Table of Content
- Insulation
- Crawlspaces and Skirting
- Bigger is Not Always Better (when choosing the right air conditioner or furnace for your home)
- Keep the Thermostat Set Above 75°F in Hot, Humid Climates
- Impact of Enhanced Drying and Remediation on Mold in Flooded Buildings
- Moisture Problems in Manufactured Homes
- Moisture Problems in Manufactured Housing
The mobile home should be in a location that you are happy with, whether it is in a park or on its own lot. Yes, mobile homes can be moved, but it is VERY expensive to do so. Skirting comes in all types from cement blocks to wood, aluminum or fiberglass panels.
This can cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars depending upon the extent of the tampering. Excessive duct system leakage also prevented adequate moisture removal. Three houses that we investigated had a portion of the duct system completely disconnected. One had a return duct that failed and was pulling most of its air from the crawlspace, which pressurized the house.
Insulation
Also, check on the condition of each vent register throughout the home. They should be in good condition and not bent or permanently closed causing reduced air flow to that room. SOLUTION – Often, the ductwork may need to be repaired, or in the worst case scenario, replaced. Follow this link to a our blog post on “How Much Does It Cost To Replace Ductwork In A Mobile Home?
Skirting keeps the elements out of and away from the underbelly of the home. Make sure that the ductwork is in good condition and clear of debris. Over the years, debris can accumulate inside the ductwork impeding air flow.
Crawlspaces and Skirting
Repair any damage skirting quickly to prevent problems that can occur with animals and the elements. When this happens, animals which might get under the homes through gaps in the plastic often get into the insulation to use for nesting material. They also might just have a field day spreading it around under the home; just for entertainment.
I usually keep mine at 72 in a traditional house but that is to keep the humidity at bay. You want to make sure it is properly vented outside of the crawlspace. To put it simply, there should be no standing water under or around your home. Sometimes, that means you need to install complex drain lines installed by professionals and sometimes that just means you need to dig a little ditch.
Bigger is Not Always Better (when choosing the right air conditioner or furnace for your home)
In a mobile home, insulation is found in the attic, outer walls and under the floor. The under-floor insulation is held in by what is known as the “belly wrap”. Insulation standards pretty much mirror those for site-built homes with R-30 or higher in the ceilings, R-13 in the walls. PROBLEM – When manufactured homes are built, the typically have an furnace and air handler unit built into a closet inside the home. This feeds the air down underneath the home to a central ducting system that distributes the air through floor vents in each of the rooms.
Once the home has been re-leveled, then check the doors and windows again. If the problems persist, then getting proper alignment can be done by a combination of things. First, you may be able to adjust the hinges to the door. Also, you may need to removing the trim around the door or window and use wood shims to adjust the door or window until it latches or moves smoothly. Homeowner Built Additions – Very common for a DIY type of owner to have built on a room, porch or shed.
Carpeted surfaces offer little resistance, and moisture passes into the home.Vinyl flooring, on the other hand, is impermeable and prevents moisture from passing into the home. But if the vinyl flooring is at or below the dew point temperature of the crawlspace air, condensation occurs on the underside of the flooring, creating a favorable environment for mold growth. (8% of the homes investigated) Negative pressures can also be created by the use of exhaust fans. In our inspections,we found only one home where the factoryinstalled, occupant-controlled ventilation fan ran continuously—and that home suffered moisture problems. In most manufactured homes the exhaust fan is not operated because of the noise that it creates. Another case we investigated involved the installation of a dualfan window unit.The owners had converted a bedroom into a pet care room and operated the window fans to control odor.
Buy a mobile home that built after the HUD standards went into place. These homes are built to much higher standards for all levels of construction from framing and insulation to plumbing and electrical. Problems occur when heavier structures are built using typical 2×4 stick built structures that tie-into the outer wall of the mobile home. If these structures add weight to the outer wall this puts added stress on the frame which can cause it to sag under the weight. Such structures, be it a shed, room addition or porch structure, needs to have its own support system transferring its own weight to the ground without using the mobile home structure. Generally wiring and electrical panels installed at the factory generally hold up well over time.
(Relative humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air relative to how much water the air is able to hold at its current temperature.) Eventually, the humidity level of the crawl space is exceeded, causing condensation. A very common cause of moisture problems in manufactured homes is humidity. What often happens is that the internal temperature of a manufactured home isn’t regulated correctly, which causes the interior of the home to become overly humid. Unfortunately, some other causes of humidity are often the parts of life that you don’t think twice about – things like cooking or taking a bath. By engaging in these activities, you’re adding extra moisture to the air inside your home.
When evaluating a mobile home for purchase, you need to be aware of the extent of the repairs that will need to be made. Another aggravating factor is the lack of return air pathways when interior doors are closed. When interior doors are closed, the bedrooms become pressurized and the main body of the house depressurizes.One house showed a positive pressure because of a disconnected main return air duct. The typical manufactured home experiences only supply leaks, since the return grille is normally located on the AHU.
If it does, then you can be sure that there are foundational issues going on beneath the home. It is always wise to get under the home and inspect the piers and tie-downs to ensure they are in good condition. Ceilings – Mobile homes with acoustical panels instead of drywall can be especially problematic if there have been leaks. It is often extremely difficult to find matching acoustical panels. This is especially true of older mobile homes that have metal rooftops. There are many things to consider when trying to prevent moisture damage in your manufactured home, this publication is a must read if you are a homeowner, installer, contractor or manufacturer of manufactured homes.
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