I have a situation concerning the heating/cooling ducts in my home that I have a question or two about.
I have a moldy smell eminating from a register. Upon inspection of the duct work leading to this register, I find that this register's duct branches off of the main duct from the furnace. The main duct is rectangular in cross-section. The branch that gives off the moldy smell is round (6 inch I think).
An examination of the joint between the round duct and the main rectangular duct reveals that whoever did the work of making the original connection had to have been a complete amatuer. The round duct isn't even connected, or the connection has failed. The round duct appears to be merely inserted into a hole cut in the top of the rectangular main duct......no tape, sealer, screws, or any visible means of connection!!!!
I am going to fix this, but there is very little clearance to work in above the rectangular main duct. I intend to cut a new outlet on the side of the main duct, fit the proper fittings ( two 90 degree bends shaped into an _|`` form, which should redirect the airflow to the approximate position I need to reconnect the round duct), seal up the old outlet hole, demold the duct, and hook it all back together.
1) How do I best seal up the old outlet hole? I appears to be about a 7 inch diameter round hole on the top of the rectangular duct. I am thinking sheet metal, metal screws, and duct sealant caulking or a gasket will do the trick. Does anybody make a part specifically for sealing up old outlet holes as I have described? If so, who, and how do I get one? There is very little working room in there, so if a part is available that can easily be slipped in and secured, it would really hep.
2 About the mold.....I have been told clorine bleach will be best for washing out the old ducts (they are galvanised metal....so the mold will NOT be embedded) before I reinstall them. Is this correct, or is there some other type of product that I should use?
Thanks for any help. Dave