Doors not shutting anymore?

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Ok, I bought a 3 year old mobile home in 2005. This is my second winter in it. I've had no problems until now. It's the first day of spring and it's been a mild winter to say the least save for a couple weeks of cold. I didn't even shovel my driveway once this winter.

Anyway, my first problem was that I noticed my front door wouldn't close properly to lock the dead bolt anymore. They wouldn't line up anymore. So I just moved the piece down and viola, it worked. I figure this was a temporary fix until I found out how/why this happened. I have since checked on my back door and the same thing has happened there. So I checked the inside doors throughout my place and come to find out that half of them no longer close properly anymore.

My non-handy brain tells me that my house has shifted slightly somehow over the winter. I checked around and a lot of places recommend that the tie-downs are loosened before winter and re-tightened in the spring. I climbed under today and checked 4 of the 6 I could get to. None of them were overly tight, but I loosened them more anyway just to see if that helps over the next little while. The two I can't get to are back in the corner behind the blocks it's sitting on. Hopefully those aren't causing my problem.

Any other suggestions as to why my doors aren't closing right anymore? And how I might go about fixing the problem?

Thanks for the help and sorry it's so longwinded.

Dave.
Archie
Posts: 55
Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2007 5:08 pm

I would say that that home needs to be re leveled. If it is on blocks that rest on the ground instead of frost footings then some settling would be expected after the home was set up.
Experience is what you get after you need it.
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Greg
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Joined: Wed Feb 28, 2007 8:01 pm
Location: Weedsport, NY

Dave, Wait a few days before you do anything. this is the time of year when frost heave does weird things, the ground could be thawing from the sun in some spots and still be frozen in others. this is just one of those things that we have to deal with. Greg
"If I can't fix it, I can screw it up so bad no one else can either."
troyster
Posts: 166
Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2007 5:42 pm
Location: terrace bc

Hi Getson, I have to agree with Greg. I live in Northern British Columbia and when the ground frost heaves in the winter our doors don't close and lock properly. When winters over the door mechanisms come back into alignment.
Guest

Hopefully that's all it is. Thanks for the quick responses. If spring comes and goes and I still have the same problems, assuming my place does need to be releveled, how much does something like that cost to have done (roughly)?
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Yanita
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Posts: 3369
Joined: Sat Feb 17, 2007 10:16 pm
Location: Eastern N. Carolina

Hi Getson,

LOL, your profile is empty so we do not know what size home you have.

When possible please complete your profile, this helps the moderators and everyone else answer your questions quickly.

Oh, and Welcome to the site! :D

One other thing, in the books/parts link Mark, our fearless leader here, has a Mobile/Manufactured Home Repair manuel for sale on line. Among many things this also covers releveling your home. It comes highly recommended, lots of easy to understand directions and pics!

Have a great day!

~Yanita~
The difference between success and failure is who gives up first!
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