Disposing 1500 Gallons, 1000 Pounds Of Vermiculite

A story is told in pictures, here .

Stage the collection in a garage over several days. Carry with permission to a Transfer Station.

Debris filled a 14-ft U-Haul van. This is a clean process. The van was promptly wet-mopped upon return.

2013 Federal Residential Energy Efficiency Tax Credit

Here are links and summary statements compiled for my weatherization customer 2013 federal tax preparation:

The Rules:
http://energy.gov/savings/residential-energy-efficiency-tax-credit 

The Form:
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f5695.pdf 


For each customer, I provide a number, retail cost of attic, crawl space and wall insulation:
(The general statement from Form 5695, Line 19a)
Insulation material or system specifically and primarily designed to reduce heat loss or gain of your home that meets the prescriptive criteria established by the 2009 IECC

I multiply my discounted cost by 1.5, as retail cost, delivered.

The tax credit for this is entered at Line 21, 10% of the Line 19 items total.

An Example:
A customer In Damascus, Oregon, illustrates that the tax credit, like associated rebates, wrongly emphasizes the adding of insulation. Incentives should rather promote the work that may have greater energy savings and that becomes far more difficult and perhaps unaffordable, by adding more obstructive insulation. In the example, 90% of the savings achieved are not by adding insulation, but rather by removing all insulation to start over.

Here is a summary of insulation costs:

I will report a retail insulation expense paid, of $1613. This is for professional materials, perhaps sold only to professional installers. Most materials were Johns Manville brand, which is sold at Lowe's stores; however "consumer" items include none of these used. A major shortcoming of consumer materials is that they commonly are kraft faced, preventing intimate ceiling contact and often allowing wonderful mouse habitat. Kraft-faced batts lose most of their value where with common misunderstanding, "stapling flanges" are set to joist sides, not faces, absolutely permitting attic air to flood ceilings. I only use kraft facing where batts top up joists, over dirty loose-fill that would contaminate batts. There, the kraft facing is never harmful to intimate fill. I use a stack of materials for very good reasons, and only a bottom layer added, may have a vapor-barrier facing in following a Two Thirds Rule. A 50% markup from warehouse cost is very fair in professional installation, for the tax credit calculation.

This customer will be eligible for a federal tax credit, where there were no other claims since 2010. The total credit that may be claimed in all tax returns of 2011, 2012 and 2013, is $500. This customer will enter the number $1613 at Form 5695 Line 19a. The credit is calculated at Line 20, 10% of $1613, amount $161.

For a big picture of this job, please consult its Paid Invoice, and a sampling of captioned photos in a Picasa Web Album, titled Vermiculite Ruin Of Batt Insulation, 2013. 

In the rebate application document Paid Invoice, I show that despite near-complete placement of R19 batt insulation, found floor insulation R-value was less than 6. Great crimes of misunderstanding and omission under the batts needed difficult correction. All insulation had to be sent to a landfill, as the batts were contaminated by the vermiculite. Removing the vermiculite, tested safe for disposal, of itself adds much value to the home.

To deal with attic overheating, I had to access, enlarge and protect all soffit vents, my first call to this job. All soffit vents had been completely closed by foolish placement of roofing felt paper and attic insulation. 

Adding R19 insulation, if that found had been R19, would have saved this customer $76 per year. Done properly, as every installer must, savings will be $737 per year. This home is an important example to weatherization contractors, advocates and home owners everywhere, that it is the prep that is needed to save energy now and on into the future. Blindly adding insulation, usually with no preparation, precludes the majority of potential savings.

I hope some will read on in this, as example in their own homes, and/ or as model for need of reform in weatherization programs. Links that follow are to pdf albums at Google Drive. Please know that photos are best viewed by downloading the documents.

Damascus Attic Clean-Out 
Damascus Attic Prep 
Damascus Attic Insulation and Decking 

Damascus Attic Lights This has been available at this blog for several months, through this post.

Vermiculite Removal

A recently-purchased 1910 farm house had no access to attics, and cause to not trust hidden weatherization and wiring. A first attempt of access through the floor found tough shiplap sheathing, and rain of vermiculite within a dust-containment barrier. That vermiculite, diluted in drywall dust, was tested and tentatively found to have less than 1% asbestos content.


This temporary access was then cut through a low wall, and an excessive dozen vermiculite  samples were collected in a mapped circuit of the attic. An area of 300 sf was found to have vermiculite depth 2" or less, and repair needs via a good drop-down ladder were found. Four samples were tested, and all were found to have less than 1% asbestos content.

To me, the 13" by 14" opening was sufficient for many further entries. It passed the 55-gallon drum liners that would collect the vermiculite and the usual roof debris. For any other worker, and for disposal, the planned ladder must be completed.












Please find several posts about 55-gallon drum liners. 
As generally mentioned in this blog, Label Vermiculite .
Distributing or Hauling-Out Loose-Fill Insulation (includes ordering info)
55-Gallon Drum Liners, Again 

Know these collapsible containers 30-mil thickness stand upright for loading. Nearly-full of vermiculite, the carry is a bearable forty pounds.

An area was emptied and then carefully vacuumed, that would contain the ladder. Twist connected wires from a wall switch to snipped knob and tube wires are among problems that will demand professional rewiring.


I of course do not work at any time without a suitable respirator.

The 14' span of 2x4 joists demands strengthening to tolerate any load in addition to the weight of shiplap and 1/4" drywall, and to allow a cut joist. I therefore must empty and clean the attic all the way across, and bridge out a minimum of interfering knob and tube wires.

Beyond the vermiculite, note poor sealing of balloon-frame outside walls by stapled foil-faced insulation. The floor was reasonably-well insulated, but an enabled energy audit will find important work needed in-attic, to insulate outside walls.

My dual-filter Porter Cable 7812 vacuum has 99.85% filtration efficiency. It was resident outside the attic, until the ladder was in. Then I mostly worked with the ladder door closed behind me. I will edit this post to address things I did wrong.

Jump ahead here, to a condition after debris has been carried down the new ladder. The floor is extremely rigid, far stronger than found, with framing in-effect 2x10 select fir. 9" strips of CDX plywood wall-to-wall are attached to the 14' found joists and to 13' 4" added 2x4's leveled to hold plywood flooring. Deck screws at 6" intervals make the attachment. The assembly locks a sag of nearly an inch at mid-span of the floor joists. At a stopped condition for electrical service, all floor area is again insulated, with R8 fiberglass batts minimum.

I like the disposal policy in metro Portland, Oregon, where vermiculite tested at under 1% asbestos, may be disposed as trash, at the Oregon City transfer station. Vermiculite at greater than 1% asbestos would have been handled by a licensed abatement contractor, with disposal at the adjacent hazardous-materials facility.

200 gallons.


A trash hauler might be arm-twisted to accept this. I doubt it. Placing it in a drop-box dumpster would have to be approved, and might raise concern and refusal in further handling.

Thoroughly wetting the vermiculite will reduce concerns on the further path to an Eastern Oregon landfill. I understand that vermiculite holds water. Much effort is needed to dry wet test specimens.


I will feel less bad about my contribution, than should disposers of bulk, where there has been no step of recycling.






I ask that Portland's Metro add receiving requirements for vermiculite, as "special waste." The application for this costs $25, and I think that is fair. Dock workers should not accept my unsubstantiated word, and they do not have means of recording permissions. In this case, special waste might have special handling: the wet-down requirement.


I was prepared here with a blank application, but wanted to experience the permitted procedure, and was happy to save my customer the $25.

Back at the job site, others will appreciate the wonderful Calvert attic ladder. It is Model 1028, with 28" x 48" rough opening. It includes my first try of the optional insulation panel to R14.


Little toe room remains when upon steps over the door. That is where good toe engagement is most needed. Assess lost safety, vs. achieved savings in heat transmission through the door. Consider Insulation Math. The door area for heat transmission is 28" x 48", 1344 sq in, 9.3 sq ft. Say claimed R14 is a system number including convection resistances, and without the cover, system has R7. The savings differential for Portland, OR is 2.4 *9.3 * (1/7 - 1/14) = $1.59 per year, and the savings will continue indefinitely. This beats the achievement of a foolish ladder cover. On the other hand, the $1.59 savings are probably foolish where offset by danger of falling with the lesser toe space.


At August 2015, add to this a photo album link . See what bags of bad vermiculite looked like, before they were dumped in an attic. I wonder, was all vermiculite, whether testing OK for disposal, or not, sold in these same bags, in, say, the Portland, Oregon market? What would a bag of good vermiculite have looked like, in your community? In my community, I think bad old Zonolite from Libby, Montana, often tests as good for disposal, and should. I am so happy where I can get it out of someone's house affordably. Is good vermiculite, not from Libby, MT, always good?


Please find all posts at this blog, about vermiculite removal, by Label search:

Vermiculite 

Coping With Attic Vermiculite

In December, 2006, I added batt insulation in this attic, grading vermiculite to a uniform distribution, while wearing a respirator. I would do better now, with advice from a competent testing laboratory, and mindful of US Government advice at:

http://www.epa.gov/asbestos/pubs/insulation.html

Without negative confirmation, it should be presumed that vermiculite and many other construction materials have small asbestos content. Testing to a negative for vermiculite is expensive in the current method, with three gallons of material, taken in one gallon complete cross sections.  If an installation is positive for asbestos, mitigation is expensive, perhaps $10,000 in this very large attic. After mitigation, by a licensed abatement contractor, I would still not bet on absence of asbestos. Who knows where particles might have settled, to be stirred up by intrusive action such as drilling for wiring placement. I would rather be warned by visible vermiculite, to take protective measures.

The protective measures include careful wearing of a HEPA-filtered respirator, with appropriate control of respirator elements and clothing. 

In an attic floor, vermiculite adds to step-through safety concerns, adding justification of lighting and safety decking.