Prepare your home for cold weather

Is your mobile home ready for the cooler weather? The steps you take now can eliminate expensive repairs, save energy and make your home safer. And with the right information, you can do the work yourself instead of paying someone else to do it.

Caulk leaks

Polyurethane caulking is a good all-around choice for sealing your home from drafts and leaks. Caulk gutter and downspout seams, plumbing and furnace vent pipes, flashing seams between the roof and siding, door and window frames, along siding joints, around the dryer vent, and at the TV antenna wire entrance.

Seal the roof

The edges and seams of expansion joints of a metal roof should be sealed every year. Use a roof coating suggested by a local dealer or service center, and apply to a dry, clean surface. Repair any punctures, cracks or breaks and tighten or replace loose fasteners.

Inspect blocks and jacks

Examine the blocks or jacks that support your mobile home. If they're not in good condition, have them repaired immediately to prevent sagging, which can cause damage to windows, doors, joints and walls.

Loosen tie-downs

Slightly loosen your home's tie-downs if you live in an area where the ground freezes solid. Ground can "heave" as much as three inches during the winter, and tie-downs leave no place for the mobile home to move. Remember to tighten tie-downs again in the spring.

Check skirting

Your home's skirting should be secure, but not so tight that it stops ventilation or vertical movement. Once winter sets in, be sure to shovel snow and ice away from the skirting to avoid denting and cutting off the air supply required by the furnace. Tape pipes. One of the simplest methods to prevent water pipes from freezing is with heat tapes. These contain a heating element encased in the tape that warms the pipes and prevents freezing.

arrow_back View more great articles from our Learning Center

The information contained in this page is provided for general informational purposes only. The information is provided by Foremost® and while we endeavor to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the articles or the information, products, services or related graphics, if any, contained in the articles for any purpose. The information is not meant as professional or expert advice, and any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.