Asbestos cables????? Rewire periodic inspection

[SparkyChick]

No, these are normal VIR cables which do not contain asbestos. Rubber insulation overbraided with cotton impregnated with a preservative compound. Asbestos was only used where heat-resistance was required, i.e. not in normal installation cables.

I've got lots of asbestos-insulated cables of all kinds, as they were common in theatre lighting equipment due to the temperatures involved, and certain older switchgear and appliances. Most of them 'look' like asbestos, typically they are not impregnated and quite friable. I can post pics later.

Awesome, thanks.

 

[MFS Electrical]

No, these are normal VIR cables which do not contain asbestos. Rubber insulation overbraided with cotton impregnated with a preservative compound. Asbestos was only used where heat-resistance was required, i.e. not in normal installation cables.

I've got lots of asbestos-insulated cables of all kinds, as they were common in theatre lighting equipment due to the temperatures involved, and certain older switchgear and appliances. Most of them 'look' like asbestos, typically they are not impregnated and quite friable. I can post pics later.

Were they always quite friable or have they degraded over time? Just curious as to how useful they’d be if they were always quite crumbly?

 

[SparkyChick]

Were they always quite friable or have they degraded over time? Just curious as to how useful they’d be if they were always quite crumbly?

If it's anything like the length of asbestos pipe lagging my Dad has hanging up in his garage, it'll be like a coarsely wound rope with visible fibres. Kind of like 7 or so thicker strands spun from the fibres and then wrapped into a twisted rope.

 

[Lucien Nunes]

They have tended to degrade a bit with time but some were always a little fluffy. This pic shows, amongst other cables in the tub, a couple of asbestos-containing 3-core sheathed flexibles of which the black, impregnated variety is not unlike VIR in appearance, the beige non-impregnated one less so. These were used on theatre lighting fixtures into the 1970s.

 

[MFS Electrical]

They have tended to degrade a bit with time but some were always a little fluffy. This pic shows, amongst other cables in the tub, a couple of asbestos-containing 3-core sheathed flexibles of which the black, impregnated variety is not unlike VIR in appearance, the beige non-impregnated one less so. These were used on theatre lighting fixtures into the 1970s.

View attachment 45071

Those 3 cores really do look like VIRs it’s easy to see how a mix up could happen

 

[SparkyChick]

Scary... is that much risk of fibre release? Obviously yes from the frayed ends, but the main body of the cable?

I'm trying to think back to when I was tinkering with stage lights at school, we had a collection of old (I would say 70's) lights and a very old rheostat (I think) dimmer bank and I vaguely remember some of the cables looking quite a lot like that.

 

[SparkyChick]

Sorry, another question... any idea on what type of asbestos they used for applications like that?

 

[Lucien Nunes]

Sure, they would have been ACMs. On the professional stage, multiple circuits used heavy flexible multicores (generically called 'tripe' after the appearance of the rubber covered variety). Others were asbestos-sheathed; As you dragged them across the stage, if they caught on things, little bits would get shaved off the asbestos braid, which would then get swept up with the general debris. I've sat with long asbestos socks on my lap, threading the cores through. I've wired asbestos resistance banks in dimmers up with asbestos cable, then put the asbestos lined covers back on. Everything that got hot, got asbestos!

E2A, I think the fibre blend varied from maker to maker, but crocidolite was certainly used in some cable insulations.

Perhaps we should stop talking about asbestos in this thread in case it scares casual readers later. To repeat: the cables the OP was asking about look like regular VIR which is not an ACM and not dangerous to handle.

 

[littlespark]

The subject does beg the question though.
If you have a bucket of cable that you know has asbestos.... why the heck are you still holding onto it?


OP. I think your safe with what you have

 

[westward10]

I think a lot of meter tails were PBJ (Poly Butyl Jute).

 

[johnduffell]

I think to go back to the original question the op has a professional duty to inform the customer ideally in writing that it needs attention from the dno, but unless there are exposed live parts or other hazard i don't think they need to go panic stations and get it replaced before starting work.

 

[SparkyChick]

The subject does beg the question though.
If you have a bucket of cable that you know has asbestos.... why the heck are you still holding onto it?

OP. I think your safe with what you have

He's either a hoarder (and having a significant portion of hoarder DNA myself... you just never know when you might need it) or they are keeping it safe and for disposal (getting rid of asbestos waste can be costly - everyone I spoke with about it charged by the bag + a fixed fee so if you only get small amounts it's cheaper to keep it safe and get rid of it in one go) or because at some point it may be useful (maybe in the museum for example).

 

[SparkyChick]

I think to go back to the original question the op has a professional duty to inform the customer ideally in writing that it needs attention from the dno, but unless there are exposed live parts or other hazard i don't think they need to go panic stations and get it replaced before starting work.

I'm not sure I'd be in such a panic over them. Yes they are old, but they look to be in reasonable condition.

 

[Bobster]

He's either a hoarder (and having a significant portion of hoarder DNA myself... you just never know when you might need it) or they are keeping it safe and for disposal (getting rid of asbestos waste can be costly - everyone I spoke with about it charged by the bag + a fixed fee so if you only get small amounts it's cheaper to keep it safe and get rid of it in one go) or because at some point it may be useful (maybe in the museum for example).

He runs an electrical museum, and collects old and weird items for display.

 

[SparkyChick]

He runs an electrical museum, and collects old and weird items for display.

I know My reply was a little tongue in cheek