Duct-Sealing Materials: Why You Should Never Use Duct Tape For Sealing Ducts

Duct-Sealing Materials: Why You Should Never Use Duct Tape For Sealing Ducts

Who can blame the average homeowner for being a bit confused about duct tape? After all, people use it to patch together appliances, doors and even their cars. If it weren’t for duct tape, Apollo 13 astronauts may not have made it back to earth, as they used it for an emergency equipment repair. But as strange as it may sound, duct tape should not be used to seal ducts because it is, quite simply, not up to the job. It doesn’t adequately seal duct joints and has a remarkably short lifespan, especially as it reacts to temperature changes.

In homes with forced-air heating and cooling systems, ducts are used to distribute air. If your home is like most others, though, about 20 percent of this conditioned air is lost because of leaks, holes and poorly connected ducts. The result is higher utility bills and difficulty keeping your home at a comfortable temperature.

Your home’s ducts may be problematic if:

• You have high summer and winter utility bills
• A room or rooms in your home are difficult to heat and cool
• You have a stuffy room or rooms that never seem to feel comfortable
• Your ducts are located in an attic, crawlspace or the garage

Some homeowners choose to take on duct sealing as a weekend DIY project by sealing air leaks with mastic sealant or metal tape and insulating ducts in the  attic, crawlspace, basement and garage. Connections at vents and registers also should be well sealed where they meet the floors, walls and ceilings. Metal ducts should be held together with sheet metal screws; flexible duct connections should be secured with metal or plastic bands.

If you’re like many of your neighbors in southern California, you’ll turn to the experts at Air-Tro, Inc.,for help in installing the proper duct-sealing materials in your home.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about duct sealing and other HVAC topics, visit our website.

Air-Tro Inc. services the greater Los Angeles area as well as the metro areas of Riverside and San Bernardino County. 

Duct sealing professional image via Shutterstock