Recipe for Failure - Do Not Use Duct Tape on Ducts

Duct tape was created by Permacel in 1942 as a waterproof sealing tape for ammunition boxes. Permacel, then a division of Johnson & Johnson developed a tape with a fabric backing for strength and a tacky rubber-based adhesive to seal out water. Apparently, soldiers began referring to the tape as "duck tape" due to its waterproof properties. Another explanation for its early name is the fact that cotton duck fabric was used for the tape's backing layer.

As housing construction boomed following the war, additional civilian uses for duct tape were quickly discovered. One of its most popular uses was connecting heating and air conditioning duct work and soon the color was changed from army green to a more appropriate silver-gray. The term duct tape quickly followed.

Later, research was conducted at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Environmental Energy Technologies Division to determine which sealants and tapes provide an effective and durable duct-sealing solution. Ironically, common duct tape fared extremely poorly becoming brittle and failing to maintain an airtight seal when subjected to realistic test conditions. In fact, most state building codes now prohibit the use of any fabric-based tape with rubber adhesive to be used on ducts.

Nevertheless, duct tape has became one of the most versatile household tools as demonstrated in Eskimo Tailor's 2003 The Duck Tape Song and The Hickory Nuts' 2007 smash hit Duct Tape (Folks can buy their very own copy of The Hickory Nuts' CD entitled Boxin' Possum which includes the entire Duct Tape song by contacting Steve Gale at Gale's Chimney Rock Shop in Chimney Rock Village, NC. Call 828-625-4126 and order yours today!!)