Maintenance Tips for Vintage Mobile Homes
Vintage mobile homes are literally invaluable and this is why we are so particular about them. These are structures that have been for decades and come with a whole lot of history. One of the greatest models to ever be produced is Spartan 1954.
The Spartan 1954 was aptly referred to as the Cadillac of trailers. It was manufactured using the highest quality materials available and had the sleekest of designs. In recent times, it is still regarded as one of the most luxurious mobile homes to ever be made.
After you have purchased this vintage home whether via cash or other purchase means, the next step would be to ensure a longer lifespan for the Spartan 1954 or vintage mobile homes in general. And to succeed, routine maintenance is a major requirement.
If you’re not particularly used to taking constant care of something, it is only advisable that you practice caregiving. One of the most practical ways to do this, albeit sounding ridiculous is the gardening, particularly gardening succulents. The daily and periodic requirements for survival of the plants are a great way to infuse some caregiving into your lifestyle and routine.
Once you have ingrained this attribute into your lifestyle and you are certain that you’ve got the caring streak in you, you are now qualified to take care of a vintage mobile home. Now, to keep your mobile home healthy and in great shape, here are some functional maintenance tips:
- Ensure that your Mobile Home is Level
This is one of the most important tips that you need to take to heart as a mobile homeowner. It is also one of the most important tips that any professional would give you. It is essential to check your home at every given opportunity or if you want to do it routinely, checking yearly is a great option.
In essence, checking to ensure that your home is still level is one of the most important checks to conduct. This is because a mobile home that isn’t leveled properly could end up having several issues that could clearly be avoided.
For instance, the doors and windows may end up not shutting properly, you may get cracks in your wall and more damaging yet is the potential occurrence of leaks. You definitely want to avoid this so you should ensure that your home is level.
- Maintain Your Roof to Prevent Leaks
Preventing your roof from leaking is really something that you want when you have a mobile home. Leaks can cause huge messes and damage a lot of stuff indoors and you really want to avoid that. Therefore, a great way to do this is to look out for leaks and fix them as soon as you detect any.
Irrespective of how tiny a leak might be or the fact that it drips water only slightly, it could go on to be the ‘death’ of your home. Also, regular resealing and recoating of your roof is one way to go about a leak-free roof.
Some user manuals typically state that this would be done every year to keep your mobile home in a great state. Furthermore, you should ensure that your flashing is in great condition and that there are no cracked caulking or soft spots.
In addition, ensure that the coating that you are applying is the correct one. For instance, PVC or rubber (EPDM) roofs cannot be coated using Asphalt or aluminum.
- Proper Ventilation
Ventilation is serious business when it comes to buildings, especially residential ones. It is however even a lot more serious when it comes to mobile homes. A mobile home’s skirting, otherwise known as perimeter enclosure is a lot more essential that many mobile homeowners realize.
Skirting serves as an insulator for the entire home and additionally protects it from pests. Skirting should be designed in such a manner that it provides sufficient venting so that the mobile home isn’t affected by humidity which leads to the growth of mold. Furthermore, skirting gives the mobile home a curb appeal as well.
In order to ensure that your home is getting the right skirting ventilation with relation to your square footage, the formula (1:150) can be applied. This implies that for every 150 square feet of space, there should be one square foot of venting.
- Prevent Insects and Pests Infestation
Mobile homes are somewhat susceptible to infestation and the damage caused could be pretty disastrous, so, it is essential that you are well prepared to prevent the occurrence of these issues. Since mobile homes are not secured to the ground like traditional homes, there are more points of entry for pests, especially from underneath the mobile home.
Some of the most common pests that you would encounter may include ants, cockroaches as well as rodents such as termites, mice, and rats. Getting rid of these pests isn’t too tasking provided you know the right steps to take. For instance, you can easily get rid of ants or termites with very minimal stress if you know exactly what to do.
One of these is keeping everything in the area of your home clean, especially where you store your trash, the kitchen where you cook your food and the pantry where your food is stored. Pests are attracted by food, therefore, making it difficult for them to access this food is another sure way to prevent an infestation.
- Learn the Act of Regular Inspection of Your Mobile Home
Although you may not be as experienced as a professional inspector, it doesn’t hurt to inspect your mobile home regularly. Note that this doesn’t take the place of inspections by professionals but this helps you notice whatever obvious issues that your home is experiencing.
Some of the issues that you should look out for include bent or rusted I-beams, damaged or rotted wood floor framing, presence of wooden wedges between the pier cap and the steel frame, cracked, chipped or damaged masonry piers among others.
Proper care of your vintage mobile home is something that you shouldn’t compromise on. In line with this, the tips above are some in a long line that would help you maintain the integrity of your mobile home.
