Keep the Weather outside this year, with Mobile Home Insulation by Akron Home Insulators
Mobile Home Insulation with loose fill fiberglass and an Underbelly
Mobile homes are a different kind of home, from their infrastructure to placement, everything is done differently when compared to their traditional counterparts. Because of these differences, the approach to insulating a mobile home must be done differently as well!
Mobile homes are more exposed to the outdoors and the elements, they are often constructed separately and then placed in its final location, rather than built in place. Since mobiles homes are set in place, and connecting directly with the ground would cause the floors to constantly be cold, they are placed 2 to 3 feet above the ground, on supports. This leaves more of a crawlspace underneath, where a basement would traditionally be found.
When insulating any home, we create what is called a 'Thermal Envelope'. This means that on all sides the home is insulated, providing the central living spaces the most stable temperatures. In mobile homes, we insulate the bottom of the home with loose fill fiberglass, covered with an underbelly, to seal in the most comfortable temperatures. We also wrap all pipes and ducts below the mobile home to ensure that energy is not escaping from any source!
Done with Drafts?
What exactly is an underbelly??
We're glad you asked! A proper underbelly is a woven paper/polythene liner that not only holds the loose fill fiberglass insulation in place, but also provides breathability, so that moisture is able to escape, instead of creating mold patches in your insulation. An underbelly is critical for proper insulation and upkeep of the thermal envelope in a mobile home.
The industry formerly used fiberglass batts underneath mobile homes, with support wires holding them in place every 12 to 16 inches. This method was found to be flawed. The fiberglass batts absorbed moisture from the ground, rain fall, and humidity. They gained weight that was too much for the wire supports to hold and started to succumb to gravity. This meant insulation literally fell out of place and ruined the thermal envelope.
We have also seen, and this is found more in the DIY spaces, people would use materials other than a proper woven underbelly. We have seen weed barriers used as underbellys, scrim cloth (which is similar to a potato sack, or woven linen) used as an underbelly, and even plastic tarps and foil liners. These are not the proper tools for the job and lead to other issues such as mold, rodents, and bug infestations.
Ventilation and Breathability - Two important features that need to be present in Mobile Home Insulation
We have spoken about how insulation, and the home they are in, need to be able to 'breath out' vapors, to prevent mold from forming. This is where venting comes into play. Venting is needed in areas of high humidity in mobile homes, areas like the bathroom, where hot water vapors need to escape. Akron Home Insulators will install vents in your bathrooms with fans leading to the outside to vent moisture. We also provide skirting with ventilation holes to allow moisture to escape, and to keep rodents out! Skirting also provides a better aesthetic to the home as whole, hiding the pipes and blocks located underneath mobile homes.
Just a touch of spray foam to finish up Mobile Home Insulation
Finally, to apply the finishing touches, we apply spray foam around the base of the supports that hold up the mobile home. This is to ensure that the supports are not exposed to any water. Because the supports are often made from stone, that makes them susceptible to water absorption, which destroys stone over time with the freeze and thaw cycle. Spray foam around the base of the support solves this problem and will leave your supports lasting.
If you own a mobile home in or around Akron Ohio, call Akron Home Insulators for a free quote and inspection. Learn how much more comfortable your home could be this year! Call today 330-352-4456. After hours you can send us a message at any time with this contact form, thank you!
