What's Up With Duct Tape?

Publication Type

Journal Article

Authors

Abstract

It's been a couple of years since we last wrote about duct tape in the pages of Home Energy and it is time to revisit this ever-popular issue. When last we left duct sealant durability issues, the Energy Performance of Buildings Group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) had done an accelerated longevity test; we found that most everything worked except standard, cloth-backed rubber adhesive duct tape. In response, the State of California had limited the use of such tapes in new construction and manufacturers were considering developing new products. Several things have changed in the world of duct tape over the last couple of years. LBNL has completed another round of durability testing. There is a new version of Underwriters Laboratories (UL) 181B that now includes testing of the strapping that holds duct connections together. And there is a new American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) E2342-03 standard for testing the longevity of duct sealants.

Journal

Home Energy

Volume

21

Year of Publication

2004

Organization

Research Areas