NEWSLETTER
MANUFACTURED HOME REPAIR
Fall 2002

In this issue you will find:

* Increasing air flow through a cross-over duct
* Neat products for winter
* Class-action lawsuits update
* A story from 'The Life of a Mobile Home Repair Man'
* Perfect Christmas Gift - Manufactured Home Repair Book!
* Picture of the Month
* Tip of the Month

About this time of the year, one question that frequently pops up on our forum is "Why is the flow of air through my heat ducts so low in half my home?" When doublewide homes are set-up, some brands have a big insulated crossover duct that transfers heat from one half of the home to the other. Other brands may have a combination of smaller cross-over ducts. And many newer homes have completely eliminated the cross-over duct finding a way to connect the heating system within the floor.

In the past our standard answer to the above question has been "check your crossover duct." And if your crossover duct is fine, about all you can do is partially close the heat ducts in the warm half of your home so more air is forced into the cold half. Now we may have discovered another solution.

A couple weeks ago I was called to replace a damaged cross-over duct. Like many cross-over ducts, it was attached directly to the main trunk coming from the furnace. Before I connected the new duct, I looked up inside the trunk and said to myself, "Gees, no wonder air doesn't flow well through this cross-over duct. The air flows right by. Nothing really diverts it into the cross-over duct."

So those thoughts gave way to an experiment. Inside the ductwork I erected a partial wall. I made the wall out of galvanized metal and screwed it to the existing ductwork. Now when the furnace kicks on, some of the air is diverted into the cross-over duct via my new partial wall.

Each heating system is unique, so this trick may not work on all homes. If you're having trouble getting airflow to the cold half of your doublewide home, then maybe a creative solution like this one will is just the trick you need.

With winter about to knock down our door, here's some products that may help win the battle against the cold.

Here's the latest on some class-action lawsuits we've been tracking on our 'lawsuits' page:

Polybutylene Pipe - If you own a home that's 1995 or older, you may be eligible to have your waterlines replaced if you've encountered at least one leak. For details, refer to www.pbpipe.com.

Partical Board Flooring - If you've replaced some of your partical board floors because they crumbled when wet, then you're not alone. However, don't look for any help from the justice system. Class-action lawsuits against the manufacturers have been dropped. It seems that partical board only has a 10-year warranty. Lawyers prosecuting the case couldn't find enough bad floors in homes newer than 10 years old to justify the expense of continuing with the case.

Are you guilty of any of these 'oops!' Let's hope not. Here are some actual situations I've encountered, some more than once.

1) A caller had just installed a new heat tape, but their water still froze. I arrived and removed the new heat tape from the gas line and installed it on the waterline.

2) A caller had just installed a new heat tape, but their water still froze. I arrived and removed the heat tape from an old disconnected waterline and put it on the new existing waterline.

3) An owner of a manufactured home thought their home should be recalled because the steel frame sagged. I suggested getting it releveled and adding more blocks.

4) A caller asked my price for installing vinyl skirting. I said $400. They said they knew someone else who would do it for $100 and wondered if I would match that price. I said "no", and reminded them that you usually get what you pay for. The $100 guy installed the skirting, and I was hired to re-install it after the first windy day.

5) A caller wondered why the floor joists by the front door bowed every time they got a lot of snow, especially since they had the joists replaced once. I arrived and detached the deck from the home which put excessive weight on the floor joists, especially when the deck was full of snow.

6) A park manager tried to shut-off the water to a home by using the wrong tool on the water riser. Instead of shutting the water off, the tool stripped and broke the handle. An expensive backhoe had to be called in dig-up and replace the water riser. The cost for his stupidity and laziness in not getting the right tool, was of course eventually passed on to the tenants as a rent increase.

7) A caller needed a waterline fixed underneath their home. I arrived on the scene. To reach the waterline, I would have had to crawl through a deep three inches of wet cat doo-doo and battle the world's worst stench. Someone else fixed their waterline.

8) A caller said his new roof leaked. Upon inspection, the owner had built a new flat roof and then shingled it. On flat roofs, water runs right up under shingles.

Hot off the presses! This 125 page book is written by us at mobilehomerepair.com, the professionals who are out in the field every day repairing manufactured homes. A perfect Christmas gift for the mobile home owner.

Designed for homeowners as well as contractors, "The manual for manufactured/mobile home repair and upgrade" is packed full of useful repair techniques. But it's more than just doing repairs, it's also about upgrading and improving a manufactured home. For instance, not only will you learn how to stop a metal roof from leaking, you'll also discover an inexpensive way to replace it. Want to relevel your own home? This manual gives you step by step instructions. Need to replace your waterlines? Then you can't miss the information found here.

Even if you don't do your own repairs, this manual will give you invaluable knowledge of how a repair should be performed so when you do seek a contractor, you know the right questions to ask. Written by us, this manual should be required reading for every owner of a manufactured home.

Aren't manufactured
homes suppose
to be installed with
the wheels down?




TIP OF THE MONTH
Toilet Flush
Does your toilet not flush like it use too? If your toilet has a small
hole at the very bottom by the drain, try cleaning it out with a wire.
The flush may greatly improve.

If you have a picture or repair tip to share with us, please e-mail it to us.