How Bad Is It Not to Have Insulation Under Your Mobile Home?

Living in a mobile home is a convenient alternative to apartments since you have your own piece of land to dwell on. But also, these compact houses are perfect for those who don’t want to waste time on big gardens or maintain the land around their house.

However, even mobile homes have one weak point, and that is their insulation. If you are living in a mobile home that has no insulation, your electricity bills will be huge! But except for this nuance, there are a few more that are good to know about if you have not installed proper insulation underneath your home.

Want to know what you shall expect if your mobile home is not properly insulated or it is not insulated at all? Then keep on reading! We prepared a lot of useful information for you today.

How Important Is Insulating Under a Mobile Home?

Having proper insulation under your mobile home is an essential requirement if you want to live in a comfortable place. Why is that? Well, simply check out the most important reasons you should install it immediately:

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1. It will reduce your energy bills
2. It will result in less heat loss
3. It gives your home even more protection
4. It will make your house better protected against sound pollution
5. It prevents pests from getting inside of your house
6. It adds value to the property (in case you decide to sell it one day)

With all these benefits, it is obvious that installing decent insulation is a must. Since such houses are typically made of fiberglass and metal, they lack that important protection between the house and its surrounding.

As a result, your HVAC system is actually pumping heat into a space that is not able to hold it! And things are not getting better with the windows either. On sunny or windy days, you may bypass the heating and cooling systems.

And now let’s take a closer look at each of the benefits you will get if you insulate under your mobile home.

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Reducing Energy Bills

Well, this is obvious. Without insulating your mobile home, your energy bills will be cosmic since the house will not be able to hold the heat from the HVAC system in and thus it will be working in vain.

However, if you do install proper insulation underneath your mobile house, it will be keeping the furnace or air conditioning from working too hard which obviously saves your money. According to the official EPA data, an average mobile home owner is able to save up to fifteen percent on energy costs by simply installing insulation!

Decrease Of Heat Loss

When your mobile house is not insulated at all, it is losing heat that leaks away through the floor. This is why insulating your mobile home floor will allow you to ensure that you will not have to face harsh winters in future.

Better Home Protection

When using certain materials for insulating mobile home floors, it is even possible to make your living space better protected and increase its structure support! For instance, if you insulate your mobile house with the closed-cell spray foam, it will be blocking air way more effectively. As a result, your entire home will increase its sturdiness during the windy time.

In addition, such type of insulation is more durable in comparison to, let’s say, fiberglass one. A closed-cell foam will last approximately three to four times longer!

No Sound Pollution

If you like listening to very loud music or you have very noisy kids or pets, think of insulation for your mobile home that has a sound-dampening effect. Any insulating materials that have NRC rating of 0.75 or higher will do well for this purpose (for instance, fiberglass).

Like this, you will be sure that your neighbors will not be disturbed by the sounds and noises from your home, and vice versa.

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Better Pest Control

Pests are a huge problem for those who live in a house. Especially if it is a mobile home and it is not insulated! Luckily, you can relatively easily cope with this issue by insulating your mobile home walls and floor.

As an example, closed-cell spray will be able to create a physical barrier that will easily stop minor pests, such as bugs or vermin, from getting inside your house using its floor as a door. And let’s be honest, when we don’t have to deal with pest control, our life becomes only better!

Higher Property Value

If one day you decide to sell your mobile home, be ready that the one with insulation will cost more than its uninsulated counterpart. So if you want to get the most out of your investment, consider insulating your mobile house as soon as you can.

Now you understand why it is so essential to install underneath insulation on mobile homes, and what its absence can result in.

Types Of Insulation For Under the Mobile Homes. Which One to Pick?

So you have decided to install insulation for under a mobile home. Great! But which one of them to choose? Don’t worry, you are not the only one who is asking this question. Lots of mobile house owners have it as well when the time comes to adjust their house.

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Generally speaking, the best insulation for a mobile home floor is what we call a closed-cell foam spray. This material lasts much longer than other types of insulation, and besides, spray foam under your mobile home blocks any air leakage completely turning your mobile house into a warm and cozy space.

In addition, the closed-cell variant of such a mobile home spray insulation has perfect water-repelling abilities, it takes up very little space, and it also serves as a great sound-proofing material.

But except for this universal insulating material, there are a few more. Check them out to see whether some of them will be more suitable for your home in particular.

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Roll Insulation

Installing a roll insulation under a mobile home can be a good choice since this material is easy to install and remove. Besides, it is affordable and you can find it in almost any hardware store.

As for its characteristics, roll insulation possesses very energy-efficient abilities and it does well at keeping your energy bills low. It often comes in fiberglass, however, which may be a kind of hazard. But if you follow the safety instructions, it’s fine.

Foam Boards

Using these boards for insulating under a mobile home can save your budget significantly since this material is even cheaper than the roll insulation. It can also be used for any part of the house since foam boards are good against damp, cold, or warm areas.

Nevertheless, installing them is somewhat more complicated so not everyone will find this method and material suitable.

Blow-In Insulation

This type of material is also rather popular for mobile home insulating. However, unlike those described above, installing it requires certain experience and skills. In addition, the installation process may often require making a hole in a wall or a floor for blowing the insulating material into it.

As for the materials the blow-in insulation is made of, the most common ones are fiberglass and cellulose. But also, rock-wool is used quite often. However, since this particular material is very fire-resistant, the “mineral wool” is rather expensive.

Now that you know what insulating materials exist and what characteristics they possess, we hope it will be simpler for you to decide which kind of insulation to apply to your mobile home floor and underneath part.

Consider all the requirements and nuances carefully before buying and installing insulation since the quality of your life depends on it.

Things Will You Need For Insulating a Mobile Home Underneath

Installing insulation for mobile homes is a very simple thing to do, so no wonder many mobile house owners prefer doing it themselves rather than asking for professional help. But of course, if you need to insulate your home with the material that requires experienced attitude (for instance, mineral wool), we would recommend you opt for professional assistance!

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Nevertheless, in case you are going to insulate your house on your own, you need to make sure you have all the additional tools before you can start your project.

1. Caulking
2. Drywall anchor points
3. Old carpet or flooring removal

So first of all, you may need caulking since it is an essential part of any insulation procedure. It helps to seal the gaps and cracks, and besides, it keeps the insulation in place preventing drafts. So with caulking, you can be sure your insulation is working as it should be, and you will have no issues with cold air coming through walls and ceiling.

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Drywall is known to be very strong, but if you are using insulation, it may cause the drywall to bow and bulge – all because of the added weight! To avoid it, secure some anchor points into the walls. They are designed for being used in conjunction with insulating material and thus they will allow the drywall to keep its shape.

And lastly, make sure that you got rid of all the old carpeting or flooring to be able to properly install the insulation.

Now you will be able to easily insulate your mobile home with the least effort and very cheaply!

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