Cleaning asbestos roof?

[UNIXgeek]

Hi all.

After six months of settling into our new home we are looking to convert our detached garage into an office. We've begun researching the various issues involved (Building Regs, power) and cooking up ideas. More on that later.

The garage itself was identified in the survey as having a corrugated asbestos sheeting roof. It is grey-ish in colour, but the inside of the roof within the garage is lined and boarded (albeit slightly worn in places). The exterior of this sheeting is discolored and covered in a large amount of moss. I would like to remove the moss, clean down and repaint (in black) the whole roof.

- Can I use something like a Karcher pressure washer to hose down the roof to remove the moss & dirt and then re-paint? Or is this very dangerous? What are the implications for the surrounding environment and human health if wet particles of the asbestos come loose? Does this need to be done professionally?

- Once cleaned, do I need to seal it with PVA first or can I slap on a coat or two of external masonry paint to seal it up?

- Are there any other issues I should be aware of?

Many thanks in advance.

Nick

 

[Deluks]

Pressure washer probably not a good idea as it could drive water in between the sheets, which will get the internal lining wet.

If you want to paint it, and have the paint stick, you will have to scrub the surface of the sheeting to get all loose moss and flakey bits off, which is recommended against as loose fibres could be released.

Best left alone to be honest, you could get up a stepladder and remove the worst of the moss by hand, although a mask and rubber gloves are a must, plus you should soak the roof first. Watering can or bucket for this.

If you do decide this route, also be aware that you can't walk about up there. When I was ten my mate was on our garage roof during a game of hide and seek, he fell through and broke his collarbone!

 

[UNIXgeek]

Thanks for the informative reply. The moss shall stay!

Regards
Nick