Water damage – whether caused by leaks or condensation – can cause permanent structural damage to your mobile home and erode its strength. Water damage from poor or infrequent maintenance, neglect or general deterioration usually isn’t covered by insurance. So, it’s a good idea to prevent messy and costly damage by properly maintaining your home.
Start
with your roof
Corrosion or deterioration, wind and hail damage, and improper installation of vents, chimneys, flues, air conditioners, evaporative coolers, or condensers can all result in roof leaks. Your best option is to stop potentially damaging leaks before they start. Here are some precautions you can take:
Inspect the roof for defects or cracks. If you find any, clean the area and apply a compatible patching compound or sealant.
Rain gutters, downspouts and extensions should be cleaned and inspected for leaks or holes each year. Divert the downspouts and extensions away from your home.
All mobile home roofs should be checked once a year. When checking your roof, be careful where you step. To avoid damaging seals and seams, keep your weight directly on the rafters. If you have a bowstring or low-pitch rafter, place a plywood sheet across the rafter so you can distribute weight evenly.
Remove dirt, leaves, branches, and any other type of debris that may be found on your roof or gutter. Remove any item that may cause a puncture.
Metal roofs should be sealed with a good commercial mobile home roof coating at least every other year. An application of roof coating must be made around all vents and seams. Also, use coating along the drip edge of the roof. Cover all exposed screw heads, fasteners, and other areas susceptible to leaking.
Remember to inspect the roof and around vents and chimneys for potential leaks. Look for and correct loose, damaged or missing shingles, missing or damaged vent caps, raised nail heads, and anything else that looks potentially damaging.
Check
your home’s exterior
Outside walls, doors and windows need to be inspected each spring and fall for unusual wear or tear.
Repair or replace caulking, weather stripping, glazing, window seals, door seals, or any other exterior area that has been damaged by use, abuse or normal weathering.
Examine your exterior siding. Replace missing or damaged fasteners and punctured siding.
Remember to look under your home for sagging, torn or water-spotted bottom barrier and insulation. It may cause water lines to freeze and break.
Check the storm door closer and safety chain if your home has a storm door. If they are loose and not functioning properly, the storm door may blow open, allowing water to come in and cause additional damage.
Inspect exterior doors, especially wooden ones, for wear and tear, and cracking and fading. Check weather stripping and seals, as well as the sill and threshold, for signs of leakage or other damage. Using a flashlight around closed doors to see if the light shines through is a quick way to check for leaks.
Eliminate
excess moisture
Moisture and condensation can be a problem even in today’s well-built and insulated mobile homes. Increased insulation, upgraded weather stripping, and vapor barriers in walls and ceilings improve your home’s warmth and comfort. However, they can also result in excess moisture and condensation being trapped inside your home, especially if you have inadequate ventilation.
This unwanted moisture shows up as:
musty odors or damp, sticky floors
rusty stains around light fixtures
mildew along ceilings, walls, and baseboard edges, or dripping pipes
condensation on windows and cold areas
Good preventive maintenance
can help eliminate many moisture problems:
Keep inside air circulating with vents and fans to avoid condensation.
Fix dripping faucets and leaky toilets. In cold climates, water flowing down the drain under the home may freeze, causing water to back up into your home.
Many mobile home manufacturers recommend running your furnace fan continuously during the heating season.
Avoid condensation build-up during humid months; get a dehumidifier with a humidity control and automatic shut-off for when the collector pan is full.
Install storm windows to conserve energy and keep condensation from forming on windows.
Eliminate unwanted moisture that can be drawn into the sub-flooring of your by skirting the base of the home.
Take
a Look Inside
Obviously, a dripping pipe can cause water damage inside your mobile home. But you need to find the problem first. Listen for any unusual hissing sounds. This could mean there’s a pinhole leak in a water line within the floor or wall.
Periodically check hard-to-reach, seldom seen spaces, such as around water heater compartments, under sinks, and behind washing machines.
Look for wet carpeting and/or floor sag around toilets, vanities and bathtubs. This situation is almost always created by condensation or a plumbing problem.
Look for discolored floor coverings or subfloors that are usually signs of leakage problems.
If you discover evidence of interior water damage, correct the problem immediately.
If your water supply has over 80 pounds of pressure, consider having your repair person install a pressure regulator to help control high water pressure that may allow lines to rupture or leak.
Follow
these tips in an emergency
In case you experience severe, sudden and accidental water damage to your mobile home, take the following precautions until help arrives:
Shut off water source if possible.
Try to protect your property from further damage. Perform temporary, reasonable and necessary repairs. For example, cover openings in the roof or walls with plywood or plastic. Move household items and valuables to an undamaged area, or cover them with plastic.
Mop and blot up or wet vac as much water as possible.
Make small holes in sagging ceilings to get rid of trapped water. Place a container underneath to catch the run-off. Don’t turn on ceiling fixtures if ceiling is wet.
Remove oriental or other colored throw rugs from wet wall-to-wall carpeting.
Don’t leave books, magazines, wet fabric or other colored items on wet carpeting. Prop up wet cushions for even drying.
Place wood blocks or aluminum foil between furniture legs and wet carpeting to prevent damage to the furniture.
Wipe excess water from wood furniture and open drawers and cabinet doors to aid in faster drying.
Do not use your household vacuum to remove water, and don’t use other appliances while standing on wet carpets or floors to avoid hazards of electrical shock.
If you're insured by Foremost, call the Claim line at 1-800-752-2461 to see if this is a covered loss. Water damage from poor or infrequent maintenance, neglect or general deterioration isn't covered by insurance.
Outside walls, doors and windows need to be inspected each spring and fall for unusual wear or tear.
Obviously, a dripping pipe can cause water damage inside your mobile home. But you need to find the problem first. Listen for any unusual hissing sounds. This could mean there’s a pinhole leak in a water line within the floor or wall.