Mobile Home Plumbing Repair | Plumber Fort Worth
Falling under different regulations, mobile homes are not built to the same standards as a site built home, and will have distinct differences. Numerous mobile home manufacturers have improved their product since the 1990s. When you call Benjamin Franklin for a plumber in Fort Worth to provide mobile home plumbing service, you are assured of receiving a plumber knowledgeable in mobile home plumbing repair.
Mobile homes are manufactured to be affordable, and as a result of this, a number manufacturers use lower end quality materials to save on manufacturing costs. However, numerous manufacturers provide up-grade options for those who special order a new home and plumbing upgrades is an option that buyers frequently select.
Mobile homes can be especially vulnerable to damaging leaks. One example of a mobile home’s increased vulnerability can be found in the structure of inner, non-load bearing walls.
One manufacturing method involves the use of 1” x 4” lumber for non-weight bearing inner walls, that may or may not be mixed with 2” x 4”s. In comparison a site built home using a minimal 2” x 4” framing for inner walls. Current federal law requires the outer walls of mobile homes to be entirely of at least 2” x 4” construction.
Flooring provides an additional vulnerability of manufactured housing. Oriented strand board (OSB) is frequently used on mobile homes. OSB is a wood particle board engineered by adding adhesives compressed with wood flakes providing a strong construction product used for load bearing. It is frequently installed in walls, flooring and roof decking of both on site built homes and mobile homes.
OSB has some resistance to water, but is not impermeable. “Wet” areas of mobile homes, such as kitchens and bathrooms are typically further treated to provide increased resistance to water, with limited results. Leaks can result in sagging and rot in OSB and provides an additional vulnerability in manufactured housing that may also be found in on site built houses. This is an additional reason plumbing leaks should be promptly repaired by a plumber in Fort Worth.
OSB will not be found in all mobile homes, with a number of manufacturers providing ½ or ¾ inch plywood used in floors and walls, and occasionally in roof decking. The upgrade may be offered as an option if not standard practice. As with all grades of wood, exposure to water can warp and rot plywood, just as it can solid lumber in any home. To protect the structural integrity of your home, cutting off water when leaks occur, and seeking the prompt service of a plumber in Fort Worth are imperative.
The location of pipes and where they enter the home is an additional factor that differs from the numerous site built homes. Water lines typically come up through the floor in mobile homes, rather than through the walls. This doesn’t affect the function and is an issue aesthetically only in specific fixtures that may leave the plumbing exposed to view.
Mobile homes may lack drain clean-outs. Site built homes typically have two to three clean-outs. Numerous mobile homes lack any clean-outs at all. There are exceptions, with mobile homes whose plumbing will include clean-outs, typically under the kitchen sink and a clean-out in the main drain line. The lack of clean outs will not prevent drain cleaning by an experienced and knowledgeable Benjamin Franklin plumber in Fort Worth. Our plumbers will provide the plumbing service you need.
The main water supply connection will typically be located under the edge of the mobile home. How the pipes run and the type of plumbing vents will often differ from site built homes as well. Standard sized showers and tubs are being increasingly installed, but numerous manufacturers continue to place scaled down fixtures in the homes they produce. An example can be seen with mobile home bathtubs, which may be significantly shorter in mobile homes than site built homes.
Numerous mobile homes manufactured in the 1990’s and before, used low grade plumbing materials that resulted in repetitive leaks. If your mobile home was manufactured in the 1990s or before, and if leaks continue to be a problem, you may choose to consider mobile home repiping before additional devastating and costly damage occurs. A Ben Franklin plumber in Fort Worth will provide your home with professional repiping that will prevent further damage and costly repairs due to worn or faulty plumbing.
A growing number of mobile home manufacturers today, install a long lasting piping such as CPVC or PEX tubing, providing a significant upgrade to the mobile homes plumbing system. The improvement in plumbing is reflected with a decreased number of leaks. These materials are frequently the material of choice for mobile home owners seeking repiping by a licensed plumber in Fort Worth.
Manufacturers who produce exceptionally well built mobile homes engineered for superior energy efficiency, including increased insulation, insulated windows, standard plumbing fixtures and other perks found in quality site built housing are available. Modern mobile home engineering improves consistently, but it will pay potential buyers to do their homework and select a quality built mobile home with quality standard housing features in plumbing.
Mobile homes can provide unique challenges for plumbing installation and repair. When you call upon a Benjamin Franklin plumber in Fort Worth, you receive an experienced plumber who will provide a professional repair or installation of your mobile homes plumbing issue. Furthermore, you will receive a plumber in Fort Worth with the experience to provide not only mobile home plumbing repairs, but plumbing installation and gas fittings with the same expertise and care utilized on all of our plumbing services.
Homeowners can count on a Benjamin Franklin Plumbing licensed plumber in Fort Worth to deliver the highest level of service for all of your plumbing needs. Your satisfaction is always 100% guaranteed.