How Professionals Perform Duct Sealing

Leaks inside the ductwork of your ventilation system—no matter how “small” they may seem—are detrimental for your home. Air leaks will cut down on air flow from the vents, reducing your comfort and placing more stress on the HVAC system so that it ages faster, possibly leading to an early replacement. The air leaks will also permit dust, dirt, and other contamination to enter the ventilation system, which will lower your indoor air quality and possibly damage the interior of your heater and air conditioner.

The solution to these problems is to call professionals experienced with duct sealing. You will find some of the best in the business at Raleigh Heating & Air. Call today and speak to our indoor air quality specialists to arrange for professional duct sealing in Wake Forest, NC and throughout Wake County and the surrounding areas.

What Duct Sealing Professionals Will Do For Your Ducts

It’s unfortunate that when people think of “duct sealing” their thoughts immediately leap to duct tape…a tool that you will never see ductwork professionals use! Name to the contrary, duct tape is not designed for ducts at all. If used to seal breaks and leaks along ventilation systems, it will rapidly lose adhesion and fall apart.

Here is how professionals actually perform duct sealing:

First, they place the entire ventilation system under high pressure and locate the places where air is escaping; in this way they can locate all the spots along the ducts where there are leaks. They then use special sealant to close these holes. There are different methods they can use to handle this job. One of the most common is mastic sealant. Mastic is a resin-based adhesive that can stick to most surfaces and which dries smooth so that it offers little air resistance. Mastic is flexible, which helps with ductwork issues because the ducts expand and contract as the temperature inside them shifts. Mastic isn’t the ideal sealant in all situations, however, and some duct sealing professionals prefer using metallic tapes. These are the true “duct tapes,” and they form an actual mechanical seal across the duct that should last as long as the ductwork does. They work especially well for joints along the ducts.

Once the workers have applied the sealant to the air leaks, they will test the ventilation system to see how well it maintains air pressure. This will tell the professionals if the sealing job was effective.

If you suspect that you have leaking ductwork because of a loss of airflow, high AC and heating bills, or musty odors coming from the vents, don’t reach for a roll of duct tape. Reach for the phone instead and contact Raleigh Heating & Air for high-quality duct sealing in Wake Forest, NC.