When to relevel Mobile Homes.?

Question

Some floors in my mobile home are creaking. Is that a sign that my mobilehome needs releveling?

Answer 1

Noisy floors, especially in mobile homes, can be caused by:
1) Loose subfloors - typically, what happens is that the subfloor actually raises just a bit, and when you step on it, it slides down on the nail, or staple, causing the 'squeak'. I usually fix these by coming up from underneath, using a "Squeak Ender". You can find this little brace, made just for this type of problem, at most Lowe's stores, in the flooring department. (There've been a few times I had to find them, and show the salespeople what they were, lol). A second person inside the home is handy.... have them step on the squeak, while you locate it from underneath. Cut the underbelly open, and pull the insulation back, so you can access the subfloor. Install the Squeak Ender as it is shown on the package, pull the insulation back in place, and reseal the underbelly. I like to use a good heavy grade of duct tape, like Gorilla Brand duct tape, to stitch across the cut, and then cover that with some plastic and spray adhesive. Spray the plastic, and the underbelly with the adhesive, and wait for it to flash off. When you touch the glue, it should feel sticky, but should not come off the surface of the plastic onto your finger. If its still so wet that it is sticking to your finger, wait a bit longer....then apply the plastic over the patch.

2.) Loose lag bolts - Let's face it... if you've driven on the Interstate, you've seen these homes go bouncing down the highway at 70 miles an hour.... SOMETHING is going to give. It is VERY common to find that the lag bolts have loosened up, by the time that the home has been set up. Typically, a loose lag bolt gives more of a 'creaking' sound, as opposed to a 'squeak'. Simply crawl under the home, and tighten up the lag bolts using a socket wrench, along the frame, where you hear the creak. The bolts are located on the 'outer' side along the main I-beams of the steel frame, and at the tips of the frame extensions (triangles that run out perpendicular to the I-beams).

Between those two solutions, you will correct over 90% of the noisy floors encountered in mobile homes.

Now -- you asked about when to "relevel" a home -- typically no sooner than 6 months after the home is set...this will depend a lot on how good a foundation you put under the home. If you opted to have a full slab, then you may not need to relevel the home for many years. If you settled for the more common piers, then about a year is fairly common. Signs to look for - doors, and windows, that are no longer square in their opening, they may be binding and sticking now, when they did not originally. You may even feel a change in the slope of the floor, along the length of the home. I've had enough practice, I can usually tell, just by walking thru a home, if it needs to be releveled.

Take a look at the entry doors - looking at them from the inside, is the gap around the edge the same size all the way around? Same goes for any interior doors - the gap should be even all around the door. If the door binds at one side, or has a really large gap, then something has moved, because those doors were installed as a unit, and the gap was even, originally.

Now - how do you relevel a home? Its really not as complicated as you might think. You need a good bottle jack - say 8 to 12 tons, some cement blocks, and timbers. (Just something to stack up so you can use the jack, beside the support stacks under the home). A water level is very handy - if you don't want to purchase one, you can make one. I've made a couple that I use on the job. First, you need to establish a reference point. Just pick a spot somewhere towards the center of the home. If you are using 100 ft tubing with your water level, it will be accurate to within 1/8th of an inch, and you can reach the whole home without any problem. I sketch out the block pattern on a piece of graph paper, and measure the stacks, to see how much variance there is, from the reference point. Then I can look at the 'plan' and see just where I need to relevel. Ive seen some homes that were out of level by several inches, at the extreme. It's fairly common to find a home has settled out of level at more than one point, with up to 1.5 inches overall shift. Even if the home has settled more, it can be releveled. Don't forget to check the anchor straps - you want those tight, after you're all done with the relevel.

Hope this helped :)

Have Fun

Answer 2

I just stumbled across this old post. This very late reply may help some couple. That's all I care. To set a mobile home up or a re-level. They Must use a water level to even get started. (A long clear hose). Not a level, laser or transit. It's obvious they were not qualified. Lot of the crews that do this, are dopers. It's hard to find good help. You can find mobile homes built in the late 90's to early 2000's from $2, 000 to 5, 000 from the home owner. If they need new flooring and you can afford it. Use 3/4 plywood. Most of the time, you get what u pay for. The cheapest guy, there will be at least a few reasons why he is the cheapest. Protect your investment, Hire real structual craftsmen.

Answer 3

Check your doors, if the reveal between the edge of the doors and the frame is not consistant all the way around. Are your doors and windows tight ? Is the kitchen counter or the island level ? Where walls butt end to one another, are there cracks or gaps ? Does the bottom of a picture on the wall not touch the wall ? Lol That last one is very extreme, but yet I have seen it.
When it comes to protecting your investment get an expert. Concrete runners is the way to go. If it is done by a Competent concrete contractor. It's like the old man says...... If are going to cut corners, Don't do it in the footing. !! Like a long concrete box and another row of concrete running from side to side, every 8 ft. Anchors & straps too. No #3 or 3/8 ths rebar. Always #4 or #5.
Done right, no relevels. Soil compaction plays a factor.
To set a mobile up or a re-level, they Must use a water level, Not a level, laser or transit. Frames get bent moving and setting up. The cheapest guy does the cheapest work

Answer 4

I think your dead on the money. Depending on what your using for blocking the ground underneath your home may settle at different rates. So what was level last year will shift, this year. Set a level on your tub which is probably on one end and your kitchen counter on another. Should be able to tell if how bad out you are. Probably just a little jacking and re blocking.

Answer 5

they creak in brand new ones alot in my opinion if you put new carpet pad and carpet down it will muffle it or stop it so you dont have to listen to it and I dont know and have never heard of releveling I thought if they were screwed up you pitched em and got a diff one, the used ones go for like 1500 here in iowa for a decent 70s one usually no air though gotta add that

Answer 6

Releveling

Answer 7

no what you need to do is have someone walk on it while you are underneath and put shims under the floor.