Not every job happens in a finished room. Today's work took us up into a Calgary attic, crawling between the trusses over blown-in insulation, to fix a problem most homeowners never see: a vent duct that had come loose from its flange where it connects to the roof.
What went wrong
Vent ducts carry warm, moist air from inside the house out through the roof. Where the duct meets the roof, it attaches to a metal flange. Over time that connection can work loose. Once it separates, the air no longer goes outside. It dumps straight into the attic instead.
In a Calgary winter that's a real problem. Warm, humid air hitting a cold roof deck turns into frost and condensation, which can lead to damp insulation, stained ceilings, and mould on the sheathing.
The fix: screws and aluminum tape
We pulled the duct back onto the flange and fastened it with several self-tapping screws so it can't slide off again. Then we wrapped the whole joint in aluminum foil tape. The tape seals the seam airtight and holds up to the temperature swings an attic goes through, which ordinary duct tape doesn't.
Putting the insulation back
To get to the duct we had to move some of the insulation, and this step matters just as much as the repair. The duct and the area around it need to be covered again, or the duct itself can frost up. We put the insulation back over the duct and raked it level across the area, so the attic has an even layer of insulation again with no thin spots or gaps.
The result
A small repair, done in a hard-to-reach spot: the duct is secured, sealed, and buried back under even insulation. Air now goes outside where it belongs, and the attic is ready for the cold months ahead.
Noticed frost in your attic, a damp ceiling spot, or a fan that doesn't seem to pull air? Get a free quote and we'll come take a look.