HVAC Ducts Contaminated by Asbestos PopcornCeiling Paint
Recognize, remove, cover-up or handle asbestos-containing spray-on ceiling popcorn paint found on HVAC regdisters & in ductwork

Asbestos Popcorn Ceiling Paint Gets in Ductwork & Registers

Reader Question: Should I remove asbestos popcorn ceiling paint in 1976 home sprayed into HVAC ducts

Photo: painted-over asbestos-containing popcorn ceiling paint on the louvers of a air supply register.

[Click to enlarge any image]

To editor

My home was built in 1976. The ceilings had popcorn/acoustic spray which I removed prior to moving into the home. I found out later the popcorn had 3 percent asbestos content. The airway vents have this popcorn spray.

Looks like they weren't covered at the time of the original application. I decided not to go back and remove this asbestos since we had already moved into the home.

My question is should I remove it since I will be in the home another 5 years? Does the asbestos pose a problem in this kind of situation? - Anonymous by private email. Sun, Apr 2, 2023

Moderator reply: Asbestos containing material that's right in the airpath iin ducts can be hazardous, more-so if friable.

I hope you will understand that I can only give a general answer since I have so little information about the actual conditions of spray or possible asbestos in the ductwork.

Asbestos containing material that's right in the airpath iin ducts can be hazardous. It could be smart to either remove that material or incapsulate with a suitable ceilant or paint.

If I could see some photos of the conditions In your ductwork that would be helpful.

Photo: view through this HVAC air supply register shows thick over-spray of popcorn ceiling paint inside the supply duct.

Reader Follow-up: some of the popcorn ceiling paint has been painted-over

Here are some photos. The ones with wall painted yellow have some kind of protective spray. I

had to fix the vent a few years ago and noticed some hard coating on the popcorn.

Moderator reply: inspect supply & return duct areas for asbestos-suspect popcorn ceiling paint: seal or replace

Here is what I would do: Remove, one by one, with care, each of those register covers. Inspect the inside of the duct itself to see if it is clean or sprayed with popcorn paint.

If there is paint inside the duct itself then you want it cleaned or sealed.

hen simply replace each of those register covers with a new one of the same dimension.

That course is less expensive, cleaner, and safer by far than trying to clean the existing ones. When you have a view inside the ductwork at each register, photograph what you see and let us take a look.

Reader Follow-up: paint flake shedding from "sealed" popcorn ceiling paint

I know there’s paint sprayed because a few times some paint flakes have come from the vent when the air was running. The paint flakes didn’t have any of the popcorn attached to it. I’m an older lady.

Photo above: popcorn ceiling paint, confirmed to contain asbestos, visible on louvers of this air supply register.

I’m going to call around today and see the price to hire an abatement company. I’m feeling terrible for not looking into this sooner. I also won’t use the heating/air until I have fixed this issue.

Moderator reply: actual detectable asbestos hazard probably very low for un-disturbed duct ACM

First - don't panic - if you sound scared people will respond right away, at a much higher cost than may be necessary.

Next - if the over-spray of popcorn ceiling paint that got into the ducts - as I think I see in several of your photos - was then sprayed-over with a sealant or encapsulant (cheap and easy), the later release of paint flakes and fragments may still be sufficiently encapsulated that there's perhaps little or no detectable airborne asbestos hazard.

After all, your test of the paint found a rather low percentage of asbestos (3%, a detail that I might question, but that's the data we have).

And - if your HVAC system has a good quality air filter installed then paint flakes and particles are largely captured there. We don't have an objective measure of airborne asbestos in your home, though in my OPINION, given the situation, I don't think the cost of such testing is justified.

If there is access to the sections of ductwork at those registers from above, say an attic, then it may be possible and less costly to simply remove and replace just those sections.

Else I'd look again at an encapsulant or sealant that might be applied - with the registers themselves removed first. About being an older lady, it's a safe bet I'm older than you - keep calm and carry on. The worry may be worse for your health than the asbestos.

ASBESTOS ENCAPSULANTS & SEALERS may be of help.

And also see

ASBESTOS HVAC DUCTS for a different, and more-serious hazard description.

Do keep me posted.