is not a sales tactic. It is the only honest way to answer the question.
Note
What else is up there matters too
If the tank turns out to be sitting on or wrapped in a different material, insulating board, or old lagging on the pipework beside it, we will tell you plainly what that part is. If it needs somebody with a licence, we will tell you that too, and what to look for when you are choosing them.
How a tank actually comes out
-
01
We arrange a look
Not a guess from a photo. Someone comes to the property and actually goes up into the loft.
-
02
We tell you what it is
Cement tank, something else, or a mix of materials, before anything is agreed.
-
03
Isolated first
If the tank is still in use, the supply is shut off and it is drained before anything is touched.
-
04
Taken out whole
Lifted out in as few pieces as possible rather than broken up to get it through the hatch.
-
05
Paperwork follows
The waste goes to a facility licensed to take it, and your consignment note follows by email.
Different findings lead to different next steps
It is a cement tank, on its own
Straightforward. We can give you a price once we have seen it, and get on with taking it out.
It is surrounded by other materials
We tell you plainly what each material is. If any part needs somebody with a licence, we tell you that too, and what to check before you choose them.
It is still holding water
It gets isolated and drained as the first step, not an afterthought.
You are not sure it is even a problem
That is a reasonable place to start. Tell us what you can see and we will tell you whether it is worth a look at all.
What it helps to know in advance
- Whether the tank is still connected and in use, or already disconnected.
- How the loft is accessed: a proper ladder and boarded floor, or a hatch and joists.
- Roughly how big the tank is, if you can see it.
- Whether there is power or lighting up there already.
What people ask us
Is an asbestos water tank dangerous?
If it is intact and not being drilled, cut or knocked about, the fibres are bound into the cement and it is not releasing anything into the air. What changes that is damage, not simply having one in the loft.
What does an asbestos water tank look like?
Grey, rigid and moulded is the classic look for a cement tank, rectangular or with a curved top. Other materials nearby can look similar, and only an in-person look tells you for certain what you actually have.
How do I identify an asbestos water tank?
Honestly, you may not be able to, not safely from a hatch with a torch. That is exactly why we come and look rather than ask you to identify it yourself.
How much does it cost to remove an asbestos water tank from a loft?
We do not put a number on this one without seeing it first, for the reasons on this page. Once someone has looked, you get a real answer, not a guess.
Can I remove an asbestos water tank from a loft myself?
There is no law stopping a householder doing their own work, but a loft is a poor place to discover you have guessed wrong about the material, and the tank is rarely the only thing up there worth being careful of. We would rather you had someone look first.
Does an asbestos water tank affect buying a house?
That is a question for a surveyor or conveyancer working on the purchase, not for us. If you already own the place, we can tell you what is actually in the loft once we have been up there.
Water tanks across the south east
We are based in Grays and most of our work is within an hour of it.
Further out than that? Ask anyway.
Ask us to come and look
Tell us where it is and how the loft is accessed, and we will arrange a look. If you would rather talk it through first, call and you will get someone who has done this before.