Rant: Home Depot Duct Tape

I quick one this evening, just for the sake of generating content and developing good habits.

I was at the Home Depot a month ago buying supplies for a small HVAC project.  In the midst of looking for proper adhesives and binding substrates for some flexduct and associated boots, I could almost NOT find the appropriate code-approved tape and mastic and webbing and ties.  Sheesh, it was a battle.  Nearly all the tape they had in the aisle was not code approved and probably would have lastly a hot minute on that cold duct (or vice-versa). 

After 5 minutes of careful examination, I find it at the bottom right corner of an array of shiny foil nothing tapes. 

Disappointment reigned.  While code-approved tape probably have more to do with fire=rating than actual adhesive performance, nevertheless, complying with code should not be so hard.  Having ductwork that won’t leak in 1 year wouldn’t be so bad.

On the bright side, as long as folks keep using hat crap, I’ll have more of a retrofit marketing plan

There are a wealth of reports and studies about this, but for the n00b: http://www.lbl.gov/Science-Articles/Archive/duct-tape-HVAC.html

Embodied Carbon Footprinting Literature Review

A quick table and chart

---

Study	Description	Location	Square Footage	Projected Life of Home	Total Embodied CO2 (kg)	Embodied kg CO2/sq. ft.	Operational CO2--50 yr (kg)	Operational kg CO2/sq. ft.-yr
U. Mich[1]	Standard Home	Michigan	2450	50	81,795	33.39	931,486	7.60
U. Mich	Energy Efficient Home	Michigan	2450	50	79,992	32.65	294,463	2.40
CORRIM[2]	Home-Steel Structure	Minneapolis	2062	75	37,047	17.97	1,300,000	8.41
CORRIM	Home-Wood Structure	Minneapolis	2062	75	46,826	22.71	1,300,000	8.41
CORRIM	Home-Concrete structure	Atlanta	2153	75	21,367	9.92	762,500	4.72
CORRIM	Home-Wood structure	Atlanta	2153	75	28,004	13.01	762,500	4.72
Australia[3]	Median	Australia	1773	50	84,900	47.87	507,000	5.72
Australia	Max (Embodied)	Australia	3444	50	164,700	47.82	899,000	5.22
Australia	Min (Embodied)	Australia	980	50	56,800	57.99	238,100	4.86

 

[1] Blanchard, Steven, and Peter Reppe. Life Cycle Analysis of a Residential Home in Michigan. Report (University of Michigan. Center for Sustainable Systems), no. CSS98-05. Ann Arbor, Mich: Center for Sustainable Systems, University of Michigan, 1998. Internet resource.

[2] Life Cycle Environmental Performance of Renewable Materials in the Context of Residential Building Construction: Phase I Interim Research Report. Seattle, WA: Consortium for Research on Renewable Industrial Materials (CORRIM, 2002. Print.)

[3]Pullen, Stephen F. "Energy Used in the Construction and Operation of Houses." Architectural Science Review. 43.2 (2000): 87. Print. This study analyzes 25 homes of all ages and assemblies around Adelaide, Australia. Maxima, minima, and average results were calculated directly from the data provided in the paper.