how to test for Asbestos

Posted on November 4, 2012 | 1 comment

In the next few weeks we are planning some minor remodels – lifting the carpets in an old garage conversion and downsizing a laundry to make way for a new pantry.

It’s all fairly straightforward stuff. But because the house was built in the ’50s, and then renovated slightly in the ’60s, the word on my mind is the big A – asbestos.

It was heightened this week by a story about asbestos being found in electricity-meter boxes, reminding everyone of just how pervasive the use of asbestos was in older houses. It is an issue that is still unfolding.

Asbestos was used in everything from fencing to fire doors. For images of some of the products that contain asbestos, see here.

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If you own an older house, it probably all sounds a bit depressing. The good news is that many asbestos products are said to pose little risk as long as they are in good condition and left untouched.

Sometimes the best thing you can do is paint them, where appropriate, and leave them in place.

But when people first buy a house they are, understandably, very keen to rip in and renovate, and maybe even take a few risks.

But testing for asbestos is simple. It costs about $100 a sample, depending on where you have it tested.

You can send small samples through the mail, as long as they are double bagged in a sealable bag such as a zip-locked sandwich bag. This week I posted off two samples of suspect products around my own house – some lino-looking tiles that lurk underneath some very unattractive green carpet squares in the garage conversion and some fibre cement lining board.

read more at: http://smh.domain.com.au/blogs/talking-property/how-to-test-for-asbestos-20121030-28h41.html

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Use Your Graywater to Water Your Yard

Posted on October 29, 2012 | Leave a comment

How it works

Graywater systems channel household water from showers and washing machines to yards, gardens and orchards, through diverted plumbing lines.

There are limits to the reuse: kitchen water from the sink or dishwasher can’t be graylined because food waste could contain bacterial contaminants. Water containing human waste from toilets or diapers also has to go to sewers.

And while the water can safely irrigate fruit trees, tomato vines or berry bushes, it can’t go directly on root crops, or on low-lying plants such as lettuce.

Still, advocates say that in San Diego, where about half of household water goes to irrigation, graywater can make a dent in water use.

“San Diegans use about 50 percent of their water outside,” Lightner said. “For single-family households, if you could save your water, it would definitely reduce your water bill, and reduce consumption throughout the city.”

Until now, complex permit requirements have led many conservationists to install the systems informally.

“It’s sort of one of those things that has happened forever,” said Laura Allen, co-founder of Greywater Action, a Bay Area-based organization that has promoted graylines since 1999. “They weren’t very common in urban areas, but in rural areas, they were always common.”

The changes the city is considering could make graywater systems more common in parched, populous San Diego.

Read more at: http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/oct/29/tp-from-graywater-to-green-landscapes/?page=1

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California Launches Paint Recycling Program

Posted on October 24, 2012 | Leave a comment

A California law that went into effect Friday, Oct. 19, requires paint manufacturers to develop a take-back system for leftover paint from household and commercial consumers.

The new California Paint Stewardship Program will be the second of its kind in the United States. Oregon’s pilot program started two years ago. Connecticut and Rhode Island are planning similar programs.

Paint manufacturers, through the American Coatings Association, created PaintCare, a nonprofit organization to administer the state programs. The nonprofit will arrange for recycling and proper disposal of unused paint and conduct public education about proper paint management.

More than 700 million gallons of architectural paint are sold each year in the U.S., and about 10 percent is available for recycling. Until now, leftover paint has been handled primarily by government-run household hazardous waste programs.

“This program will make proper paint management more convenient for the public by setting up hundreds of new paint drop-off sites at retailers throughout the state,” said Marjaneh Zarrehparvar, executive director of PaintCare. “It will also help local governments that partner with PaintCare by paying for the paint they already accept through their household hazardous waste programs.”

Funding for the program will come from a recovery fee that will be applied to the purchase price of paint sold in California and paid to PaintCare.

Fees are based on container size as follows: No fee for a half-pint or less; 35 cents for paint that is more than a half-pint but less than a gallon; 75 cents for a gallon, and $1.60 for paint that is more than a gallon and up to 5 gallons.

PaintCare will use the fees to pay for the transportation of leftover paint from partnering drop-off sites to processors for recycling and energy recovery.

For more information about the California Paint Stewardship Program or to find out where you can recycle your own paint, visit www.paintcare.org.

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