Waterline problems

[thetrain]

I have a 1978 14 X 72 mobile home. I have had it for about 10 years, and when I first got it, I had new waterlines put in. I insulated all the pipes with pipe insulating tubes, everything has gone well, until this latest cold snap. Now I have broken pipes everywhere. I used CPVC. I am thinking seriously about running new lines but instead of running them underneath the house I'm thinking about running them inside. There was a gentleman that had a mobile home that this is what he did--run the lines inside, along the wall--that way the pipes shouldn't ever freeze up. What do you think of this idea? I've also heard of people running the pipes through the heat ducts.

[David Oxhandler]

In many parts of the country insulating tubes are not enough. Plumbing run through a home is not a great idea. The reason they are under most all framed homes is because at some point plumbing fails... if it leaks under the home its a problem... if it leaks inside the home its a disaster.

If you are going to re plumb you need to put a blanket of insulation below the pipes that is sufficient to prevent freezing. Consider also installing insulated skirting. the cost of keeping your home at a comfortable temperature can go down dramatically.

Take look at footage of insulation being blown into the belly of a mobile home. This is one of several measures used by the U.S. Department of Energy's Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) to make homes more energy efficient.