Best tape for insulation repair?

[rck]

The insulation they sell locally is beat up. What is the recommended tape for patching the facing?

Bob

[Pop]

It's at the place you bought the insulation from: They'll apply it when you bring it back and insist on getting what you paid for.

Pop

[rck]

In a perfect world, that's the way it should be, but our local store doesn't have anything better. I can exchange it for another ripped and torn roll and still be fighting with them for months. Not much the customer buys these days is any good anymore and that's just the way it is. No point in being a ball-buster, I need to get on with the job. Owens-Corning's web site says to use duct tape, but it seems like that might dry out after a while.

Bob

[Edwin Pawlowski]

I've used in where it had to last a long time and it has. Years. You can be comfortable with it.

[effi]

what is the facing on the insulation, paper or plastic?

do you know if the facing is a vapor barrier?

why is the facing so important to you? can you install it and get by without the facing?

any type tape just about will dry out if the insulation is going to be in an attic

aluminum foil tape used in a/c work might outlast duct tape in the attic stickiness-wise but again it seems any type tape will dry out in an attic if that is where your insulation will wind up

[rck]

Bob

Facing is Kraft paper vapor barrier. Insulation is in walls and ceiling. I'm taping to keep the vapor barrier intact. Aluminum foil tape is $$$ compared to duct tape.

Bob

[willshak]

On 12/5/2004 8:56 AM US(ET), rck took fingers to keys, and typed the following:

When my NYS house was built 20 years ago, they used plastic sheeting applied across the studs, wall to wall and floor to ceiling. This was applied after the insulation was in place and just before the sheetrock was put up. It doesn't matter whether the insulation is faced or not. The plastic sheeting provides the vapor barrier. The sheeting is available at home centers and comes in packages of 10' wide by various lengths. If you are doing a whole wall, or just a part of a wall, this could be a solution for your ripped facing.

[rck]

Sounds like a good solution. It'll also seal the seams.

Bob

[george washington]

replying to Pop, george washington wrote: hey whats the best tape for an insulator? Packing tape or duct tape??? 4 2 0

[Fred McKenzie]

Q: hey whats the best tape for an insulator? Packing tape or duct tape???

A: NO.

Of course it depends on what you are insulating against. For low voltage DC, say 1.5 to 12 Volts, it probably does not matter.

For high voltage or RF, either tape may break down even though it had no conductance at a lower voltage DC. Use a tape that was intended to be an insulator against the voltage you expect it to see.

Fred

[Fred McKenzie]

George-

Please forgive my ignorant response. I was having a bad day!

I think duct tape would be the best choice, since it was intended for a similar purpose. My concern about packing tape, is that its adhesive will dry out over a period of time, and it will eventually come unstuck.

Fred