Insulating a mobile home is an art, one that requires very little knowhow. There are many books, internet articles, and radio shows that offer tips on how to insulate a mobile home.
Some of these tips include using resistant paper, mixed material, or no material at all in your insulation. Other tips include using non-conductive materials such as carpet instead of foam or clay instead of stone.
In this article, we will talk about how to use mixed material in your insulation. Couching is another tip that belongs in this article too! Couching can save you a lot of labor-time and energy when doing your job.
Contents:
Seal all air leaks
While it is nice to have a few air bubbles coming through the insulation, it is much more effective to seal all air leaksarella all air leaksantage. This helps to prevent the heat and cold from escaping through these small gaps.
This also helps to save money as you will need to buy more insulation later on when the temperature changes, or if you have a large roof top. It is also important to check your insulation regularly. Remember, money is not the only thing that counts when you are looking for an efficient insulation solution. Safety is also considered as well as there being no danger of someone falling through the cracks.
When checking your insulation, look for loose particles, see if it is heating and cooling properly, and see if it is moving or shifting with the temperature of the weather.
Use insulation kits
Insulating a mobile home isn’t for the faint of heart. As you see in bullet point above, Mobile homes are large, mostly insulated spaces that can be useful for entertainment and relaxation.
However, as we point out in bullet point above, there is a cost to this comfort. If you have a very hot or cold climate home, you can invest in heat/cooling insulation. Doing this will lower your monthly bills as it lowers the temperature of your home, and increases the resistance of your heat/cooling system.
As we discuss in this article about how to insulate a trailer, use what you have when possible to save money! Use sheet rock screws instead of wing nuts to hold up your insulation, and cover any windows with heavy blankets to prevent any heat loss.
Use spray foam insulation
Instead of hiring a contractor to add insulation to your mobile home, you can do it yourself! It’s called spray foam insulation, and it’s very easy.
It was a major factor in the recent rise in DIY home improvement projects, so there are plenty of resources online to teach you how to do it. Just look!
Spray foam is a great way to insulate your mobile home. The right product can be added at the same time as air quality windows and doors, or you can purchase extra pieces for touch-and-go insulation.
When using spray foam as insulation, there are some important parts that you must know and practice properly. Doing it wrong can lead to poor air quality in your unit, damaged homes or vehicle structures, and even death or serious injury!
This article will discuss some important points that must be made when using spray foam as insulation. We will also discuss some tips on how to achieve proper coverage and touch-and-go insulating effectiveness.
Check your furnace filter
Every year, your furnace must be checked and cleaned. This can be done by opening the unit and taking off the cover. Or you can simply check it when the temperature is high- around +100°F/37°C).
When your furnace is clean, it can be used until the next year without being repaired. But if you have a filter, it needs to be replaced every winter. There are special replacement filters, which are more effective.
So before winter starts, get out the old one and buy a new one. Or you can buy a special winter heating system, which has a built-in filter.
Clean or replace your windows
As mentioned earlier, mobile home windows can be susceptible to warm air coming in and out. This is what makes the side doors cold when you are inside!
To prevent this, you must install proper double-pane window insulation. Most companies will let you test your windows to see if they are adequate, which is great!
If your windows are not adequate, then the insulation will help in protecting your mobile home from heat and precipitation loss. Another tip would be to purchase double-paned windows that are reinforced with wood or plastic casings so they do not break off easily.
As mentioned before, roof insurance is a must. If your mobile home has little or no insurance on it, then it is time to buy new insurance! Fortunately, we can help you with your roof if needed.
Repair cracked plaster
One of the most important things to do when insulating a mobile home is to repair cracked plaster. This protects your home from heat and cold spots.
Mobile homes are not legal in many areas and it may be illegal to have cracks in the plaster. If you need to replace the insulation due to solar power or heat, then doing this before installation is very important.
At Solar Home Builders, we recommend using an air-sealer instead of a water-sealer for insulation. The air-sealer prevents water coming into contact with the paper backing, which would possibly prove disastrous if the temperature changed.
When installing the insulation, we recommend using medium-fused fils (medium strength) because if one were too strong, it may have caused unwanted hot or cold spots within the insulation. We also recommend cutting some of the paper backing away so that it does not block any openings for heat and cooling.
Use a blanket or rug over your heat source
If you have a AC unit or heat source in your mobile home, you can use a similar process to insulate your home. In most cases, you lay a thick blanket or rug over the heat source to protect it.
To prevent your mobile home from freezing up, you must apply and remove the blanket and rug for winter weather. The blanket should be removed before snow falls as the frozen snow would not detach easily.
If your mobile home does not have an AC unit or heat source, then you can still reduce the chance of frostbite by using a blanket. Just remember that these must be thicker to prevent heat loss!
Use one at night when the temperature is low so that your heat source is insulated against the winter weather.
Install a programmable thermostat
A programmable thermostat allows you to set the temperature in your mobile home at any setting between on and off. This can be a huge savings when using one!
The programmable thermostat comes with different preset temperatures for every room in your mobile home. You can set the temperature to your desired temperature without changing the schedule on the thermostat.
This is great for people who need to be alerted to a certain temperature in the hot summer days or cold winter days. It also lets you know if the thermostat is failing or not, since it will tell you what temperature it thinks you need to be.
If you are looking at buying a programmable thermostat, there are some major things to look for.