The Manufactured Housing Forums

Some of my insulation below the floor is falling down . Where can I get the correct information on how to properly re-insulate underneath a mobile home ?

Install rolled insulation from below.  Once the insulation is in place you can purchase rolled vapor barrier material. The material is called bottom board but is a rolled product woven from high density polyethylene coated with a continuous layer of black low density polyethylene.

This is also install it from below, by stapling it to the bottom of the floor joist as you roll it out, overhead. The insulation is supported by the belly board below the floor joists permitting warm air from the floor ducts to prevent the plumbing under the floor from freezing.

You can order several types or a kit for your exact size home by searching for "bottom board" at The Mobile Home Parts Store

For details about installing insulation under a fllor, and important safety tips see How to Install Fiberglass Insulation and Crawl Space Insulation, from the U.S. Dept of Energy.

Whats the difference between Visqueen and bottom board

Visqueen has many great uses as a temporary tarp or to cover concrete as it sets, as a drop cloth when painting and to cover the ground before applying stone or wood chips to prevent weed growth. Visqueen tends to turn brittle over time. I dont think it is designed to support any weight.

Bottom board is woven from black tapes of high density polyethylene and extrusion coated with a continuous layer of black low density polyethylene. The material is uniform in quality with no weak spots. Penetrations or cuts will not spread and can be easily patched and is impervious to water, its strength can not be adversely affected by water. Because of its black polyethylene coating,it Qualifies as a vapor barrier. UL Classified as to flammability, tested at zero flame spread and zero smoke developed.

from - http://mobilehomepartsstore.com/Merchan ... ode=570121

My mobile is about 1974 . It has insulation , plastic then a board that seems like cardboard on the very bottom .I take it this is not bottom board as it tears like a heavy piece of paper .Should I just take this out all together if I redo the underbelly ?

If its not broken dont fix it....

There were no national codes or construction standards when your home was built. It is difficult to say what purpose the builder had in mind.

Where ever it is torn I would repair or replace the existing as close as possible.

Thermo-ply works well for patching the older cardboard belly board.

hi im so new to all of this i looked under neather my 1974 homette the other day it appears to be cardboard that is deamp and sagging in 1 section?

It is likely that there is a plumbing leak above the spot that is damp. This is a minor repair but should not be left leaking. A continuous leak can be devastating to most structures over time. Moisture cause mold to grow, especially as we move in to warmer weather. Water could also cause problems for the flooring above and attract termites.

Most of the manufactured homes in America have plastic plumbing. Homette is a Skyline product. In 1974 Skyline was still using copper to plumb their homes. You have an excellent plumbing system that will offer less problems than most.

Find a reputable handyman or plumber who has worked under mobile homes in your community and is experienced repairing copper lines. Make the repairs as soon as you can.

well to further elaborate on this i did have a plumbing leak that was fixed i just purchased the mobile home in march 2011 today i looked underneath again but from a differnt angle and i notice my insulation handing down and on another spot on the ground i read the previous posts above a man had a similar prbl im wondering who do i hire to do this i have no idea how to do this im a single woman lol,and how much am i looking at roughly is this very hard and costly??i appreciate your feedback i guess maybe that is why the addition piece of the house is colder than the other rooms,?thanks