Bathroom Plumbing

[Catherine]

I am helping an elderly aunt buy a mobile home and I am not at all familiar with mobile homes. The bathroom will need a new shower unit, vanity and sink. From what I have learned to date, there is only one "mobile home repair man" in our area and he is very expensive. Can't I go to Home Depot, buy a standard shower stall ( in 4 pieces to fit in), standard faucets, sinks, cabinets, etc and have a "standard" repair man/plumber do the work? The trailer is a 1970. What is different about a mobile homes plumbing requiring a "mobile home specialist"? Why do I only see 4 inch faucets on MH supply sites, why not 8 in?

[Tom]

Generally the size difference is for space limitations reasons. When planning for any MH repair, size and space are always a consideration. If you change out the sink, then you can go with standard faucets, if you keep the old, particularly with a vintage home, you may have to buy MH parts. You can put in anything you want as long as it fits. MH plumbing is different mainly for how hard it is to access, not all plumbers are will to crawl on their back for a couple of hours. Repairman who specialize in MH repairs expect it and basically know the layout. Trust me when I say this, a good experienced MH repairman is worth his weight in gold, because its so hard to find a person who does quality work. One other note, a MH repairman is likely to be experienced in alot of other facets of MH repair, just not plumbing, so a relationship with a good one may be important for other repairs. So, in my opinion, even though he may be more expensive, he could quite possibly save you money by knowing where to find hard to find parts ect. Just some thoughts. Tom

[Rich]

I am helping an elderly aunt buy a mobile home and I am not at all familiar with mobile homes. The bathroom will need a new shower unit, vanity and sink. From what I have learned to date, there is only one "mobile home repair man" in our area and he is very expensive. Can't I go to Home Depot, buy a standard shower stall ( in 4 pieces to fit in),

Probably not---what is considered "standard" in a mobile home is not really the same as in a "stickbuilthome". The plumbing hookups are usually different also. What size are you looking for?

standard faucets,

4" lav faucets (other than overflow/no overflow) are the same, 8" kitchen faucets are the same--it's normally when you get into the bathtub/shower area that everything is different.

sinks,

Bathroom sink should be available locally (17" x 20") but there were different styles then that you might have trouble finidng one at a "home" store. Your kitche sink should be 33"x17" no ledge or 33" x 19" w/ledge --- a mobile home size

cabinets, etc

sorry---those you will have to start over

and have a "standard" repair man/plumber do the work? The trailer is a 1970. What is different about a mobile homes plumbing requiring a "mobile home specialist"?

usually just a matter of whether ot not they are willing to work on the project


Why do I only see 4 inch faucets on MH supply sites, why not 8 in?

???? don't know what you mean--we have all kinds of 8"
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