While working behind an interior wall to reattach our dryer exhaust duct, we noticed that there is a gap in a terminal run in our HVAC duct system. This is a 6" round run that starts from a rectangular duct, then runs about 17 feet. The exhaust grill at the terminal of this run has never output any cool or warm air since I moved into my condo about six years ago. We figured that it was better to cap off the run than it was to keep heating and air conditioning behind the walls.
I capped the duct by taking a square piece of cardboard, covering it with foil tape, and then securing it with foil tape to the 6" round opening in the rectangular vent. I don't think that the heat during the winter will get got enough to ignite the cardboard behind the foil tape. Am I wrong?
Also, I had a new heat pump installed a year and a half ago. During this process, I mentioned closing the exhaust vent in the bedroom because the direct air flow bothered my fiancee when we slept. The installer told me not to block off vents, for some reason I don't really understand. So, I stopped blocking off the vents. Now, I wonder, if blocking off this 17-foot run is going to have the same negative effect (whatever it was) that the HVAC professional warned me about. As an aside, I mentioned the evidently non-functioning exhaust duct to the installer, and he just kind of shrugged his shoulders.
I plan to get someone out to repair the duct run, but money is very tight right now. I'd love to know people's thoughts on my solution and maybe an estimate on how much time I have before it becomes a problem. Would it be better to continue heating a cooling inside the walls? Especially since we've reconnected our dryer exhaust duct with the exterior vent, and we no longer functionally have a big hole in the exterior wall?
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