If you live in a mobile home, it's going to need to additional maintenance. Mobile homes are susceptible to damage that won't affect standard brick-and-mortar homes that are built on concrete foundations. To protect your home, and prevent serious damage, you need to know how to care for it. Here are three things you'll need to do to protect your mobile home:
Test the Shut-Off Valves
Unlike brick-and-mortar homes that are built on a concrete foundation, your mobile home has plywood flooring. That makes it susceptible to water damage. To help avoid water damage, your home should be equipped with shut-off valves on each of your toilets. Those valves allow you shut the water off immediately, in the event of a problem. To prevent flooding that could destroy your plywood flooring, you need to test your shut-off valves once every couple of months. Flush the toilets, and then turn the water off at the shut-off valve. Your toilets should stop filling with water as soon as you turn the shut-off valve to the off position. If your toilets continue to fill, you'll need to have your shut-off valves replaced as soon as possible.
Keep it on Firm Ground
Your mobile home is installed on heavy-duty jacks. Those jacks hold your home in place. When your mobile home was first set-up, workers made sure that it was level. However, over time, your mobile home can settle, and the jacks can slowly sink into the soil. During the settling process, your mobile home can stop being level. When that happens, your walls can crack, and your doors and windows can stop opening, and closing properly. To avoid those problems, you should check to make sure that your home is level at least once a year. If you notice settling problems, you should have someone come out and adjust the jacks.
Protect the Underside
The skirting around your mobile home does more than just beautify your home, and hide the unsightly jack stands. It also protects your home from pest invasion, dead air space, and moisture problems. Unfortunately, if your skirting isn't properly ventilated, it can actually cause dead air space to develop, and encourage moisture problems. To prevent dead air space, and moisture buildup, you'll need to make sure that your skirting is properly ventilated, and that it's in good condition. Check your vent covers to make sure they're clean, and always repair your skirting as soon as damage occurs.
Contact a company that offers mobile home supplies for more information and assistance.
