As a native Floridian I believe it is my G-d given right to walk around the house in a t-shirt, shorts and flip-flops. Well that belief is hitting up against my fear of high gas bills and after much wishing that the house wasn’t as cold as it was, I turned on the heat. The heated floor in the kitchen is on and the main boiler is on. I need to finish installing some weatherproofing measures to keep the cold out for another winter, and I believe some measures will include our friend, duct tape.
Winter, which on record I hate (I tell you seasons are overrated) makes me appreciate the radiators. There is nothing better than grabbing your coat, scarf and gloves that have been sitting on a radiator, putting them on before going outside. It’s that just out-of-the-dryer goodness.
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Duct tape isn’t what you’re after – you want to get proper insulation tape, which includes a radiant barrier, so it’s got insulation value of its own – duct tape does not. Never ever use duct tape on ducts or anything else you really want sealed – this isn’t the 1950’s anymore.
UL-181 tape, which comes under various brand names is nearly always silver and sort of feels like aluminum foil (though sticky on one side). It can be found at any good home DIY store and will be a vastly superior weather sealant (or duct sealant) than duct tape could ever imagine being.
You might find this factsheet useful:
http://www.southface.org/web/resources&services/publications/technical_bulletins/AS-Airsealing%2000-767.pdf
As well as any of the rest:
http://www.southface.org/web/resources&services/publications/factsheets/sf_factsheet-menu.htm