material for underbelly

[diceydad]

I was wondering what is the best material to use. I was thinking of using tyvek. My brother in law is telling me to use 6 mil plastic sheathing. I was hoping that someone can shed some light on this topic for me.

[AlanF]

do not use poly. Use a material that will breathe, like house wrap.

[JD]

The best product to use for underbelly is mobile home underbelly. This material is sold through the Books & Parts link above. The full piece of 16x80 is the cheapest way to go. Ordering by the foot is almost twice the price per foot.

http://www.mobilehomerepair.com/underbelly.htm

It is much stronger than Tyvek as well as it is made for this specific purpose. The strength comes into play if your floor insulation lays on top of it. Tyvek is cheaper. But when considering the labor involved and how long a product will last, saving $80 on a single wide or $160 on a double wide does not seem like a good deal to me.

JD

[ms vg]

Is it a/or will it be a problem if house wrap is used?

Not to highjack this thread BUT... we're finally getting finished with our flood repairs and the insulation guy used house wrap. IF this is going to be a problem down the road I want to address it with our insurance guy NOW.

TIA
Sherri

[JD]

I have never heard of a problem in using Tvek for underbelly material, but then again the subject has never come up in real life situations to me. There has been a lot of talk about it here on the forum, so I imagine a lot of people have tried it. Hopefully we will hear from them. I believe both products do the same thing and may be made similar, but I think the black underbelly material is 2-3 times thicker and stronger than Tyvek HomeWrap. Tyvek may have other products also, stuff you don't see in the big home stores.

For insurance purposes, replacement and repair should be as is original or better technically. You could check out the Tyvek and see if it seems to be stretching or over stressed. Then you can bring up your concern to the contractor and the insurance company. Even if the material is not replaced, at least your concern would be documented and you would be probably covered for any future problems. I sure would feel bad if the contractor was forced to replace it. That could turn all his efforts into a real loser financially. I would be happy with some type of written "forever" warranty (provided you feel that this company has integrity and a sound future) . Again, I have no idea if Tyvek would fail or not work properly.

JMO
JD

[flcruising]

Here's some funny (and enlightening) reads. The one pertaining to you is at the end.

http://www.homeenergy.org/archive/hem.d ... 60112.html

[ms vg]

Thanks for the info!
Sherri

[Yanita]

Good morning,

Thanks Aaron for the link, great read.

Lends reasoning/facts that somethings need to be repaired with the same items that are damaged. Underbelly material is one of those items.

Have a great day.

Yanita