Preparing for your mobile home floor insulation
Inspect your mobile home flooring
First, inspect the underside of your mobile home to check for damages like holes or water buildup in the flooring. If you find any damages, repair them before you add insulation. Also, remove any existing insulation. If you find any holes, you can fill them with insulation stuffing or wood cutouts to seal them. For accumulated water, dry it up completely to prevent mold growth before you insulate your floor.
Take precautionary measures
Make sure there is as much space as possible before installing insulation. Place insulators over any plumbing and wiring. Consider switching off the water and power supply to prevent any accidents.
Most manufactured homes come with fabric road barriers or fiberboards to protect the home’s undercarriage while transporting units. In order to install mobile home floor insulation, you’ll need to remove the fiberboard barrier. Don’t forget to reinstall it once you’ve put in the new insulation.
Purchase insulators
You can buy any floor insulation as long as it has sufficient R-value. You will place the insulators at the floor joists on the underside of your mobile home starting from the front of the main beams towards the end.
Installing your mobile home floor insulation
Before insulating your floor, lay a moisture barrier beneath your mobile home so that it can prevent the ground moisture from infiltrating the insulation. Besides that, it will be easier to lie on a barrier than on the plain ground. A suitable barrier would be a polyethylene plastic sheeting. Start insulating at the ends of the first and second joists with the paper backing turned down. Secure the backing by stapling the ends to a wood frame then attach wires to secure it even further. Continue with the same process until you finish with the rest of the insulators.
Be sure that the wiring, plumbing and duct tape runs below the bottom of the insulation so the insulation layer can be continuous. You can use insulation butts that have vapor barriers and install them with the barrier facing either up or down, depending on where you live and the kind of weather you experience. Make sure that the butts are cut to the right width so that they fit perfectly. Any gaps in the insulation could be passageways for cold airflow.
Reconnect wires and plumbing
Once you finish, you can reconnect the pipes and wires you had previously disconnected. Use silicone sealants to close plumbing lines and insulate the plumbing and ductwork with wrapping insulators as well. Cover the wrapping insulation with duct tape afterward.
Cover the insulation
Next, cover the insulation with fabric or plastic fabric sheeting to reduce condensation. Regardless of the type of fabric, it is important because it will prevent cold drafts from seeping through your insulation.
Reattach the road barrier
Finally, reattach the road barrier the same way you removed it. Make sure you secure it as best as possible and if damaged, replace it and install it. If you leave this step undone, you may end up with unwanted critters living under your home.
Insulating the crawlspace
Insulating your crawl space will save you from high energy costs and will increase the comfort of your home. The insulation of your crawl space will depend on whether it has proper ventilation or not. If your crawlspace is unventilated, you should seal and insulate the foundation wall. If you manage to avoid issues associated with ventilated crawlspaces, you will require less insulation and air sealing will be much less critical.
Reduce energy costs with a mobile home floor insulation
These are just some of the steps you can take when installing mobile home floor insulation to enhance the comfort of your home and reduce energy costs. Mobile homes are more susceptible to losing heat compared to traditional homes so make sure you insulate your home well.
