How to Deal With Humidity Under a Mobile Home in Winter
Because most mobile and manufactured homes do not have solid brick and mortar foundations, the area beneath them, often called the crawl space, sits directly above the bare ground. This allows for moisture from the ground to travel upward into the home or to collect in the crawl space. This is not only bad for the wooden parts of the home, but it can be a breeding ground for dangerous mold and mildew which can cause respiratory problems, allergic reactions and other health complications. For all of these reasons, it is important to minimize the moisture and reduce the humidity underneath the home. Such humidity is more of a problem in the summer, but in warm climates it is a year-round concern, so a general strategy preventing crawl space humidity should be considered. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Clean fill dirt
- 6-mil polyethylene plastic ground sheet
- Waterproof plastic tape (optional)
- Bricks
- Perforated vinyl ground skirting
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Instructions
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Raise the level of dirt underneath the home and grade it smooth with a rake so that the ground level underneath the home is 6 to 12 inches above the surrounding ground level. This allows moisture to run off rather than sit underneath the home.
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Install a polyethylene sheet, as a moisture barrier, over the mound of dirt underneath the home. If you need to connect multiple sheets, be sure to use waterproof plastic tape. Secure the sheet with bricks.
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Install perforated vinyl ground skirting. Non-perforated skirting, which is standard, traps moisture similar to how a sealed plastic box would trap condensate. The perforated skirting will keep animals and children out from under the home, but will allow moisture to escape.
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Tips & Warnings
A small vent fan blowing out of a vent in the vinyl skirt can also help if there are grounded electrical sockets near the base of the home. However, any extension cords used should not be left sitting on the ground as they will create a short circuit if water does find its way underneath the house.
