Rodents

[theclarks123]

Hi all this is my first post here. IM in the process of doing somethings to the house that i own. ITs a 24 or 28 x 80...i have had problems with mice in the past, and now I really want to eliminate it. Sometimes they get up in there and die and its a real pain to find and such. Is there anyway to change the way that the underbelly is insulated? I have plans to brick it in the spring and was going to tear out the insulation at that time and put new between the joyces and seal it up someway. Right now it kind of hangs down, and I know that rodents can get in there. Any ideas?

[David Oxhandler]

Feeding a few cats around your home works like a charm. Alternatively you can get an exterminator to place traps under you home... rat bait or other poisons are often counter productive as the rodents can still get into your walls and roof and will die in the home putting you back to hunting out that horrid smell.

It is not necessary to have anything more solid than the belly wrap to keep the rodents out... if you are planning to install a sloid skirting...as long as it is continuously sealed.... Putting anything solid under the floor gets to be a very expensive and time exhausting project.

Be sure that you vent your skirting so that the space under the home can breath or you will almost certainly have a mold problem

Once you install the insulation you can purchase rolled vapor barrier material (Bottom Board) install it from below, stapling it to the bottom of the floor joist so it supports the insulation. You can find bottom board products at The Mobile Home Parts Store For details about installing rolled insulation and important safety tips see How to Install Fiberglass Insulation and Crawl Space Insulation, from the U.S. Dept of Energy. For  information about maximizing insulation by blowing it  into the floor see: VIDEOS: Adding Insulation To Your Manufactured Home

[sharon12620]

I kept having major water leaks, and now the plumber has discovered a nest of squirrels in the insulation of the master bathroom. In addition to having chewed through the plastic water pipes, the refridgerator suddenly lost power and I am worried they have chewed through an electrical wire. Help! I live in the country and have no idea how to approach this! If the squirrels are removed, I still have to have everything repaired. Won't they just come right back in? Any help appreciated.
I'm just a single woman who thought it would be wonderful to live in this 1992 mobile home in Nature, but now it feels like the money pit.

[Portlandia]

Tightly sealed skirting (with proper screened ventilation)is your best bet. To keep them out of the house, make sure your water pipes, drains, etc. are sealed where they pass through the floor. An easy way to do that is to buy and use spray foam.
Cats work well too, taking care of the perimeter and making it harder for mice to live in the area.