Water Leak Under a Mobile Home
Whether it’s Spring, Summer, Winter or Fall, a water leak under a mobile home is no fun. Trying to figure out where the water is coming from can be enough to drive you crazy. In this article we will discuss the ins and outs of finding your water leak and fixing it quickly.
Who Is Responsible for Water Leaks in a Mobile Home Park
Visit the park office and ask to speak with the maintenance manager. Usually, these guys are handy and very pleasant to work with. Tell them of your concerns regarding the water leak. They are typically very knowledgeable about the water system within the park. Water leaks are very common, and they have a lot of experience dealing with them.
The park is typically responsible for the water leading up to the crock area of your mobile home. Once the pipes go into the structure of the mobile home this is where your responsibility takes place.
Sometimes mobile homes will have a water meter as well. Any leaks leading up to the meter area are typically the responsibility of the park as well. Pipes that lead off the meter into the house may be your responsibility. Always discuss the situation with the maintenance manager, he will let you know.
How to Find a Water Leak Under a Mobile Home
The best way to find a water leak under a mobile home is to have one person crawl under the home. Then have another person go through the home and turn the water off and on at different locations. While under the home you should start to see water start to trickle down.
You may need to pull down in the insulation under the mobile home in the area of the leak to get a better idea of where it is coming from. Sometimes what will pool up in the insulation and run out in an area that is completely different from where the leak is. So, make sure you get a good look at the subfloor of the home to try to get a better idea of where the water leak is exactly.
Once you know the location of the problem you can head back inside to figure out what is causing the issues.
Mobile Home Water Leak Repair
Now that you know where the water is coming from or have a general idea it’s time to get to work to figure out how to fix the issue. When it comes to water leaks it is typically one of three things. A broken pipe, a broken seal or something has come loose. Obviously, some of these repairs take longer than others and some of you just wish you had a magic wand to fix, it would be much easier.
Mobile Home Wall Leak
This is one of the worst leaks that you could probably have. When you have a pipe that has broken in a wall there is no way around having to tear into the wall to figure out what the problem is. This can really create an eye soar but it is the only way to fix what is happening inside the wall.
Slowly cut a small area of where you think the water is leaking and then move on from there. You might get lucky and find it is simply a joint that has come loose and you don’t have to rip down a lot of paneling or drywall to fix it.
On the other hand, sometimes it is easier to replace one whole sheet of drywall or paneling. Just be sure you find where the pipe is leaking and you get it fixed before you close the wall back up. Even leaving the wall open to test the new fittings out for a bit isn’t such a bad idea.
Once you are 100% sure that you have solved the problem now is the time to button the wall back up.
Water Under Mobile Home
If you notice a water leak under your mobile home or water coming out from the skirting area, you will want to fix this as soon as possible. Especially if your home sits within a mobile home park. You are charged for the amount of water you use in a mobile home park and water coming out from under your mobile home is a big problem and can be quite expensive.
Many times the park office maintenance guy will help you if you discover you have a water leak. It really does depend on where the leak is.
If you are interested in keeping your crawl space clean and dry check out our article on Crawl Space Moisture Barrier.
Busted Water Pipe Under Trailer
You will want to crawl under the home and find the problem area. If it simply is an area where two pipes meet, see if there is any damage to the pipe. If there is no damage but it is where there is a joint, try tightening it down. You may just need to replace the pipe area all together.
Turning the water off at the crock to replace any time of piping under the mobile home is super important. Once you cut the pipe water will continue to be fed to that area if the water is not shut off. Your maintenance manager will be able to help you with this if you cannot find the shut off.
Mobile Home Water Line Diagram
Most mobile homes come with a packet of papers. Usually kept in a drawer or a closet for safe keeping. If you still have those papers to the home, there might be a water line diagram. This will help to show where the lines run on your mobile home.
Water Leaking from Bottom of Shower Unit
This leak probably tops the charts on the worst leak to have in your mobile home. The reason it is the worst is these leaks are very hard to get to.
If the pipe is leaking down the wall then you have to rip into the back of the wall. However, if you find it is just the drain to the shower unit you could cut a small hole in the floor underneath the home and try to repair it that.
The only other solution is the takeout the shower unit completely. This should be avoided at all costs because it can be quite expensive to do. Most of the time you need to replace the whole shower unit when removing one because it is hard not to break the fiberglass of these units when removing them.
How to Fix a Leaking Washing Machine Drain Hose
First, pull your washer away from the wall. You will want enough room so that you can squeeze behind the unit. I would recommend unplugging the unit first, electricity and water don’t mix well together. This will also give you more room to move the washer out.
A washing machine drain hose typically has 2 screws holding the hose to the back of the washing machine. The house is located towards the bottom part of the washing machine and is black in color. This hose runs from the washing machine up to the drain area. The washing machine sits close to the wall and sometimes these hoses get squished or damaged easily. Replacing them is a snap.
To replace this hose there are some steps you should take. First, remove the screws on the back of the washer and pop off the drain pipe. Be sure to have a towel handy as there will probably be water still in the hose. Take the hose with you to any local hardware store and make sure you get the same size replacement hose. Any associate at the hardware store should be able to help you.
Once you have the new hose simply hook it back up to your washer and presto your repair is complete. Just make sure you tighten it down well so that you don’t have a leak from it not being sealed down well.
Mop up any water and you should be good to go. You can now slide back your washer and go on with your day.
Bathroom Sink Leaking from Underneath
Start by getting a flashlight. The area under the bathroom sinks is very dark and it is hard to see anything under there. It will help if you have two people, one under the sink and one to run the water. Observe the pipes as the water is being run. If you see water coming out of a fitting, take a pipe wrench to slowly tighten the area. Don’t tighten it too much or you could end up cracking the pipe. If this doesn’t seal the deal the pipe may be bad or the tape on the pipe may have worn off. Pipes have tape called flux tape that is used to go over the threading of the pipe to help seal it down.
If you still notice a leak remove the pipe. Just make sure you have a water shutoff value that you can turn off first. Once you have the pipe moved inspect the threads for white tape. If you notice the tape is missing or the pipe is cracked, simply take it down to your local hardware store. Hardware stores get these kinds of scenarios all the time and they are a wealth of information.
Once you have the new pipes simply put them back and place and turn the water back on and repeat the steps again. This should solve the problem with the water under your bathroom sink area.
Kitchen Sink Leaking from Underneath
A leak under a kitchen sink is quite common. Afterall, a kitchen sink is probably one of the most used areas in your mobile home. A sink link if not discovered right away can cause damage to the kitchen cabinets and also to the subfloor of the mobile home.
