Do Your Own Heating Repair - Fixing Your Ducts With Mastic
When it comes to heating repair, there's nothing more important than keeping your ducts in order. The DIYer will find ample tips here to help with the project.
When it comes to heating repair,
there's nothing more important than keeping your ducts in order. Leaking duct work is what causes up to 30% of energy loss in homes across the nation. When you think about it, that's a whole lot of money that you're throwing away each year. It's also not nice for the environment; everybody's trying to be more energy efficient and it's a shame to waste so much energy when patching up ducts is so easy to do.
Why Ducts Leak
Ducts are the number one cause of energy loss in most homes. They have a tendency to leak easily. Why is this? In many homes, the duct work wasn't installed correctly in the first place. Bad installation leads to lots of heating repair costs over many years. Even ducts that are installed right often leak because the tape dries out and wears out over time. This can't be helped, but there's a much better way than using duct tape. It's called mastic.
What Is Mastic?
Mastic is a strong compound that's used in construction. It has a gummy, putty-like consistency and you apply it with a brush or trowel. Because it's gummy, it's very versatile and easy to apply anywhere. It's great for the little cracks and connecting points where ducts often leak. Imagine trying to stretch duct tape in there! It's also better than duct tape because it's simply stronger. Heating repair pros prefer it to tape.
How To Apply Mastic To Your Duct Work
The first step is to clean the area around the hole. Make sure you get all the dust and grease out of there before you start applying the mastic. Use a brush or trowel to put it around the hole. The tool you use should depend on the size of the hole or crack; make sure it's small enough that you can get it all in there.
If you've got a small crack or hole, just applying mastic will be enough. If it's more than about a quarter inch, you're going to need something more. In that case, it's alright to use tape but use two layers. Make sure it's sealed completely with mastic around the edges. You can also use a fiberglass connector if you never want to have to fix it again.
Once you're done, give the mastic some time to dry. It usually takes about thirty minutes, but you can speed the process up by using a space heater or a hair dryer. Make sure it's completely dry before you turn the unit on.
Keep Checking
Checking for leaks is a never-ending process. Keep checking because you often can't see them. You'll just notice that you're blasting your unit and you're still shivering! That's a sure sign that you've got a leak somewhere. You can detect your own leaks by turning on the unit and feeling around for heat coming out.
Although it's a DIY job for many folks, others find it much easier to just call the heating repair professionals when they've got leaks. You can always leave it up to the trusted professionals and let them take care of it.