asbestos in basement...

Has anyone ever considered removing or containing asbestos pipe insulation in your basement? We purchsed as older home with steam heating and the steam pipes that run along the entire basement are encased in asbestos insulation. The insulation is in good condition for the most part (very few spots that appear to be seperating from the pipe- due to heat).

We have been told that it would be very expensive to remove it and we should consider containing it in some way...I have heard of spray-painting it, re-wrapping it in new insulation (but this will lower the height of the ceiling even more).

Looking for ideas...

Currently our basement is not finished, but we would like to finish it down the line and are just trying to consider things that will affect that...

Thanks!

Re: asbestos in basement...

we had it in ours and we had it professionally abated..it was very expensive but worth it to us for peace of mind....I have hear that encapsulation is another safe, somewhat less expensive option, but I really just wanted it out of there. We had a certified abatement company come in as well as air tests done before, during and after..hope that helped

Re: asbestos in basement...

We also had it removed professionally. I would never even think to do it ourselves. It was expensive, but it was worth it.