Switched from foam to rubber gaskets for duct returns and now my AC actually works

My buddy kept telling me the foam tape on my return ducts was trash but I ignored him for like 6 months. Finally grabbed a roll of rubber gasket material from Grainger for $12 and replaced the seals on three returns in my own house. The foam had compressed so much there was a quarter inch gap pulling hot attic air. House temp dropped 4 degrees after I fixed it and the unit cycles half as much now. Anyone else had foam seals just fail after a season or two?

3 comments

3 Comments

charles_coleman23h ago

Haven't you found foam can work fine if you get the higher density stuff like neoprene? I think a lot of people grab the cheapest soft foam and that's where the problems start.

matthew3711d ago

Did a friend's foam seals turn to dust in like two summers?

felixlane1d ago

Oh man, reminds me of when I left a cheap camping chair out for one winter and the armrest fabric just disintegrated when I touched it. Foam and plastic these days really don't hold up like they used to.