Insulating a Mobile Home

By

472159

If you have central heating, turn your heat up to about 72 degrees during the day. Your rooms may still feel cold. If so, get some space heaters for the rooms you spend the most time in such as your living room and your bedroom. You can get good space heaters at Fred Meyer for about $40 to $60 dollars. Get ones with a digital thermostat that will turn off and on automatically.

Run them only when your home. Insulating your home better is a long term goal you can work on as you get the money and have time. You can beef up the R-factor of your crawl space by adding some foam board insulation if you don't have a skirting with a high R-factor. Remember to cut vents in it if you do this. Good luck.

By

lrrn567

I called CL&P for help. It costs $75 dollars for them to come in to inspect. They do not install anything for insulation. I have to get a contractor to write out the price and they will rebate me about 8% of the cost. Wanted to get this info back to all of you that were trying to help me.

By

Cyinda

Here's some tips that I've posted that may help you::

I hung new throw rugs on my walls (as tapestries) for insulation...
You can also buy those stick-up carpet tiles (or use double-backed carpet tape on the back of carpet samples then hang on the wall as "art")
http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf69185361.tip.html

Insulate windows with bubble wrap year round:
http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf79474132.tip.html

In our area they have help for free winterizing:
http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf61517779.tip.html

There's a powder you can add to paint that's supposed to help insulate
---> insulating additive for paints:
http://www.hytechceramics.com/
http://www.nansulate.com/energy_eff ... htm?gclid=COrMsputzJcCFRqgnAodsUQT7g

Since you live in a mobile home (like I do) I thought you might find this info valuable too:

Spray & forget siding, roof & deck cleaner:
http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf50865041.tip.html

* Here's some great tips from other ThriftyFun readers:

Winterizing Your Steel Doors
http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf27563179.tip.html

Do It Yourself Weatherstripping
http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf399620.tip.html

Insulating walls:
http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf77753791.tip.html

By

lrrn567

Thank you for your responses. I will call tomorrow to see if someone can help me.
I'll keep everyone posted as this goes.

By

Poor But Proud

Dear Cumberland: Please don't advise paper in the walls. It gets wet and even if it doesn't, it is a horrible fire hazard.

Heat rises, so do go to the local community action agency and get an energy audit. If you qualify you can get the belly board redone, which is a band of sheathing under the trailer that holds in the insulation. Chances are yours has been eaten away by critters and or time. Good luck.

By

Paula Jo Carr

Go to the "community action agency" found in the county office of your area court house; they have helped my friend with her mobile home issues. Ask a clerk in the court house where these folks are and they can point you in the right direction. Good luck and keep us posted on what you do.

By

Cricketnc

I also live in a badly insulated mobile home. It took me a long time, but I took one wall at a time, took down the entire wall, and replaced the insulation with better grade and more of it. Then I replaced the wall board (I forget what it's called). As each room got done, I repainted or wallpapered. Now my home is a lot better insulated and my electric bill has gone way down.
It sounds like a lot bigger job than it really is. I did all this by myself. But by breaking it down to one wall at a time, it made it a lot easier, plus the cost was a lot easier to bear too, because I didn't have to pay for it all at once, or put it on a charge card with exorbitant interest rates.

By

cathyphelps

Call your local Community Action Agency. Ask about their Weatherization Program. If you're income elegible, which it sounds like you are, they will inspect and insulate your home for free! It's my belief that all of these Non-Profit Agencies have been given more money through the Stimulus Package.

By

Cumberland

Newspaper is a great insulator. Apply it to the walls like you were making a paper-mache pinata. After you have a thick layer built up, you can paint it or cover the whole thing with fabric - see the DIY tips on how to make fabric stick to walls. My neighbor was renting and wanted temporary wallpaper and used the fabric technique - it was amazing. So your place will be warm and fabulous. (But don't smoke inside).

By

Patty Lynn

Go to a thrift store or the attic of a friend or relative, or go to www.freecycle.com and get curtains or decorative sheets to put up on the wall. Line them with old blankets. You can hang them with push pins. While you're there, get loads of rugs to put on all of your floors, even on top of carpet as heat will be lost downward. While you're at it, cover the inside of your windows with plastic, you can buy inexpensive plastic storm windows at the Dollar Store, and make "draft-dodgers out of old fabric to put at the bottoms of ALL of your doors (interior as well as exterior). Keep the doors to unused rooms shut. Wear heavy socks and put plenty of snuggly blankets and throws on your furniture to snuggle up with in the evening.