Living in a mobile home may be convenient and even beneficial in terms of some sort of economy, however, the majority of their owners often bring up the common bane which is the very same issue about these homes: heating underneath a mobile home in winter.
When you live in a mobile home, once winter comes, you have to face the issue of frozen pipes.
This happens mostly because this type of home does not have anything for keeping its pipes warm during the cold season.
Moreover, pipes are located above the ground which makes them redisposed to freezing, cracking, leaking, etc.
So naturally, it makes sense to assume that mobile homes do need some sort of winter heating!
And this is what we are going to tell you about in this article. You will learn not only about heating underneath your mobile home.
In addition, we will tell you more about installing mobile home heat tapes, and also we will share a few handy tips on what you should avoid when preparing your mobile home for winter.
All You Wanted to Know About Heating Under Your Mobile Home
If you have already faced an issue of keeping your trailer warm during the winter, you probably know how troublesome it can be to deal with those constantly freezing pipes!
This is why, if you are wondering about how to keep a mobile home warm during winter, here is what you can do:
- Think of prevention first of all if you are looking for the ways to add heat underneath your trailer. For example, you can add insulation around the home’s skirt and do your best to avoid drafts. It will help you to lock heat in.
- Try to have a reliable heat tape around your mobile home’s main water lines as well.
- In case you need some temporary heating while you are working underneath your mobile home, for instance, you can try out a heat lamp.
However, these are just some general suggestions and recommendations. If you want to make your mobile home really warm for the winter, this information will not be enough.
So if your major goal is to keep the underside of your mobile home as warm as possible during the winter, you definitely strive for that in order to keep your unprotected pipes warm.
Otherwise, if you don’t do this, you will have problems with water supply all the way through until spring comes and it gets warmer!
This is why, the best way to heat under a mobile home in order to keep your pipes safe and cozy is to make use of a thing that is called a heat tape. Heat tape is actually exactly what it sounds like.
It is an implement that looks like tape. It uses a wire in order to transmit heat both up and down the length of it. It is very convenient since you can place it near your plumbing pipes in order to prevent freezing more effectively.
However, heat tape can also work pretty well on almost any type of metal material down there which is another benefit of this thing!
When you are deciding what heat tape to buy, stick to the brands that were approved and certified by UL or CSA. Your tape must also have an automatic thermostat in order to be able to regulate the heat.
Of course, you would like to know how this tape is supposed to be installed. Well, this is exactly what we are going to tell you next!
How to Install a Heat Tape For Mobile Homes?
All right, you decided to get some more heat under your mobile home, and you choose heat tape as a solution.
Great! But now here is another question: how do you install it? If this is your very first time when you have to deal with heat tape, you might feel a bit puzzled. But no worries, we are here to help you out with that!
Moreover, installing heat tapes is not as difficult as you might think!
First of all, we would like to mention that most mobile homes will already have heat tape as a part of their underside when you first move in, so check this out before you decide to buy some tape for your home!
Who knows, maybe it is already there? However, since it is not always the case, here is what you will need to do in order to get started if heat tape does need to be installed:
- Make sure that there are no leaks in your home’s plumbing first. Once that is cleared, bring the heat tape close to the plug. While doing that, remember to check out your electrical equipment as well. It must not be frayed!
- Now, you need to run your heat tape along your home’s plumbing. Simply wrap it around the entire of your plumbing so you don’t end up with freezing patches. And remember: do not let the heat tape overlap itself, as it can cause a fire!
- Secure the tape in with the use of electrical tape. The process might be a bit messy, but it’s worth it since the job will be done well and properly then. And also, never try to cover your heat tape with insulation!
- Now, it is time to plug the heat tape in. From this very moment, you should have warmer pipes. The only thing you need to be cautious about is not to try and plug it into the extension cord. If you do this, it can cause fire!
- Once tape is installed, it doesn’t mean that it’s over forever. Remember to replace the heat tape every three to five years. And in order to make sure that everything is working well, we suggest you undergo an annual check-up on the installed tape long before winter comes, and frosts along with it!
So, as you can see, there is nothing scary or complicated about installing heat tape.
And if you do it, your mobile home will become much warmer during the winter causing you less trouble with pipes!
Related: How Long Does It Take For Pipes to Freeze And Burst?
What Is the Heat Tape For Trailers Alternative?
Since cold weather may become deadly for mobile homes, their owners often wonder what they can use in order to keep their living spaces warmer and in order to prevent any issues with pipes, etc.
And even though you already know that heat tape can help, sometimes, you might want to think of an alternative.
Why, you may be wondering? Well, to some of us, the most preferable freeze-preventing measures are those that don’t require much electricity and energy, see. This is why quite many owners of mobile homes keep on asking whether there are any alternatives to heat tape.
In fact, there are! One of the best alternatives to heat tape is the proper insulation around your mobile home’s pipes!
If you use anything like lines of foam or fiberglass wrapped around your pipes, it will help and prevent your water from dropping its temperature extremely low.
However, even though keeping your mobile home’s skirt intact and breeze-resistant can help to keep the warmth underneath the trailer better, most of us will need a bit more than just a draft-free skirt if we want to really protect our mobile home from freezing during the winter months.
This is why you should consider checking the winterization websites for more information on this subject!
Related: How Much Solar Power Do I Need For My RV?
Things to Avoid When Heating Underneath a Mobile Home
When people wonder how to keep a mobile home warm in the winter, they sometimes may run into some rather unusual, weird, and even dangerous ways!
This is why it is very important not only to be aware of how to keep your mobile home warm during the winter, but also how to keep it safe!
This is why we have prepared a few never-to-do rules for you that you must keep in mind.
Never ever do any of these things when heating underneath your mobile home for your own sake!
- Never even make an attempt to use a small fire underneath your mobile home in order to heat it! Even if the fire is tiny. Of course, this is common sense, but we still find it necessary to be mentioned. Fire, no matter how small it is, has no business both near and especially under your trailer, not even for a moment.
- Always use appropriate tools. There are several approved ways to help keep enough heat under the bottom of your mobile home. Those ways include heat tape, insulation, and insulation borders around your home’s skirting as well. So you should consider sticking to the checked and approved methods and ways since it is a smart way to go about things.
- As long as you are nearby and you are watching, it is allowed to use a space heater. However, never leave it alone under your mobile home being plugged in!
- Never try to funnel smoke into the bottom of your trailer. Using gas-burning items is also not a good idea because of the carbon monoxide poisoning!
You might be wondering now whether you need to heat underneath your mobile home at all. Well, here is what we can tell you about that.
When it comes to mobile homes, it is always all about location.
If the temperature in your area doesn’t drop below 30 degrees Fahrenheit, there is no need to add heat unless you want to.
Chances are that it will not even get cold enough to warrant much hullabaloo!
What to Do to Keep Your Mobile Home Even Warmer? A Few Handy Additional Tips
It’s great if you have a proper skirting that does not let cold winds and breeze cool down your trailer.
However, it is always good to have a few more tricks at hand to prevent even the tiniest chance of freezing your mobile home piping or freezing yourself!
In addition, with the use of several handy recommendations, you can make your mobile home much more electricity efficient!
And that is a great benefit since winter heating costs pretty much, especially for mobile homes.
- Consider installing under-pinning on your mobile home. This is a basic part of living in manufactured homes, but it is also often something that many owners tend to neglect and overlook! However, putting under-pinning on the mobile home will not only help you to improve the exterior of your trailer! In addition, it will prevent cold wind and sneaky winter breeze from blowing under the mobile home. And as you might already guess, restricting these winds can greatly help you keep the floor of your home warmer!
- Make your insulation stronger! It is sad to confess that, but the majority of mobile homes have quite poor insulation. And quite many don’t have it at all! This is why you need to make sure that your trailer is properly insulated for winter. Of course, it is going to be a time-consuming project that requires a lot of effort and quite a sum of money as well. But believe us, it’s worth it! With good insulation, you will forget about any problems with heat and keeping your home warm for years!
- Think about upgrading the windows in your trailer as well. Window frames that let cold wind in contribute very little to the overall warmth inside of the trailer. In addition, such cheap windows that most trailers have also let quite a lot of warmth out! So better replace those with good storm windows. They will surely keep your mobile home warmer and more energy efficient.
- Remember to inspect the heating unit of your trailer every year. We know, you can say that those units can work for years without the need of being inspected, but it is always better to check rather than to spend money and time on repairing or replacing later! If you spot any problems in advance, you will handle them easier, cheaper, and faster.
- Building a solar panel can also help in keeping your mobile home warmer during the winter months. We mean a regular cheap low-tech panel that uses sun rays in order to heat air temperature indoors.
With the help of these tips and life hacks, you will easily make your mobile home warmer during the cold winter days and nights!
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