Mobile Home Plumbing - Which Type of Pipe do I use?

Plumbing a mobile home is not fun: imagine army crawling in a compressed space with nothing over head but
rusty metal and coal black bottom board fabric (or if you are unlucky, wet torn insulation).

Mobile homes are plumbed with a variety of piping from CPVC, Polybutylene ('that gray stuff') and PEX to name a few. We at Ashvillemobilehomes.com suggest PEX pipe for numerous reasons.

Why Pex?

1. It's awesome.When I moved in my current home, the first thing I did was re-plumb the entire home from polybutylene to pex - Best.Decision.Ever. We had a hard freeze a few months later, and my water pipes froze solid (how did this happen? I didn't patch my skirting). After 48 hours of being frozen solid, the weather broke, and my pipes thawed. Only a metal shut off had broken.
2. Easy of use - Pex pipe can be cut with a hacksaw, or a pair of pipe cutters. It is flexible and can easily turn a 90 degree angle without the need for an additional elbow fitting. 
3. No Glue Required - You don't have to worry about your repair men sniffing the pipe glue instead of working. Most PEX fittings are reusable also.
4. Hot and Cold Use - PEX pipe doesn't care. Water is water, and so long as it doesn't undergo a phase change into another state due to temperature (water to steam), PEX will handle the water pressure like a boss.
5. Durability - Pex will not shatter, nor crack like PVC or CPVC nor is it degraded by direct sunlight (I'm looking at you CPVC).

Long story short, use PEX pipe when you can. If you need to transition between CPVC or Polybutylene, use a speed fit.

Who is awesome?

Mobile Home Plumbing Tip #1 - Leave Slack in Your Lines!

Mobile Home Plumbing Tip #1 - Leave Slack in Your Lines!

If you live in a mobile home, you are probably accustomed to the following sentiment:

•  'I hope my pipes don't freeze' 
• 'I hope I don't have a water leak'.

Unfortunately, every mobile home home sees at least one water leak, especially if the home is older.

If you are replumbing your mobile home, or running new lines, or replacing a line, do yourself a favor 

and leave slack in the line. 

There is nothing more frustrating than groping at a nub of pipe sticking up from the floor, or realizing 

you don't have enough pipe left after you cut the leak out. 

Sometimes this is impossible (CPVC, Copper). Which pipe to use under your mobile home is another topic, which I will hit on. I will say this: Use Pex Pipe.

One thing is for certain, leave slack. No one cares if your mobile home is plumbed in perfectly cut linear lines that would make aliens marvel at the rigid beauty. You are going to care when you need that slack to fix something you 'fixed' last winter. 

Weatherizing your Mobile Home - Repairing Bottomboard Fabric

Weatherizing your Mobile Home - Repairing Bottomboard Fabric:

The 'belly' of your mobile home is covered and sealed with a waterproof  fabric called 'Bottomboard Fabric'.

This stuff is important, and is often the most damaged and torn. Bottomboard Fabric keeps the insulation secure, and provides a moisture barrier between the elements and the floors of your home. Tears in this fabric can compromise the insulation of your home. This could increase your power bill.

Damage occurs to the Fabric in many ways:

• Water leaks (it has to be cut to fix pipes) 
• Animals may tear it open, or enlarge a hole seeking warmth (bring your animals inside in the cold!)
• Electrical work (have to cut the fabric to expose wiring).

The problem is...most people don't repair the hole. They leave it to be enlarged, or open for future repairs.
Bad. Bad. Bad. BAD.

If you have a small hole, or a straight cut or opening, I would suggest Bottom Closure (AKA Flex Mend) to repair it. Bottom Closure is bottom board fabric with one adhesive sticky side. Think of it as duct tape for this application.

If you have a larger open tear, or a part is beyond hope, we can stock 30" wide rolls of the Bottomboard Fabric. From there you can use a spray adhesive, or us Bottom Closure to make the repair.

Remember to replace any lost insulation before covering the hole.