Kitchen Floor Lump

Repair help for the do-it-yourselfer.
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J. Mc
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Jul 07, 2009 2:02 pm
Location: Inver Grove Heights

Okay, maybe more of a speed bump depending on how you look at it... :lol:
Hello all, I'm new so first a little introduction, I'm a college student living in my parents mobile home, we have been living in a mobile home since 1996. Our current one is a 2001 Friendship singlewide 16x80, it sat on a dealer's lot for two years as a model. Then in 2003 we traded in our old one for it and it was moved to our current location. It is based on gravel/sand pack mix which was spread/compacted by a backhoe, and supported by concrete block pillars/piers and tied down with metal strapping. It has not been releveled since it was installed, maybe a bad thing?
So the problem we are having is with our kitchen floor, it has a large lump growing from right after the cabinets on one side (80 ft side) to just before the dishwasher on the other, beyond that it is reasonably flat but in the middle it is very uneven. It seems to be about 10 feet long by about 1-2 feet wide by 1-2 inches tall depending on the spot, and it sort of arcs from one side to the other. I first noticed it as a very slight slant in the floor about two years after we moved in, it has only started to "grow" recently, and seems to be getting worse every week now. We will be calling in someone to look at it, since neither me or my Dad have any sort of experience to deal with it. I'm just wondering if anyone knows what the cause could be? I'm wondering if maybe a support column didn't settle with the rest? Warped beam? It's parallel to the front of the house (16 foot side) and the crown of the lump is about 11 feet from the front wall/windows. Also our lot has a little incline to it so the front of the house, where the kitchen is, is about 5 feet off the ground and the rear is roughly one-two feet above ground. Aside from the lump the rest of the house seems pretty level. If anyone has any ideas about this we would appreciate it. If you need any other info, a better description or clarifying on this description let me know. I would try to take a picture but the vinyl floor separated from the subfloor by the lump so it's hard to see it. I could try taking a picture though if it would help.
steelworkersgal
Posts: 94
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2009 1:30 pm
Location: Central Illinois

With not seeing what your talking about, it sounds as if your dishwasher is leaking which has caused damage to the underlying wood and the heat from the dishwasher is drying it out causing the wood to draw up in that area. That's just my guess.
peachlizzard
Posts: 59
Joined: Tue Nov 04, 2008 3:11 pm

Oddly enough I have the same lump in my kitchen. I do know for a fact that mine is directly above a pier. Ours is not as drastic as yours reads to be. I can live with it. And so did the laminate that we put in. Mine started about a year after we were there and hasn't "grown". It is on the oppisite side of the kitchen that has the dishwasher, so that leaves that out. No plumbing under that part of the house. So I am almost certain it has something to do with the setteling of the piers. Something I am not willing to mess with right now. I hope someone else has advice....cause I could use it too.
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Yanita
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Posts: 3369
Joined: Sat Feb 17, 2007 10:16 pm
Location: Eastern N. Carolina

Hi,

Does this hump run parallel to the Ac/heat ducting?

Yanita
The difference between success and failure is who gives up first!
J. Mc
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Jul 07, 2009 2:02 pm
Location: Inver Grove Heights

Okay, I took some pictures and it actually shows up alright, maybe these might help.
[albumimg]1453[/albumimg]
[albumimg]1452[/albumimg]
[albumimg]1450[/albumimg]
[albumimg]1451[/albumimg]

I suppose the dishwasher could have something to do with it, we haven't had any leaks that I know of though. This one is the second one for us since the first had to be replaced due to a recall.

The HVAC duct runs perpendicular to the lump so I don't know if that affects anything.

Also I forgot to mention Minnesota in the location bar, just in case anyone was wondering :D
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Greg
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Joined: Wed Feb 28, 2007 8:01 pm
Location: Weedsport, NY

Hi & welcome. I think you should start "downstairs" and look for a problem with the supports. I doubt that it has anything to do with a leak since it does not seem to be confined to one area. Greg
"If I can't fix it, I can screw it up so bad no one else can either."
steelworkersgal
Posts: 94
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2009 1:30 pm
Location: Central Illinois

What it looks like to me it could be the joint/seam that has come unglued and the edge of the plywood floor has lifted. Or the Joice has bowed in some way causing the seam to rise in such a manner. As Greg said they only way your going to know for sure is to look underneath at the Joice and flooring. We can all guess but with out looking at the situation your not going to know.
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Yanita
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Posts: 3369
Joined: Sat Feb 17, 2007 10:16 pm
Location: Eastern N. Carolina

Hi,

I am thinking this is going to be a dishwasher leak. There maybe a leak in the water line under the home. This you will only know if you go underneath. Carefully cut an X in the underbelly material, remove the insulation and check the lines.

You might immediately see if there is a leak as the water will be trapped in your underbelly and making a large bulge. All wet insulation will need replacement, and the floor joist and sub flooring will need to be completely dried out as well. If you have particle board flooring you will need to replace that section.

All underbelly repair materials can be found in our BOOKS/PARTS link here on line.

Please let us know what you find. Take more pics from underneath if needed.

Yanita
The difference between success and failure is who gives up first!
J. Mc
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Jul 07, 2009 2:02 pm
Location: Inver Grove Heights

Hmm, not to chicken out but opening up the belly underneath is a bit more than I want to deal with right now, especially since I have no experience in home repair. I'm going to wait until someone comes to look at it (which will be soon). Thanks so much for the ideas as to what it could be though and I will try to get more pictures from underneath when it's opened up.
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Yanita
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Posts: 3369
Joined: Sat Feb 17, 2007 10:16 pm
Location: Eastern N. Carolina

Well in case it is a water leak you at least should peak under the home and see if there is water gathering in the belly material. If so make a small hole and allow the water to drain, to not do so will cause extensive damage under the home.

JMO,

Yanita
The difference between success and failure is who gives up first!
J. Mc
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Jul 07, 2009 2:02 pm
Location: Inver Grove Heights

There was a leak alright! The repair guy came this morning and looked at the floor, then went under the house, poked a hole in the belly liner and I think about 50 gallons of sewage came out. (I'm glad I didn't try that :shock: ) The cause was an elbow joint in the wastewater pipe that cracked during the winter (or maybe last winter :!: ) and has been slowly leaking out since. I did not go under the house to get up close to the pipes since there was standing sewage running toward the street, but here are a couple pics I did get:
[albumimg]1456[/albumimg] [albumimg]1455[/albumimg]
[albumimg]1454[/albumimg]
He said to let everything dry out, he had to cut about 15 holes to drain the belly, and in about a month and a half he will be back to install new insulation, repair the liner, and get everything tightened up again. To air out the underside I replaced two access panels with 1/2 inch hardware cloth so there will be some airflow. apparently bulges in kitchen floors are commonly associated with leaks around here so right on with the guess. He still wasn't sure why exactly the floor bulged up so bad though since it wasn't affected by the water. Probably just all the steam from the pipe during the winter.
steelworkersgal
Posts: 94
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2009 1:30 pm
Location: Central Illinois

Good to hear your problem has been taken care of.
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Yanita
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Posts: 3369
Joined: Sat Feb 17, 2007 10:16 pm
Location: Eastern N. Carolina

Wow, ummm, nasty situation. Am really glad that you got it taken care.

You are right to open the area and get some major air moving under there.

Since the floor damage showed up in the kitchen every time you emptied the sink or the dishwasher was running the water flowed pretty hard and splashed up onto the floor. Regardless, at least it is taken care of now.

While you are waiting to get the underneath dried out start looking for new floor covering, you will need to replace the damaged wood underneath. This is contaminated so best not to try and salvage it.

Glad to see a home that finally has a nice clean crawl space under their home and a vapor barrier as well!

Yanita
The difference between success and failure is who gives up first!
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Greg
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Joined: Wed Feb 28, 2007 8:01 pm
Location: Weedsport, NY

OK I would not have believed that a leak would have caused a raise in the floor that long.

As Yanita said plan on replacing at least some of the sub floor. Greg
"If I can't fix it, I can screw it up so bad no one else can either."
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Yanita
Moderator
Posts: 3369
Joined: Sat Feb 17, 2007 10:16 pm
Location: Eastern N. Carolina

Hi,

I have seen it happen in several rental mobile homes in the park I used to live in.

It was always water related damage.

My next question to the poster here is...did you by chance leave water slowly dripping in your sinks at some point during the winter. IF you did then read the article in our Articles link and you will understand how and why this happened.

Anyways, glad you are on the proper road to repairs.

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