Duct tape

[Tony Pacc]

Got a new gas laundry dryer ,is it safe to use duct tape on the vent pipe I have ridged aluminum piping going outside wall,I know the pipe can get a little warm.Thanks

[Gideon]

I prefer the tape which is made from heavy aluminum foil.

[longshot]

or a pipe clamp

[Joseph Meehan]

No. Duct tape is worthless in area where there will be heat. It is not designed for long term use of any kind. It was originally designed for securing coverings over equipment while it was shipped in WWII.

Visit the heating and cooling department and secure some tape made for ducts. It comes in several flavors, but it generally has a shinny aluminum cover (metal not cloth) and the adhesive is covered with a tape that has to be removed and discarded.

Do not secure with screws. They collect lint on the inside of the pipe.

[longshot]

duct tape is not made for ducts.. brilliant !

[longshot]

maybe cause the bullets were flying overhead & when you reached doeb for more ammo, you had to "duck" to peel the tape off

[Brian]

HVAC or aluminum tape

[Travis Jordan]

You've got the time period right, but the usage wrong. The Johnson and Johnson Permacel Division made it for the U.S. Military during World War II, but the original use was to keep the moisture out of the ammunition cases. Because it was waterproof, soldiers referred to the tape as "Duck Tape."

[HeyBub]

If it works, it works. Try it. As Bluto said: "It don't cost nothin' "

Duct tape is certainly better than the alternative: WD-40.

[Joseph Meehan]

Trouble is it don't work.

[HeyBub]

Could be you're just not using enough.

[Joseph]

Have to agree with that, I used it to install 1000's of vents w/o incident over 20 years... but it also requires proper installation and straping to last the test of time.

Joseph

[Joseph Meehan]

Go back and take a look at a few of those installations that are two to five years old. Take a good look at the condition of the tape.

If you are doing 1000's. then I would guess you are working as a professional. Give your customers a professional job, spend the extra dollar or two and get the right stuff.

[m Ransley]

If I could find the "professional" that used regular duct take on my old dryer id kick him in the head , it is crap, get proper Foil tape.

[Joseph Meehan]

Standard duct tape uses an adhesive that can't handle the heat. It also does not last all that long just exposed to the air.

[Joseph]

Ok, not to argue but that was then and they've held up fine for 20 years. The dryer vents do not reach a temperature high enough to destroy the duct tape, at least not as long as I've been working on them. I believe it has to have been at least ten years ago now that duct tape was no longer allowed on duct. I now use venture tape, Caulk tape and heat tape. On dryer vents I now use heat tape (foil) and it is heated when applied to the pipe. Actually duct tape may still be allowed on dryer pipe here but haven't used it for quite awhile. About the only thing I use duct tape for anymore is to tape cuts and wounds... :)

Joseph

[Joseph]

I did use the high grade tapes, I would send it back anytime they tried to pawn of the cheap stuff on me. The loss of quality in duct tape may have been a determining factor as why some would last when others wouldn't and that may also be the reason it was is longer accepted as good enough for ducts.

Joseph

[Joseph Meehan]

I have seen the duct tape go bad in just a couple of years. Maybe you have been using a different duct tape than I, but mine sure does not last.

[HorneTD]

The proper name for duct tape is duct insulators tape. It was originally used to hold the cloth covers that were sewn in place over applied insulation while they were being sewn. Using the tape directly on the metal ducting has always been a misuse because the tape is combustible.

-- Tom H