Is it dangerous to leave an opened ceiling exposed after a leak?
Cutting into old walls or ceilings without testing first can release hidden asbestos fibers into the living space. This leaves homeowners anxious about whether they should evacuate while the gaping hole and exposed insulation remain unfixed.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1leaving the apartment until repairs are done
- 2getting the material tested for asbestos
- 3wet mopping the area and running a HEPA air filter
- 4wiping up and mopping the dust
- 5relying on the contractor to spot anything and halt the job
- 6assuming the brief exposure from a minor cut is harmless
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Hi good people of Reddit, I was experiencing a ceiling leak this week and the plumbers opened up my ceiling to see where the leak was coming from. Good news, they fixed the leak, bad news, they left this gaping hole where I can see a bunch of insulation… I’m wondering if there’s any danger of breathing in asbestos while my ceiling is open? Should I find somewhere else to sleep until this is fixed? Thanks!!”source ↗
“We just realized, too late, that maybe we should have tested for asbestos before having someone cut into the wall.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 3How to get a landlord to remove popcorn ceilings with asbestos
- 5Ceiling popping noises and drywall screws showing after roof repair
- 6How to clean mold on drywall or know when to cut it out
- 3How to keep dust out of the house during a window replacement
- 2How to deal with lead paint on old floors
- 5How to stop mice and bugs from coming through attic ceiling vents