Wind Blowing Up Kitchen Floor

jinx · Tue Jun 17, 2008 3:06 pm

I live in a new 2006 double wide and a couple of weeks it was very windy. I came inside and saw that the vinyl on the kitchen floor was all "puffed" up. In the 7 months I've been in here it has never done that. The mobile is set at ground level with openings at both ends. One of my questions is that I thought there is supposed to be some kind of an underbelly, besides the regular floor in the home.

Now that this has happened it has brought other things to mind and I don't know if they are tied in together. We get a lot of dust inside. The home is supposed to be sealed and has double pane windows. My old 1978 didn't get this much dust.

My other concern is "shocking". I'm still getting shocked like happens "sometimes' during the winter. I have to tell you that it is constant here. Never had this happen in the old home. The new home was put on the same lot as the old after a fire.

Any ideas or info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Dirty White Boy · Tue Jun 17, 2008 4:59 pm

My MH does the same with the lino in the kitchen when the central air is on...

jinx · Tue Jun 17, 2008 5:25 pm

This doesn't happen with the A/C on. it only happened the one day when it was extremely windy. It is windy quite often but it has only raised the one time.

Greg · Tue Jun 17, 2008 7:29 pm

Where about is it puffed up? around the outer edge, near the duct? Depending on the location is where you will need to start looking for the leak. Greg

Yanita · Tue Jun 17, 2008 7:56 pm

Dirty White Boy,

To solve your problem of air/heat blowing up the vinyl...remove the vent covers and use a thin bead of adhesive caulking all around the top of the vent but under the the vinyl...in essence you will be gluing the vinyl in place, then reset vent cover. If you do not have adhesive caulking readily available I suppose you could use duct tape of something similar.

Yanita

jinx · Tue Jun 17, 2008 9:34 pm

Greg wrote:Where about is it puffed up? around the outer edge, near the duct? Depending on the location is where you will need to start looking for the leak. Greg

The A/C vent comes out of a bottom cabinet, not the floor. The floor was all puffed up except the edges where it could not. It was puffed up the most at the center of the floor.

jinx · Thu Jun 19, 2008 2:19 am

Since no one has any ideas of what could be going on could you please tell me if there is somewhere that I could find pictures of the underneath of a doublewide mobile?

JD · Thu Jun 19, 2008 9:15 am

If wind is able to build up enough pressure to lift the vinyl flooring, the problem would be in the skirting and/or underbelly of the home. It is time for coveralls and a visual inspection of the underside of the home.

JD

steve · Thu Jun 19, 2008 9:21 am

The vinyl floor is a "floating" floor with only perimeter glue. Most of the time air from duct gets under edges at vents but in your case it is probably coming from the joint where the halves were connected. Does the vinyl cover the joint? If so ..thats your problem

Yanita · Thu Jun 19, 2008 9:32 am

Hi,

Here's a link to mobile homes, not sure that it is really going to help you. Am thinking that you need to get under your home, take pictures of your marriage line or any places that do not seem right to you. post the pics and we can give some thoughts.

Yanita

http://www.mygreathome.com/fix-it_guide/diagram.htm

jinx · Thu Jun 19, 2008 2:17 pm

steve wrote:The vinyl floor is a "floating" floor with only perimeter glue. Most of the time air from duct gets under edges at vents but in your case it is probably coming from the joint where the halves were connected. Does the vinyl cover the joint? If so ..thats your problem

It is definitely not from an A/C vent. A/C was not on. The kitchen is on one side of the home so it is not over the marriage line.

jinx · Thu Jun 19, 2008 2:19 pm

Thank you so much Yanita for that link. I think that the problem is with the underbelly. I suspect there is a problem under the kitchen. I am unable to get under it right now as I just had knee surgery, but I will ASAP. Thanks everyone.

bob · Thu Jun 19, 2008 5:38 pm

Was wondering if your home has vinyl siding. If wind coming from right direction catching the overlap seems. various materials are used on the walls behind vinyl such as wafer board, black cealitex board, styrofoam, and some times the sheets don't get butted together tight. Maybe could be pressurizing the stud spaces. The outside walls should be setting on the edge of the linoleum. Maybe air getting in under it. You could unsnap some of the vinyl in that area & see whats behind it, and how well it's sealed up. Just a thought that might help in case you don't find anything under your home.

jinx · Thu Jun 19, 2008 9:01 pm

No, it has cement siding.

Yanita · Thu Jun 19, 2008 10:00 pm

Hi Jinx,

Glad that linked helped.

Hopefully when you are able you will post some pics. This is something you will want repaired before the cold season comes back.

Since you have ruled out all of our thoughts I am still guessing that something has come loose underneath...

Don't push trying to get under your home to soon after knee surgery, give yourself time to heal...or send someone else down under.

Yanita