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INTRODUCTION- to the Inspection of Mobile Homes
for Defects
Consumer Reports (2/98) points out common weak spots surveyed and
recommends that buyers hire a home inspector. But many inspectors are
not familiar with the special problems found in mobile homes.
PRIORITIES OF INSPECTION & Reporting of Mobile Home Defects
MOBILE HOME FIRE SAFETY - Fire Safety Defects in Mobile Homes
- Electrical
- Heating, flues, chimneys
- Safety Exits - doors and push-out windows
- Smoke detectors critical - short exit time for this construction
STRUCTURAL & SAFETY DEFECTS in Mobile Homes
- Movement (impacts electrical & flues)
- Storm Damage
- Floor Collapse (particle board, exterior & plumbing leaks)
MOBILE HOME LABELS - Mobile Homes and Manufactured Housing
Labels & Certifications
- INSTALLATION MANUAL - For new/recent mobile home, every
manufacturer is required to provide instructions on site
preparation, installation and anchoring.
- Manufacturer's CERTIFYING LABEL - on rear section
outside or near the main entry door, HUD Insignia
- DATA PLATE - near the main electrical panel or other
visible & accessible location (under sink for many
manufactured homes): name of mfg., serial and HUD ID, zone
information (see Structure discussion)
- DAMAGE DURING TRANSPORT: if the unit was damaged during
transport it no longer conforms to the standards and should
not be accepted by the code official;
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ROOFING DEFECTS - Inspecting for Mobile Home Roofing Defects
- 31% of mobile homes had roof problems; (C.R. survey)
- flat or near-flat, may be covered with conventional
shingles (slope too low)
- chimneys or plumbing vents "patched-over" so as to be
blocked
- dents and ponding and leaks at seams (patching with roof
cement fixes leaks but corrodes metal)
- roofs with no overhang: frequent leaks in walls at
windows or wall tops;
- Shingled roofs usually have overhang (added?); flat
roofs don't. Metal roof seams leak;
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EXTERIOR DEFECTS - Inspecting for Mobile Home Exterior
Defects
- usual site drainage requirements
- Building officials should have checked the home location
for proper setbacks from property boundaries etc. - a buyer
should be sure that this information has been reviewed and
that a CO is on file.
- The Building address needs to be visible from the road,
letters 4" high and reflective on contrasting background for
recognition of the property by emergency vehicles.
- steps and rails: need 2 exit doors/steps/rails, usual
step and platform issues; doors usually at either end of one
side or at opposite ends and opposite sides; 30 ft apart.
- Fire escape: assure functional second egress door,
steps, rails, etc. Have found doors that didn't open or that
opened to tall drops where deck was rotted and then removed.
- Missing stairs: there must be an exit platform and
stairway at every exterior door. We have found doors opening
to a 6' drop where a stair had never been installed or had
been removed because it was rotted.
- older units, bad leaky windows - beware: leaks into
walls invite rot and insect damage. Check the floor below
windows and doors, and inspect this area carefully from the
crawl space.
- skirt condition, missing, avenue for insect attack and
rodent entry. In cold climates a missing skirt can lead to
frozen burst pipes and related damage. find opening (s)
- site concerns: open septics; inadequate. frost
protection for supply or DWV; shared wells, shared septics,
possibly not tested nor maintained;
- Siding: vinyl preferred over metal or hardboard (C.R.)
- Site debris: may be unsafe, a sanitary or other Building
code violation, source of rodents, or otherwise a cost to a
buyer to have removed.
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FOUNDATIONS Common Mobile Home Foundation Defects
- Systems used: Perimeter concrete, concrete block; piers
and/or posts; concrete slab; piers and ground anchors;
permanent wood;
- Preventing frost damage: footings below frost; floating
slab; other engineered design;
- Preventing wind damage: ground anchors & ties; ties to
concrete dead men, footings, or foundation; other engineered
design;
MOBILE HOME PIERS - Mobile Home Pier Foundations
- slab preferred; assure good drainage away (risk
undermined piers); (Floating or on frost footings ok)
- missing or improper tie-downs against storm damage
(Northridge disaster & in FL); tie-downs may be driven or
screwed into ground; cables must be taut.
- improper masonry piers-blocks on sides, stacked debris,
removed chassis, water-undermined piers; footings/piers
often not below frost line; reinforced floating slab may
work ok;
- piers at excessive intervals (more than 6-8 feet and/or
closer than 3 ft. to the ends of the home)
- piers missing at large sidewall openings (sliders) or at
tip-outs or expanded units or under fireplaces.
- masonry piers: properly-stacked blocks, hardwood or
treated wood or concrete cap, shims; piers sit on 16"x16"x4"
concrete pad, precast or poured in place, or 12" x 20"
treated wood;
- Piers less than 36" high can be single-stacked 8x8x16"
block with the long 16" dimension perpendicular to the
frame;
- Piers 36" to 80" high and all corner piers of more than
3 blocks high shall be double-blocked with interlocking
alternating courses and capped with 5x16x16 solid concrete
block or equivalent;
- Piers more than 80" high must be double blocked,
alternating courses, laid in mortar and steel reinforcing
rods set in block cells and cells filled with concrete.
- NO more than 4" of wood in space between pier and frame;
No more than 1" thick shims and must be tight;
- metal stands (jacks) on soil surface likely to
shift/tip/settle; Steel piers should be on concrete soil
pads/footings;
- settlement: may show up in hard-to-operate
windows/doors;
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STABILIZING SYSTEMS - Tie Downs for Mobile Homes
DEFINITIONS:
- Stabilizing Devices: all components of the anchoring &
support systems
- Support System: combination of footings, piers, caps,
shims that support the home
- Anchoring System: system to resist overturning and
lateral movement
- Anchoring Equipment: combination of straps, cables,
turnbuckles, chains and tensioning devices.
- Anchor: device secured in the ground (Screw or other)
- Tie: cable, chain, strap and tensioning device; Diagonal
ties, or frame straps, at 45 deg. angle attach to main frame
at one end and to ground at other to resist lateral
movement; Ground anchor should be about at same angle as the
strap; May be vertical; Diagonal ties for double-wide units
are required only at outside rails of each unit; Vertical
straps or ground straps resist uplift and overturn, required
only for hurricane or wind zones;
- The number and placement of tie downs for mobile homes
and trailers depends on the wind zone in which the home is
located and the length of the structure. For example, a 65'
trailer would need 2 to 3 vertical tie downs per side, or 4
to 6 tie downs per side if diagonal tie downs are used,
depending on which wind zone it's in.
- Connection: the mobile home tie down is connected to the
steel I-beam at specific locations provided by the
manufacturer; typically strap wraps around the I-beam.
Tie downs are usually expected to be placed and connected
according to details provided in the mobile home installation
manual (have you ever seen one?). If you know your mobile home
or trailer model name and perhaps serial number, you may be able
to contact the mobile home manufacturer to ask for an
installation manual. |
MULTI-WIDE CONNECTIONS - Multi-Wide Mobile Home unit
connections:
- lag screws or through bolts at adjacent mate beams,
especially important if the manufacturer has support columns
under only half of the home;
- hinged roof connections require that king posts be
site-installed and metal uplift straps secured to the mate
lien wall and roof assembly once the hinged roof is up;
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WALL DEFECTS - Defects in Mobile Homes
- watch for furring strips and aluminum siding vs. real
2x4 or 2x6 studs 16"o.c.
- watch for short walls less than 7'6" (C.R.) - short
walls mean special short doors, furring strips means no real
insulation;
- Sheathing: OSB or plywood under vinyl; metal siding may
have no sheathing = weaker structure;
- metal siding: leaks at decorative railing/trim
(horizontal); leaks at doors and windows;
- hardboard siding: leaks at seams and joints; poor
material, short life;
CRAWL SPACES - Mobile Home Crawl Space Concerns
- openings, damaged insulation, leaking pipes, improper
plumbing and wiring
- violations of proper clearance to ground:
- 12" minimum beneath lowest frame member and ground in
area of utility connections;
- no more than 25% of the main frame can be less than 12"
above grade;
- If over basement or habitable lower level or more than
1/4 of home is more than 3' above grade a professional must
design the foundation;
- belly wrap (plastic or other) to seal out moisture and
hold in insulation:
- often damaged or pulled out for repair; rodents, water,
leaks; air leaks;
- look for termites & carpenter ants - up skirt into
floors/walls esp. @ leaks (plumbing, windows, doors)
GENERAL STRUCTURAL - General Mobile Home Structural Concerns
- support added for sagging roofs/ceilings, makeshift,
improper
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ELECTRICAL DEFECTS - in Mobile Homes
Common electrical defects in mobile homes are discussed
below.
ELECTRICAL SUPPLY - Defects in Mobile Homes
- meter & disconnect separate from the home, with own
grounding electrode; therefore the panel in the home must be
wired like a sub panel (isolate ground and neutral in the
panel) with a 4-wire conductor that separates ground and
neutral.
- Factory-installed electrical equipment will have the
bonding screws removed (dryer, range). Same must be done
with owner-installed equipment..
ELECTRICAL SERVICE - Drop Feeders for Mobile Homes
- Traditional: cord and plug method to main switch;
- Service equipment must be in sight of and no more than
30 ft from the exterior wall of the home it serves;
- Cord and plug limited to 50A, sometimes 40A
- Permanent feeders: SEC adjacent to home or mounted in
the home provided manufacturer installed; may enter
underground via conduit; If overhead, look for 4 color coded
conductors ; (Hot, Hot, Neutral, Ground);
- Masthead must give 8ft vertical clearance from all
points of all roofs over which conductors pass, 2
exceptions:
- 3ft ok if roof is 4 in 12 or more
- 18" ok if no more than 4' of service drop conductors
pass over the roof overhang and if terminate in a
through-roof raceway
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ELECTRICAL GROUNDING - for Mobile Homes
- Neutral bond separated from Ground in panels wired as
subs
- Often no metal water pipe entering the unit to serve as
ground
- Metal shell & Frame & Panel MUST be grounded
(electrocutions & fires common from this defect)
COMMON DEFECTS in Mobile Home Electrical Wiring
- improper connection to site, service entry, support,
clearance over roofs
- aluminum wiring
- lots of do-it-yourself wiring, exposed splices, bad or
no GFCI, lamp cord wiring
- due to limited storage space access to panel often
blocked
- abandoned fixtures or boxes left open to weather
- GFCI missing at baths, kitchens, outside, or mis-wired;
- Loose, falling fittings and lights and fixtures inside
and out;
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General Characteristics:
- Hot air, gas-fired, central return heating units are
most common ; oil & electric mobile home heaters are also
used;
- 20% of mobile homes have problems with HVAC (C.R.
survey);
Common Defects in Mobile Home Heating Systems
- fuel connection should have label indicating equipment
and piping are ok for natural or LP gas or both; inadequate
combustion air
- inadequate clearance to combustibles modified equipment,
controls, flue-vent connectors, burners, duct work, venting
- air heat: all return air taken from crawl area beneath
living unit - one-way heat; blocked return; blocked supply;
ducts through un-heated area; NO return air, or none when
utility closet door is shut!
- LP Tanks, copper gas lines are often left unsupported
and exposed to mechanical damage; also check for LP gas
leaks at tanks or fittings;
- Oil tanks - indoor-rated heating oil tanks are quite
often placed outside, above ground, in ground contact, with
heat tapes (a fire hazard), often leaking, and in cold
climates, exposed to frost-risk which in turn risks loss of
heat and related damage to the home
- missing or still-covered-over spark arrestor on the
heating flue
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MOBILE HOME COOLING System Defects - Air Conditioning
General Characteristics of Mobile Home Cooling Ducts
- Ducts placed at one of these typical locations:
- cooling ducts placed in the floor along center line
of the mobile home;
- cooling ducts placed in the floor along exterior
walls (better heating in cold climates);
- cooling ducts placed in the in trailer or mobile
home ceiling (better cooling in South); [The duct
location may tip off the wind zone rating intended for
the mobile home unit being inspected.]
Common Defects
- floor ducts often damaged; registers blocked or covered
MOBILE HOME INSULATION and Ventilation Defects
- crawl: sq ft/150 = min area and must cross vent on at
least 2 sides;
- PVC on soil recommended to hold down moisture;
- attic venting (sloped shingled roofs) - often omitted,
shorter shingle life, voids warranty, &c;
- attic venting (often none or just a few spot vents in
flat roofs) - condensation, leaks, related damage.
- check dryer vent routing and materials for fire hazards
(blocked overheats dryer; or may collect water)
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MOBILE HOME PLUMBING Defects
GENERAL PLUMBING - Comments for Mobile Home Inspectors
- 36% of mobile homes report problems with plumbing (C.R.
survey)
- most common complaint according to C.R. - 1/3 homes have
problems;
- Low quality sinks, tubs, showers, faucets (molded
plastic faucets, fixtures; porcelain or acrylic preferred)
- no shutoff valves especially at toilets
- leaks damage structure, especially with use of particle
board sub flooring.
SUPPLY PIPING - Mobile Home Supply Piping Defects
- PB (polybutylene with mechanical fittings) Piping leaks:
especially in South e.g. FL per M Cramer
- New units: 3/4" supply piping, min 6" off ground;
shutoff valve required;
- Freeze Protection for Mobile Homes and Trailers:
- If mobile home supply piping has frozen, burst, and
leaked into the structure, you'll need to remove and
discard any wet insulation - or else face a mold
problem.
- Simply adding insulation, in any amount is by
itself unlikely to be sufficient to protect a mobile
home from freezing if it's left unattended with heat
off. Rather people design the plumbing to be drained
when the home is left.
- If the trailer or mobile the home is occupied then
you'll need to look carefully at supply pipe routing and
maybe even add heat in some areas. We dislike heat tapes
- as they can be unreliable and possible fire hazards,
but they can work in some cases. High-quality plumbing
pipe heating tapes that can be crossed over one another
without melting and shorting out (fire hazard) are
available. Of course if the home loses electrical power
this solution won't help much. To reduce the mobile home
fire risk when using heat tapes, use metal-braid
shielded heating cables connected to a GFCI protected
electrical outlet so that if the heating tapes short out
the circuit will trip.
- If the mobile home water supply is provided by a
pump and the pump is found to have cracked (and the home
is located in a climate where freezing weather occurs,
pump cracking probably means it froze and was not
drained or protected from freezing.
- If mobile home drains are freezing the same frost
protection or heating concerns need to be addressed as
we've just listed.
- open drains or leaky connections (crawl)
- leaky supply main (crawl)
DRAIN WASTE VENT - Mobile Home Drain Waste Vent Piping
Defects
- leaky traps rot walls and floors faster than
conventional construction.
- drains added (added laundry or bath) not under unit or ?
- look for leaks into the crawl area;
- look for proper slope 1/8" /ft, and support (no less
than 4ft o.c.), and
- direction of fittings, and proper adhesive (DWV for PVC,
ABS or both);
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MOBILE HOME FUEL SUPPLY Defects & Concerns, gas and oil
piping
- gas piping: crossover flex connector at mate line of
adjacent units;
- tank location - per manufacturer and code;
- gas and oil shutoffs required per usual locations
- meter base: manufacturer may spec min distance from the
gas inlet;
- Heat Tapes - use metal-braid shielded type connected to
GFCI so if short will trip. Heat tapes, especially the
non-shielded types, short and start fires, especially if
crossed over themselves or otherwise improperly installed.
Note that CPSC recommends this procedure for fire safety but
HUD rules do not allow connection of the heat tape to GFCI
because they don't want to risk frost damage: so note conflict
between frost damage and life-safety concerns. Heat tapes used
on exposed plumbing at extra risk of freezing, e.g. below the
units.
WATER HEATER Defects in Mobile Homes
- Heat Tapes - use metal-braid shielded type connected to
GFCI so if short will trip;
- gas-fired in sleeping areas
- electric (usually); bad wiring connections, tipped on
rotting floors,
- relief valves: to hidden location (below trailer, can't
see leaks), and usual issues of down-sized pipes
MOBILE HOME PLUMBING Fixture Defects
- Tubs: usual leaks at fittings; missing components,
history of leaks and no maintenance;
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INTERIOR DEFECTS Defects in Mobile Homes
- 32% of mobile homes report problems with windows or
doors (C.R. survey)
- Hardboard floors - get wet, toilet falls through;
plywood preferred; check especially floors at baths,
kitchens, and below windows and doors
- Walls: paneling or drywall
- Windows: often single-glazed, glued or screwed frames
(leaky); welded vinyl perform better; caulking often missing
between window frames and sheathing (water damage) - same at
doors; Caulk at door and window gaps (from factory) may
break during transport;
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