You’ve made your manufactured home into the cozy, charming place you want it to be. Everyone who visits you comments on how home-like it is. It’s become your dream house and accommodates your needs perfectly. Just when you think you can sit down and put your feet up, however, you discover something alarming. Your home has developed moisture problems!
HOW TO DRY OUT UNDER A MOBILE HOME : HANDLE MOISTURE PROBLEMS
There are many possible reasons for the development of moisture problems in your manufactured home. Therefore, finding out the actual source of the moisture should be one of your top priorities. Check out these tips if you want to stop condensation in your mobile home:
HUMIDITY
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.
The problem with too much humidity is that it leads to condensation on your walls and ceiling. Condensation in these areas will eventually leave behind water stains and mold. Obviously, you don’t want either of those things in your beautiful home, so you’re looking for a solution that will work now.
You can start by keeping your thermostat at about 75 degrees if your outdoor climate is hot or humid. If that doesn’t work, you can place a dehumidifier in your home during the summer. A dehumidifier will help control your humidity levels.
Ventilation is also a key component in controlling the humidity levels in your manufactured home. If you’re about to cook dinner or take a bath after a long day, remember to use your home’s exhaust fans. If your manufactured home has no exhaust fans, or they aren’t in working order, it’s a good idea to purchase and install some as soon as possible.
For some extra air circulation, you can open a few windows. By utilizing your exhaust fans and the simple gift of fresh air, you’ll be able to provide better air circulation within your home, instead of leaving all that moisture-filled air trapped inside.
CRAWL SPACE MOISTURE
Another common cause of moisture problems in manufactured homes is the issue of excess water in the crawl space area. There are a few ways this typically happens.
Like the interior of a manufactured home, a crawl space may also begin to develop condensation. This can even happen in a crawl space that has adequate ventilation. In fact, the vents installed in your crawl space might actually be causing the problem.
When air seeps into your crawl space through the vents, it cools off. Because cold air can’t contain as much water as warm air, its relative humidity climbs. (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.
As counterintuitive as it sounds, the solution to this problem is to seal up your crawl space. You’ll need to make sure that no outside air is getting in.
Condensation isn’t the only moisture problem that threatens your crawl space. You might notice your home becoming unlevel, or seeming to sag. This could be a result of standing water underneath your home, often caused by a water runoff into your crawl space.
To combat this, you’ll need to have your home’s site graded in such a way that any water runoff will flow away from your home rather than towards it. After you’ve done that, you’ll need to have your home re-leveled.
PREVENTION TIPS
Nobody wants to deal with mold in their home, and you’re no exception! If you want to end your moisture problems before they even get a chance to flare up, these easy prevention tips are for you.
Do your research before you decide how you want your house built. If you can find out the common causes of moisture problems in your area, then you can design your home to combat those problems effectively.
Before your home is set on it, look at your site to see if it’s been properly graded.
Install a vapor barrier in your crawl space, as it will help deal with excess moisture.
Once your manufactured home is fully assembled, seal any cracks that let in outside air.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Now that you know some of the common causes of moisture problems in manufactured homes, you’re ready to hunt down the source of your moisture issues! Hopefully, you can also use some of the prevention tips to make your home more moisture-proof. Soon, you’ll be able to sit down, relax, and think about what project you’re going start on next!
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