Welcome to my Homepage Blog. Here you'll find stories about inspections I have done and facts I think are interesting to share with you. Come back often to see what's new.
-Glenn, a.k.a. The House Whisperer
| Disconnect |
| Written by Glenn Stewart |
| Friday, 04 November 2011 13:44 |
|
… to terminate a connection. Ask any home inspector, disconnected heating and cooling ducts in the attics are a common occurrence. Why? Because standard gray duct tape was used… It says ‘duct tape’ right on the label… It must be the right tape for ducts. Right? Wrong! During World War II, before it was called duct tape, the U.S. military bought a cloth-backed, rubber-adhesive tape for making emergency repairs on the battlefield.
Sometime after WWII, heating and cooling contractors begin to use the tape to seal the joints in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) ducts. This tape was manufactured in the same way, though to match the metal ducts, it was colored silver rather than the green color of the Army version. Because of this use, it became known informally as 'duct tape'. The problem...duct tape does not adequately seal duct joints and has a short lifespan. Hot air flowing through heating ducts and hot attics can soften the tape adhesive. Eventually, the tape slowly unravels itself… causing heating and cooling duct connections to separate. Count on The House Whisperer at Pacific Coast Inspections to stay connected and go wherever your clients take you. |
