Tips On How To Level A Mobile Home

By Philip Yiga | January 2, 2017

As a result of different environmental factors like flooding and earthquakes along with support problems, you will find your mobile home with cracks, either on the windows, doors or the walls, sometimes you will even find the windows or door failing to fit as perfectly as they used to. This simply means that the I-Beam which was meant for supporting the house is out of level and needs to be leveled but the big question is, how can someone level a mobile home? Much as many people might not really consider it, leveling is a very important part of house maintenance that everyone ought to pay attention to. In order to level your mobile home perfectly it is best to give yourself enough time and get on task without any worries whatsoever. If you are ready to give it a try, this post is about to explain to you how to go about the whole process.

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Equipment needed;

There are just a few items or tools that you need for this procedure and it is in your best interest to have them ready before you start on the project.

Level

Flash light

Working gloves

Scrap lumber

Wood shims

• Start by taking away the skirting on the house; not all houses have the skirting which makes point optional however for those with mobile homes that have the skirting, the very first step in your procedure will definitely be removal of the skirting and then you will be able to access the piers that give your house support. You will have to check if there is something wrong with the piers so you will need to access them first.
• Check on each of the piers; start from the center of your mobile home and begin to check on every single pier individually to find out which one could be causing the problem. You will need to have an extremely accurate level so that you mark off any low or high areas with precision.
• Check the bubble in the middle of the level; put a level right next to the pier that is closest to the center and figure out if it is still where it is supposed to be which is on the center. If it’s on the center then you will know that the area is in level and vice versa.
• Mark all piers that are out of level; look out for all those piers that are out of level and mark them before you proceed on to the next step.
• Find a plastic and container or bucket; look for a bucket or container with capacity of not less than 5 gallons and mount plastic tube on to it. You can use a spring clamp to ensure that the tube will be perfectly attached to the bucket or container.
• Pour water into the bucket; there is no need to rush through these steps because it is very easy to make a mistake therefore take your time and slowly pour water into the bucket. Don’t make it so full to the brim.
• Allow water to flow through the tube; let water run through the tube you attached and wait up until it reached the same level with the bottom of the I-Beam. Mark off that point on the tube and it will be your level point.
• Perfectly place a mobile home jack; when placed on the center of the pier, it will be able to evenly distribute support all through your mobile house’s weight. So endeavor to place the mobile home jack exactly on the middle of the centered pier. Being from the center and move while raising and lowering the jacks and shims until you come to a whole flat level.
• Lift the I-Beam to the same level as the water level mark; this way you will have the access t if the what is happening with the mobile home level. Raise the I-Beam and check to make sure the bubble is still in the middle of the bubble window.
• Have a look at the problem areas; while the I-Beam is being jacked up, remember to check on all the areas that seemed to have been affected so that you find out if those problems are actually being fixed during the process. Keep going back of the center of your mobile home and moving to each and every room until you realize that there are no more adjustments that you need to make.

LEVELING TIPS:

• Don’t take too long without checking if your mobile home is still in level, this will help you make the necessary adjustments soon enough before it turns into a much bigger problem. This should be part of your maintenance routine, it will be easier for you to find out any areas that need to be worked on early enough.
• Always seal up any open spaces or holes that you come across, however small those holes or spaces might be, if ignored they will continue becoming larger and larger every other time. Therefore to save yourself the burden of repairing too often, simply cover up those holes and spaces earlier.
• Cover the ground with a plastic sheet, this is a simple way of making your mobile home last much longer. The presence of a plastic bag prevents water, moisture and humidity from moving from the ground into the supportive area of your mobile home and thus making it stronger. A lot of moisture comes from the below the ground and you can’t control that but you can prevent it from reaching your mobile home with a plastic bag.
• Cinder blocks and jacks must always be on a very sturdy surface since they deliver support to your mobile home. Instead of placing your mobile home on bare ground it will be better to put it on a wooden base or concrete pad.

There is no big reason to spend lots of money on hiring someone to level your mobile home for you when you can easily do it yourself following the steps and tips provided above in this post.