Squeaky Floor

The central location on the web for the owners of manufactured homes to share their experiences.
Deb

Squeaky Floor

Post by Deb » Fri Apr 07, 2006 6:59 am

I've lived in my new Palm Harbor for about a year and a half. Recently I have developed a "squeak" in my living room floor when I walk on it. It sounds like it's coming from the OSB. Should I be concerned about this? Is there something I can do about it? We MH owners constantly battle the "why didn't you stick build?" so I hate for this problem to appear to be a structural defect. I have a friend who calls me every time there is a storm because she hates the fact that I'm in a "trailer"!! Any advice will be appreciated.

Kris

Re: Squeaky Floor

Post by Kris » Fri Apr 07, 2006 2:08 pm

Deb it may be the OSB. I live in a site built and our floor squeaks. Also, my parents 2nd floor squeaks also. I know for a fact that the majority of site built homes, the 2nd floor is either OSB or particle board. So that may be the problem.

I am looking to purchase a manufactured home, so please let me know if it is the floor for sure.

Ray

Re: Squeaky Floor

Post by Ray » Fri Apr 07, 2006 5:42 pm

Squeaky floors can happen in any home, haven't you seen any horror films??? (That was supposed to be funny, hard to tell when you can't hear voice inflection). Seriously, it could be that the nails weren't centered in the floor joist and have worked loose (can happen in any home site built or not), or possibly the lag screws used to attach the floor joists to I beams have come loose which would be the most common problems. Both easy to fix. Someone needs to go under home while someone else "bounces" on floor where squeak is. First look at lag bolts to the sides of I beam to see if they are loose. Each floor joist should be lagged with a washer to the flange of I beam. If it is loose and can be tightened with socket wrench, do so. If it is "stripped" and cannot hold tight you will need to remove and replace with one size diameter larger. If this is not the problem you will need to cut belly wrap, move insulation so that you can view floor joist to subfloor connection and look for defects/ nails off to side. You can take a block of 2x6, put some construction adhesive on the top of it and screw it up against the subfloor through the joist at an angle (screws at an angle to force block against subfloor) and this will work too. There is also a product called "squeak ender" that is a device that screws to side of joist and up into subfloor that pulls the two together that works well too. Any experienced carpenter should be able to figure out a fix. Also, there could be pipes or ducts which are rubbing against the floor joists or subfloor that could be the cause of the sound. Anyway, not to worry, no big deal. Good luck!

Deb

Re: Squeaky Floor

Post by Deb » Mon Apr 10, 2006 7:29 am

Thanks Ray. That was a very thorough response. Do you think this is something that might be covered on my warranty? My home is only 1 and a half years old, and I have a 5 year warranty. Guess I could just call them, but it's nice to know if you have a case before you call/leave messages, etc. Thanks again for your advice.

Ray

Re: Squeaky Floor

Post by Ray » Mon Apr 10, 2006 9:29 am

Absolutely worth a call.

rmurray

Re: Squeaky Floor

Post by rmurray » Tue Apr 11, 2006 8:38 am

This would be covered by your PH 5 year plan...Just remember there is a $50 deductible for service after the first year..Call the toll free line in your owners manual.......or on your gold key card...

Dave Fuller

Re: Squeaky Floor

Post by Dave Fuller » Tue May 09, 2006 3:30 pm

Homes do have a tendancy to aqcuire floor squeeks. It is caused by the decking seperating from the floor joists or is mostly due to settling and can be resolved by maintaining your foundation. Check the pier blocks. Hope this helps.

klondike
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Jun 05, 2006 7:47 pm

Re: Squeaky Floor

Post by klondike » Mon Jun 05, 2006 8:27 pm

The floor squeaks are usually because of the type and thickness of the material used. My Fleetwood home has 1/2" particle board flooring and has had one squeek after another fixed only to have another appear close by. I would look for 3/4" or higher plywood flooring. Also Fleetwood has widened the supports under the house. The more supports and the closer together the less squeaks you will have, and better support.

admin
Posts: 327
Joined: Thu May 25, 2006 6:36 pm

Re: Squeaky Floor

Post by admin » Thu Jun 29, 2006 5:12 pm

Many floor squeaks are due to settlement that leaves the home "out of level" or out of square. Typically all structures settle and will have this problem to some extent. Unlike site built structures which are very expensive to bring back to level and square Manufactured homes are simple to relevel.

You should NOT try to level your home by yourself. The operations involved in jacking and raising the home can be very dangerous and should be attempted only by experienced individuals.

the Releveling Kit from Aberdeen Repair includes complete step-by-step instructions and a waterline level. Use these instructions and the enclosed waterline level to determine whether or not your home is out of level. You will also use this information to become a better-informed consumer and give yourself the upper hand when it comes to hiring a contractor to do the job, or requesting home warranty service.

The detailed instructions will show you how to do the following: learn the causes of why your home becomes unlevel learn how to set-up, calibrate and read a waterline level determine where your home is unlevel and by how much learn what to watch-out for before, during and after releveling your home learn proper jack placement learn how your contractor should safely jack-up your home

Get more details Here
David Oxhandler
mailto:[email protected]

searly
Posts: 6
Joined: Mon Jul 03, 2006 9:23 am

Re: Squeaky Floor

Post by searly » Wed Jul 05, 2006 8:22 am

We had the same problem in our home (stick built and then our modular) so I would not worry about the structural integrity. My husband fixed the problem once by going under the home and placing shims (I think this is how it is spelled) in between the floor board and the joist. This fixed the problem in our stick built and it was easy and took only about 15 minutes, but the sqeak can very well come back when it is done this way. Like someone said before, you will need a second person standing on the floor "bouncing around" to find the exact location. The other way (which was much more difficult and required us taking up the floor covering in that area, but was also much more permanent) is to nail down from the top of the floor. You will have to pull back the carpet or other flooring and locate the joists and re-nail the flooring to the joists. The majority of the time a problem like this stems from the floor boards pulling away slightly from the joists. The "squeak" is actually the floorboard rubbing up and down the nail when pressure is added and then released. If you don't know how to put the floor covering back, I would recommend contacting the manufacture and using the warranty. Good luck and I hope it helps!

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 18 guests