Do you need air duct sealing? See what TV shows are saying about our Aeroseal duct sealing. Use zip ties to secure any loose ducts to the attic floor. Return air duct sucks air in so sealing them keeps smelly basement air and/or attic dust from creeping into our air supply also. #2: Foil tape – Similar to duct tape, and seemingly almost as popular for the task, foil tape is not a good option for sealing ducts. Check out this video to see what Aeroseal is all about and how they do it. Thereof, should I seal my ductwork? All Rights Reserved. Every little bit counts. Using a duct sealant called mastic is the professionals choice. Seal both the supply and the return air ducts. That said, it may be the only answer for those who have underground ducts or ducts that they cannot access to significantly seal by hand. http://www.HowToHomeInsulation.com If you have a large hole in your ductwork, it's sucking money right out of your wallet. Note: Aeroseal is a brand name and there are other companies that use the same type of technology. For boot penetrations it will be time to move on to a caulk gun and mastic in a tube. In the mean-time, I am about to re-do a single room's floor. The setup of your ductwork might seem simple enough, but it’s actually a bit more complicated than you might think. Even if only one of these benefits appeals to you then it would be worth the time and little cost to seal up your ducts. One application of Flex Seal offers the kind of protection against leaks and corrosion,the main culprits when it comes to HVAC ductwork degradation. Aluminum foil tape and other heat-approved tape is great for leaks on a flat surface where two pieces of metal are joined together. Ductwork is typically located in areas you couldn’t care less about conditioning such as the attic, crawl spaces, the basement, and the garage. Leaks in ductwork are often found where lines branch off or separate. It is also becoming more and more popular in new home construction as then the cost is built into the purchase price and not coming directly out of your pocket all at once. And it costs about 10 bucks but it'll save you more than that in the first … Flex Seal leaves behind a smooth flawless surface that protects and prevents any kind of leak problems from developing in your ductwork . If you add up the square inches of leakage in an older home's ducting you'd find that a large majority of homes would be losing roughly the same amount of air as cutting a baseball sized hole in the duct and typically it is leaked into an unconditioned area like a basement or attic where it is not needed. https://aeroseal.com/air-duct-sealing-blog/duct-sealing-methods To Seal Ductwork the Old-Fashioned Way: Use a continuous strip of foil tape to seal off all longitudinal seams along the straight runs of the duct. Seal your joints. For example, each room will require different sized ducts connecting it to the furnace, depending on the size of the room. How to Control Humidity in Your Home, Why is This Room So Cold? Dan has been in the HVAC industry for 23 years with experience ranging from installation and service to sales and distribution. Homeowners are looking for any way possible to shave money off their energy bills as well as not waste energy to minimize their ecological footprint. I am not recommending a brand or company here, only the technology. Many will argue that air escaping your ducts is still in the house so the energy is not really lost and others that little gaps, holes, and seams don't amount to much loss anyway. Apply the tape or sealant over the holes and seams...pretty simple right? With the furnace fan running, you can feel air escaping the duct. The tape and the caulk stick a lot better when there isn't a lot of dust there. Air sealing your ducts is cheap and easy...and it save's a lot of money. I didn't pay much attention to this once and ended up shaving off my arm hair as a result. It is a great way to improve indoor air quality and comfort while making your home more efficient. Wear rubber gloves and old long sleeve shirt if using mastic. This all leads back to the benefits of energy cost savings, a smaller environmental impact, and better indoor air quality. Use the caulk to seal around the take-off boots to each branch run. © Copyright 2021 Aeroseal, LLC. New Methods DUCT Insulation Board Self Adhesive Membrane Eight years ago Polyguard revolutionized How to Seal the Duct Work on a Kitchen Vent. Assuming your ductwork is located in the attic, refer to the steps below for a quick and easy do-it-yourself solution to thermal leaks. Sources of mastic. In spots that you may want to open up again, like near the evaporator coil that you may want to have cleaned or an end cap where you may want to clean your ducts, I would use one of the tape options. (Maybe a hat too). You may even find the A/C or furnace run just a bit less on milder days. Tapes will stick much better if they are warm. Gaps in ductwork or plenums that are over 1/16 or 1/8 inch wide can be sealed with mastic as long as the gap is first reinforced with fiberglass mesh tape. If the smoke or paper begins to move erratically, you have an air leak. ... • Weather seal is dependant on a caulk bead. If you’re using mastic to seal seams in fiberglass board ductwork, use fiberglass mesh tape for all joints. Don't worry, there are still a million other ways to use our beloved duct tape...it just won't be to seal your ducts. Depending on the size of the gap in the duct joint you might need that mesh tape I mentioned earlier. Richard Trethewey helps a homeowner insulate his ductwork. Do you need air duct sealing? Gaps in ductwork or plenums that are over 1/16 or 1/8 inch wide can be sealed with mastic as long as the gap is first reinforced with fiberglass mesh tape. Indiana Homeowner Saves Over $600 Thanks to Aeroseal, ASHRAE, Building Codes Development, Adoption, 3 Ways You Can Level Up Your Contracting Businesses, Solar + Duct Sealing: Reduce Before You Produce, Energy Efficiency Trends In Commercial Buildings, Is Humidity Driving You Crazy? Peel the tape backing off a little at a time as you start taping. How to Seal Ductwork Start at the heating and cooling units and work your way to the final register in your home. Tapes will stick much better if they are warm. Simply buy aluminum-colored silicone caulk and caulk every joint in rectangular ductwork (clean the joints first with a household spray cleaner and a rag to remove dust). HVAC tape is basically any tape rated for use on HVAC systems. Pick your poison. Whichever way suits you best. You probably noticed that good old fashion duct tape isn't mentioned and that is because while duct tape had been the most commonly used for decades, it has begun to fall by the wayside in the HVAC world. A large percentage of homeowners have leaks in their ductwork right now and don’t even realize it. DIY: How to Seal Leaky Ductwork - Sears Professionals estimate that leaky ducts can reduce heating and air efficiency by about 20 percent in most households. Hold it up next to your ducts while the air is on. It is a great way to improve indoor air quality and comfort while making your home more efficient. Thank you Robie! Wear rubber gloves and old long sleeve shirt if using mastic. The ductwork in your home has an incredibly important role to play, whether you realize it or not. (See below for a shopping list, tools, and steps. Then use a paintbrush to apply duct mastic to the joints where an elbow connects to a duct. There is not a whole lot that I can tell you about duct sealing technique. This pasty, thick, paint-like substance can be applied to cracks and gaps in your ductwork with a caulking gun and spread with a paintbrush or if using a gallon pail, just scooped and applied directly with the paintbrush. For an extra layer of protection, use a paintbrush to apply a coat of duct mastic. It was not my proudest moment. Thanks! When it comes to keeping your home warm in the winter and cool in the summer, there’s a good chance your ductwork will be doing the heavy lifting. I know I said there were two ways to seal duct but the key words there were "easiest" and "your own." While duct tape is strong, it simply begins to dry out and fall away leaving leaks over time where the newer foil tapes do not. Unlike traditional, cloth-backed, rubber duct tape, these sealants are long-lasting and provide the sealing strength you will need to stop leakages long-term. Look for the Underwriters Laboratory (UL) label when purchasing. This article is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge. Seal, Insulate, and Reduce Energy Costs HOW TO SEAL HVAC DUCTS. Make sure your tape is at least room temperature and maybe even apply the tape while the heat is running. While some of these improvements are expensive and typically require a skilled tradesman to perform, there are some that are quite simple, cost very little, and just about anyone can do. Now I need to go look at my ducts, trying to figure out why two of my rooms are always the wrong temperature. Duct sealing will save you lots of money and improve your indoor air quality. Tape the joint with 181B-approved foil duct wrapping tape. Properly sealing ductwork can reduce your energy consumption by as much as 20 percent. How to seal ductwork and keep everything in check. For commercial-grade systems, it is best to run tests a couple of times per year. Do It Yourself Duct Sealing Use a water based mastic. If you apply a bed of mastic on the larger gaps and apply the mesh tape with a coat of mastic over it you can seal some pretty good size gaps. Download your FREE E-Book On The Many Benefits of Aeroseal! Whether you use tape or mastic, make sure the surface your sealing is clean and dry. One of them is sealing up leaks in their ductwork. Make sure all joints in sheetmetal fittings are sealed with mastic, including plenums, air return ducts and register boxes, etc. How to Seal HVAC Ductwork 1. It's also the correct thickness and sticks well. Great information Dan! It's important we don't confuse duct seal, which is a type of putty used to seal around electrical wires and conduit where it might penetrate your home, with the duct sealant that you use to seal your ductwork. (Maybe a hat too) Whether you use tape or mastic, make sure the surface your sealing is clean and dry. The other consideration here is that we're not only sealing the air in but the dust out. There are two very cheap, very easy ways to fix your leaky ductwork yourself; HVAC tape and duct sealant. Slowly peal the backing away and apply the tape to the duct seam as you go. This tape is known as foil tape and it's specially made for working on your furnace or your ductwork. So while you wonder why that one room is so cold or hot all the time, consider that these little leaks can add up to roughly the same amount of air needed to heat and cool a room. There are however a few things that might help your job go smoother, be more effective, and last longer. I run mine about 320 days a year and it evens rooms out quite nicely while costing next to nothing. Ironically, duct tape is a poor choice as it quickly begins to peel. I know it sounds weird to run the fan all the time, especially in the winter, but it works. Trust me when I say easy clean up is important. Inspect the ductwork, working from the furnace back to the farthest point, which ends with the last heat register in... 2. Seal your duct by the gallon or by the tube. I use this Polyken 337 foil tape (also pictured above) because it's wide enough to bridge even the larger gaps but still can be cut down to size. While there are certain tapes for certain jobs, they are all considered HVAC tape. A gap in your duct work as small as this can still leak large amounts of air. Duct joints should always be secured with #8 sheet-metal screws before seams are sealed with mastic.Sealing duct seams is messy work, so wear old clothes. I beg to differ. Place water-based mastic all over the tape so no air can leak out of the joint. Click to see full answer. Ductwork is the piping and connective tissue that connects from your furnace to each and every room in the house. This house was built over 60 years ago. This is your basic foil tape (Polyken 337) and what I use for a typical, exposed duct type system. Recent studies show that an anywhere from 10% - 30% of an average units output is wasted due to duct leakage and that sealing up your duct work can cut this waste to less than 5% if done correctly. When sealing air ducts, we recommend using mastic sealant. Richard Trethewey is in the basement where the ductwork is being connected and installed by HVAC contractor Obie Rosa and his crew. engineers to locate bulky HVAC ductwork on the roof. Duct Sealing DIY - Air Seal Ductwork. However, oftentimes barriers of walls, wires, and pipes prevent HVAC techs from reaching your ducts. While a couple of small leaks here and there might not be putting a huge dent in your pocket when it comes time to pay your monthly energy bill, even minor leaks can cause issues that you would want to resolve immediately if you knew their cause. Print; The same heating, vacuum and air conditioning systems that make a home comfortable create penetrations that can cause drafts, forcing appliances to work harder. Content is for informational or entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for personal counsel or professional advice in business, financial, legal, or technical matters. I chose basic tape because it seals great, tears easy, and I can cut it if I ever need to take the duct apart again.
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