Frozen pipes

[S. Rickard]

Have a Hart 28 x56. Bought it repo. Every winter in MI pipes freeze. Should the underside of home be completely insulated, even over a heat tape? What about some kind of insulation(styrofoam) on inside of skirting? Don't know what's supposed to be under house, former owners did weird things. Help!!!

[Chris Arena]

I had the same problem at my last mobile home and i did what you said i put the insulation foam on the inside of the skirting and rewrapped my pipes with pipe insulation you cna buy it at lowes or home depot.. The other thing i did was i took my dry vent and let it hang though the floor and let it blow under the house this seem to be the key after i had insullated because i never had a problem after that and my sister bought my home and with this cold weather we have had in Jan 04 here in Delaware she hasn't had a Frozen pipe yet.....knock on wood....

Total cost if i remember right was about $500 for everything ... there is only one bad side to doing this your home will stay damp underneath because no air is circulating thru the vent holes of the skirting so in the spring you have to remove some of the insulation by the vent holes so you home will breath,,,, also the dryer vent blows lint under the home so it gets messy with time but i would rather have a mess then a busted pipe .... Write back with any [email protected]

[Tom]

Keeping the underbelly intact goes along way in solving pipe freezing problems. That and skirting that is in good shape.

I understand that leaving the dryer vent to blow under the home may keep it warmer, but it also causes many problems as a trade off. It will rust your frame like you wouldnt believe and also can cause mold problems in the insulation. I never recommend anyone do this. Tom