admin | 
11 24th, 2008| 
If you have misplaced your Owner Manual or warranty package. refer to pages 23, 24, and 25 in this book for suggestions on basic maintenance schedules.
Weather can play havoc with the aluminum exterior of your mobile home. After every storm, treat your home to a basic walkaround inspection. Look for twisted skirting panels, snags on aluminum side- walls, or blown-out screens. Reinstall the skirting and screens, it they’re not blown away. Or, make replacements as soon as possible. Dry out insulation in sidewalls if it appears rain-soaked. Otherwise. dry off the damaged sidewall area and seal it with duct tape until you can get a repairman out for service. When you find damage to the sidewalls, better drag out your tall ladder and inspect the roof too. A quick going-over now may avoid surprise repairs later.
The average mobile home needs washing and waxing every three months, weather permitting. Never wash your home in the hot sun; that can blister the finish. Never dry-dust your home, as the dirt causes tiny dulling scratches in the finish. Wash with garden hose, rag mop, and mild detergent. Try a detergent-dispensing attachment for your hose. They’re for sale at major hardware centers.
First give the roof a detergent washdown. Then mop it to remove stubborn grime. Don’t walk on the roof, but use a long-handle mop. Rinse with clean water. Wash the sidewalls next. Begin at the roof- line and wash downward to the skirting. Follow the same sequence:
detergent wash, mop, and clean-water rinse. Be thorough about the rinsing; don’t leave soap residue on the aluminum finish. Complete the washdown with the skirting.
To revive dulled paint or remove tar and tree sap, rub with a commercial liquid or paste cleaning wax. Spot removal doesn’t take long. If you want to really brighten up your home’s exterior, rent a power buffer.
Although you can easily overlook outside repair when you’re safe and comfortable inside, don’t neglect it. As you already know, many interior repairs stem from something wrong outside.
Plan some sort of exterior maintenance schedule the day you move into your mobile home. Use your warranty booklets and Owner Manual as basic guides. Then make up specific lists tailored to the climate in your locale. Divide your lists into tasks for yearly, seasonal (spring/autumn), and monthly intervals. Also list things to inspect after every rain or windstorm. Write your lists on 3×5-inch index cards and tape them inside a cabinet or closet door where you’ll see them and be reminded frequently. Don’t use the furnace closet for this; you don’t get into it often enough (hopefully).
It you have never undertaken any exterior maintenance to your home, consider the repairs you could have averted by preventive upkeep. Consider, too, the appearance of your home. Enough said. Your home needs regular and good exterior maintenance. Don’t put it off. Devise your schedules now. Then remedy problems before they get too big for you to handle.
Mobile homes need skirting. It not only improves appearance but also helps control moisture and condensation. Skirting insulates to some extent and reduces heating and cooling costs. But skirting proves a costly and disappointing investment when you install the wrong kind. The photo shows you what can happen.
The type of skirting you install should depend on the climate you live in. The ground in cold regions rises—yes, literally lifts up— several inches when it freezes. Unless your skirting allows for that change, the material bends, splits, and breaks. Skirting in windy areas needs anchoring to prevent blow-aways.
Most mobile homes should not be skirted with a solid cement- block foundation. First of all, your home needs a certain amount of ventilation underneath it as well as through it. Second, the crawl space under your home must be accessible. That becomes difficult with solid foundations.
Before you buy and install skirting, study the durability and utility of the brand you’re considering. Panels should interlock for stability. Find out how many vent panels you need for adequate ventilation in your climate. Evaluate the upkeep. Ask if you can buy individual replacement panels easily—three years from now. Weigh the product possibilities; then select the brand and style that best suits your needs and eye.
Weather can play havoc with the aluminum exterior of your mobile home. After every storm, treat your home to a basic walkaround inspection. Look for twisted skirting panels, snags on aluminum side- walls, or blown-out screens. Reinstall the skirting and screens, if they’re not blown away. Or, make replacements as soon as possible. Dry out insulation in sidewalls if it appears rain-soaked. Otherwise, dry off the damaged sidewall area and seal it with duct tape until you can get a repairman out for service. When you find damage to the sidewalls, better drag out your tall ladder and inspect the roof too. A quick going-over now may avoid surprise repairs later.
The average mobile home needs washing and waxing every three months, weather permitting. Never wash your home in the hot sun; that can blister the finish. Never dry-dust your home, as the dirt causes tiny dulling scratches in the finish. Wash with garden hose, rag mop, and mild detergent. Try a detergent-dispensing attachment for your hose. They’re for sale at major hardware centers.
First give the roof a detergent washdown. Then mop it to remove stubborn grime. Don’t walk on the roof, but use a long-handle mop. Rinse with clean water. Wash the sidewalls next. Begin at the roof- line and wash downward to the skirting. Follow the same sequence:
detergent wash, mop, and clean-water rinse. Be thorough about the rinsing; don’t leave soap residue on the aluminum finish. Complete the washdown with the skirting.
To revive dulled paint or remove tar and tree sap, rub with a commercial liquid or paste cleaning wax. Spot removal doesn’t take long. If you want to really brighten up your home’s exterior, rent a power buffer.
It’s important also that you crawl under your home and inspect the bottom at least in the spring and fall. Besides cleaning out accumulated debris, snooping out rust and corrosion on the undercarriage, and verifying that the blocking isn’t slipping, look for pest signs. Rats, mice, and termites endanger health and safety. Rats and mice nest in dry grasses, papers, cloth, insulation, or any other material they can find. Approach debris with caution and a long broom or rake handle. Remove nests cautiously to avoid being bit.
Homes are not immune to termites, and don’t let anyone kid you that they are. Wooden porches, sundecks, and steps offer termites a tasty path into your home. Termites also build mud tubes up from the ground or along your blocking piers to vulnerable spots in the undercarriage. Unless you watch for termites periodically, your home could be severely damaged before you’re even aware of their presence.
Call in a professional exterminator if you find signs. A thorough inspection takes time, but a casual approach won’t be good enough. When the exterminator has finished, seal any holes you find in the undercarriage floor. Sand off rust and spray-paint the undercarriage with rust-inhibitor paint.