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Tip of The Week
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November 17, 2007
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This week’s tip comes from our “Tight Makes
Right” file. |
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Well, the
cooler weather is here and, while the temperature drops, the price of keeping
your home warm just keeps rising. We
have talked about a lot of ways to save energy in the past but here is a tip
that will help save energy dollars in the winter and in the summer.
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| Unless your
house was built in the last few years you could be losing precious energy
dollars at every duct to vent connection in your home. The codes governing heating and cooling
ductwork installation have changed and it is now required that all joints be
wrapped with a duct tape and then sealed with mastic. Airtight makes right! In older homes “zip-ties” and duct tape are
typically what holds connections together.
Over time both loosen and the seal is broken allowing hot and cold air
to leak out of the duct. The big
culprits are the joints where your duct connects with a vent that feeds the
living space. |
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| The fix
here is pretty simple. You can purchase
a high quality duct tape (usually bright, reflective, silver) and re-wrap the
joints. Once a joint is wrapped use a 3”
flexible tape knife to cover the joint with mastic that is designed to seal the
ductwork. Both the tape and the mastic
are available at most any home center or hardware store. Get the latex base mastic. It is effective and much easier to apply and
to clean up. |
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| Tackle
one or two rooms a day until you get the whole house done. You’ll save money and improve the comfort
level in your home. |
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Thanks for visiting Ask John and Dave.com and we’ll see you
on the air,
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John and Dave
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If you would like to comment on this article or
have an idea for our Tip of the Week, contact us
at:
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questions@askjohnanddave.com
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