We have lived in a trailer for 2 years and every winter we have been here the outside walls in the closet area and now to the front of the mobile is wet and showing small signs of mold. It only does it as it gets cold. The windows also steam up and get some black on them as well. The bathroom ceiling also gets small yellow spots on it.
Any idea what would cause all of this? the skirting on the trailer is very tight and there is no air flow under it, could this be the cause? Nothing like this happens in the summer and it is always the outside walls. Under the trailer is always damp as well, they have the dryer vented under their.
Condensation on the inside of your walls, since they are cold metal. All that water runs down and pools under your floor. Eventually it turns your particle-board subflooring to mush and you step through it to the ground. The only solution is to insulat it, but to do enough insulation to work, you need wider studs for thicker walls. Dern it. I know whereof I speak.
I used to live in a trailer as well and we always had problems, especially with the windows. I live in Minnesota so it was always bad. The problem is definately moisture and lack of proper air circulation. The warm air hits the cold walls/windows/whatever and it condensates. When this sits for too long then it will start to mold. My window frames were completely rotten in the place we lived and the walls were paneling with very little if any insulation in them. We had problems in our closets as well as anything up against an outside wall that would start to mold during the winter.
You can try covering your windows in plastic which should help with the window problem. As for the bathroom do you have a ventilation fan in the ceiling or wall that pulls all the humid air out of there? Hot steamy showers are the culprit but unless you want a cold shower there isn't much you can do except keep the door open when you shower. As for the closets you may want to either consistently keep the doors closed so the temperature is cooler in there or if not make sure you don't have a lot of stuff stacked on the floors so the air circulates. I now live in a house and we moved our dresser in our bedroom to paint after it had been in the same spot (outside wall) for 3 years. We had black mold growing on the sheet rock behind the dresser because of moisture and lack of air movement.
I, too, live in a trailer Never, never vent your dryer under the trailer for the very reasons you stated. Moisture will build up and cause problems. You need to install a vent on the side (even if it routes through the underside. Double check often to make sure that once it actually is vented to the outside, that the connection doesn't loosen. Lots of problems solved.
I also keep my closet doors ajar, as they are on outside walls and get very cold in them without circulation from the house. Visit a store that specializes in mobile home items, etc. They can offer a great deal of advice and help you install proper vents, etc. Good luck.
You have a moisture problem. The warm humid air is collecting on a cold surface. Just like a wetness on the outside of a cold glass on a warm summer day. You have to open the window for 10 minutes a day to see if that helps or buy a dehumidifier.
I have this problem also. I just moved in to our trailer and all the outside walls are wet..... The carpet in my bedroom also have a "wet" feel to it too. Someone said that it is because the house is really "sealed" and the moisture from your warm interior and the cold of the poorly insulated walls dont mix.
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