Living in an older-model mobile home can definitely come with its setbacks, especially during the winter season. From high heating bills to risks of pipes freezing beneath the home, there will be a lot of extra concerns to face with the onset of the cold-weather season. As the owner of an older-model mobile home, you should take the autumn season as a signal to start getting prepared for the cold days ahead to keep your costs low and your risks of other issues obsolete. Here is a quick list of supplies you should pick up for your mobile home before the first frost hits the ground.
1. Electric Water-Pipe Heating Cables—Electric water-pipe heating cables can be picked up at pretty much any retail or home-improvement store or mobile-home supply center. This electrified cable is specifically designed for use on water lines and bends and folds around pipes, and it plugs in to an outlet. Inside the cable are wires that heat up when the cable is plugged in. This heat is meant to keep these vulnerable water lines and drainage lines from freezing in the coldest days of winter. Because mobile homes are much more vulnerable to freezing pipes than other homes, this is one investment you can't afford not to make before it turns cold outside.
2. Rolled Insulation—Mobile homes lose a great deal of heat through the floor because there is no real foundation to the home. Because of this, heating a mobile home can be much more expensive. To combat this problem, it is best to make sure the underside of your home is well insulated. Invest in a few rolls of insulation and use a heavy staple gun to tack insulation to the underside of your home. Make sure you are careful to not staple any wires during the process. In the end, this extra layer of protection will keep your home warmer and help prevent frozen water lines in some spots.
3. Insulated Skirting - Most older mobile homes are set up with basic skirting around the base to give the home a completed look all the way to the ground. The only problem is that this skirting is most often merely thin sheets of tin or metal and don't offer much protection from the cold outside. So not only should you insulate the underside of the mobile home, but it is also a good idea to head to the mobile-home supply store and pick up some insulated skirting. This insulated skirting has a hefty layer of insulation, usually in the form of foam, to help keep that cold air out.
