If you must turn to strangers on the net because you dis-trust people you hire,you have a much larger problem than water in your ducts.

A few corrections on the above posts. >It surely is asbestos. It is impossible to tell by sight whether a material is asbestos-containing. Only a lab test can do that. That said, one should always assume that it IS asbestos and treat it as such unless you do a lab test. >Begin by getting the best dust mask you can find at the hardware store. The mask you use should be rated 'HEPA' or have a 100 in the code (P-100 for example). Note, it is not the larger fibers but the tiniest ones that do damage to the lungs. Don't skimp on the mask. David R's description is pretty good but includes triple cleaning of all surfaces BEFORE the removal and no cleaning of the room AFTER the removal. I would clean after. >Call your city hall and ask where you can dispose of household hazardous waste properly. Follow their directions. >Which is the city dump, and you'll be charged 200% the normal rate. When the bags are taken to the dump, your name and address will be logged and now there is a paper trail connecting your name/address to asbestos disturbance. In the US, federal law exempts homeowners from many hazardous waste laws and regulations (and from asbestos abatement licensing requirements, if they do the work themselves). The concept of Household Haz Waste is actually an exemption from regulations for homeowners, not a bunch of special requirements on homeowners. Cities want to keep HHW OUT of the landfill if possible, so they ask people to voluntarily separate it and take it where it can be recycled/disposed safely. As for asbestos, a landfill is the one best place for it and there is no reason to divert it. It should be double or triple bagged AND labeled "Caution - Asbestos" and disposed with your regular household trash. You don't have to take it to the landfill yourself. That's federal rules; local ones may vary, so if you have questions, call whoever is responsible for your trash disposal and ask them what to do with X amount of asbestos removed from your house. You don't have to give them your address to ask questions, if it makes you feel better. I hope by now it's obvious that the 'disturbance', if done by the homeowner in a way that does not expose neighbors, the public or trash collectors, is completely legal and there should be no repercussions to anyone finding out that you did it. Just be safe. And if it's in good condition and hidden away from traffic/damage/etc. that would release fibers, it's fine to clear coat it and leave it alone. IMO that pic shows damaged/poor condition material and I would probably remove what I could easily access just to be rid of it. Very carefully. Or, you know, you can always test each separate material in your house at a lab for a few bucks, and if it's NOT, you can quit worrying about it! [If it looks the same on all the registers, it most likely is the same, so one sample is sufficient]

Did you actually cut through the tape? My experience is that tape similar to this readily absorbs water and is very easy to remove as a mushy pulp, without releasing fibers into the air. You have to pre-wet it with soapy water and keep it wet. It would then need to be double-bagged and disposed of legally. You could remove some in this way and get to a lab to verify if it is asbestos containing.

When getting bids to replace a furnace and AC system, I also wanted to have my hard ducts sealed and covered with new insulation. While under the house (house on a hillside, walk-in crawl space) with a contractor, he pointed out similar material for each of the dozen plus supply vents. I asked him if he could remove it and he said "We're allowed under law to remove only up to 8 square inches of this stuff. If there's more, you need to call in an asbestos removal company". I said "So I guess I'll need to arrange for that too?". He winked, smiled and said "I think there's less than 8 square inches here in total, we can safely do it and properly dispose of it". Of course there was more than 8 square inches on each boot. I'd have it removed by whatever means needed. I also had something like asbestos tape visible on joints of the exhaust ducting for one furnace and a water heater - I had them cover that with new high temperature duct tape. I've also heard that it's of no concern if left undisturbed but better to remove it if possible, to eliminate future conversations when it's time for you to sell the house.