Can I Do Duct Sealing on My Own?

Keeping a ventilation system airtight is crucial for energy efficiency and comfort in a home. If leaks develop along the length of the ducts in the ventilation system, the air pressure inside will drop, which places a large strain on the heater and air conditioner. You will also lose around 30% of the conditioned air meant for the rooms in your home, which wastes money.

But before you go and hunt for the duct tape and try to seal the ducts yourself, you should know that duct sealing is a job that only professionals should handle.

Duct tape will not work!

We’ll start with duct tape, which sounds like it should be the simple answer to the problem of repairing ducts. But duct tape is misnamed (or at least it became misnamed: originally it was called duck tape, probably because it was made from duck cloth). Duct tape isn’t used for ducts at all. Laboratory tests have shown that this cloth-backed adhesive rapidly degrades from temperature changes inside ducts and falls off. Duct tape has many uses, but applying it to actual ducts is not one of them!

You cannot easily access your ductwork

Most of the ducts in your home are hard to reach because they are behind walls and in the ceiling. It’s difficult for your to reach the ducts to even begin to repair them since you don’t have the professional equipment necessary.

Air leaks are difficult to find

Do you know where the air leaks are? Or how many there are? It’s very hard to determine both of those unless you are a professional with the right tools.

When you contact trained duct sealers, they will use special equipment to locate where your ducts are losing air. They will then reach the ducts without causing damage to your home and seal them using mastic sealant or metallic tapes. This will ensure that your ventilation system’s integrity is restored.

Bud Matthews Services offers professional duct sealing in Durham, NC.