DIY duct sealing gone wrong
It failed the test, I missed some spots, and the tape wasn’t holding on as firmly as I thought.
Our HVAC tech taught us several heating maintenance activities we could do ourselves. This has always saved us money we spend on home services with the local heating dealer. So, in my search for more budget-friendly solutions, I came across a guide on how to service the ductwork issues independently. It listed what I needed to do to see if any problems could be fixed through duct sealing. I did the inspection, thinking how much of a self-qualified HVAC serviceman I was, when I found the cracks that would need to be sealed. My first mistake was thinking I could seal them with duct tape. I didn’t even go to the local heating industry expert for advice on what to use, and I followed random online advice. It was one thing checking the function of a digital thermostat and another to think I was a heating device expert. The sealing didn’t work. The heating technology expert came around to service the furnace and heat pump, and I mentioned what I had done. I was super proud of myself. He offered to do a text to check if what I did was effective. It failed the test, I missed some spots, and the tape wasn’t holding on as firmly as I thought. I had to pay more for the heating repair because the technician had to remove the tape I had put over the ducts and try to fix it as it should have been done without causing further damage. That marked the end of my trying to do any repairs for myself, no matter how financially enticing they sounded. I am lucky I didn’t think of handling the entire heating technology repairs for myself because the damage would have been extensive and expensive.