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For all you mobile home / crawl space experts!

WearyTraveler
We live in a double wide. It's got that foam foundation / crawl space covering. My question concerns the amount of venting that's needed. I've got 8 of those 8" by 17" plastic vents for aieprflow.

I've got 2 access points that are about 2.5' by 3.5'. I replaced the styrofoam panels with wooden ones as the styrofoam kept breaking.

My question is - would it be beneficial to make a set of access panels that have a large screened area? If put the screened panel in for the summer, to allow for ample airflow. In the fall, when I'm closing the smaller air vents I would replace the screen panels with solid panels.

I guess the real question is - is there such a thing as too much airflow under a mobile home during the summer season?

I did a bunch of googling and couldn't make a whole lot of sense in the answers. I asked a local MH dealer and they wanted to sell me a set id percent and not an answer.
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Comments

8 comments

Date Votes
  • babun
    It really depends on what is on the ground or grade under the home??
    Do you have exposed heating/ac duct work under there??

    Dirt, sheet plastic, stone, ect. ect.

    More air may be better in summer, less in winter.
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  • WearyTraveler
    Dirt / clay crawl space. HVAC and water pipes under the house with _most_ of them covered by the plastic sheeting insulation.

    I'm thinking that since it's ok to have the 8 smaller vents to allow airflow and, I'm ASSuming dry any moisture, that more is better than less?

    Granted, in winter I close everything up to restrict any airflow of frigid air.
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  • nmyers
    I think that a foundation vent fan would be best:

    https://www.homedepot.com/p/Master-Flow-16-in-x-8-in-Resin-Power-Foundation-Vent-in-Black-PFV1/202519390

    If you run it during the summer, you will avoid problems with mold & mildew.

    Neal
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  • select-fire
    Go look at some stick built homes. Should be same.
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  • jimdeere
    I?ve been under several doing electric work. Some of them, the vents stayed open all year. Some were never opened. I?ve mentioned to some home owners about when to open and close, the looked at me like I was from Mars.
    I never saw much mold/mildew unless there was a leak. And I saw plenty of those.
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  • remingtonoaks
    I'm no expert but I think the ventilation underneath the house is more for mold prevention during colder temperature and heat prevention during warmer temperatures. Unless you live in a high humidity area, then it would also not only be for heat prevention during the warmer temperatures but also mold prevention

    But I definitely would not block off the vents in colder temperatures, because I know humidity can build rapidly in cold temperatures
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  • us55840
    Lived in a 24x56 doublewide for about 9 years. Purchased new, moved and set-up myself and also skirted it with the foam skirting called Thermo-skirt of something like that.

    The furnace drew it's 'intake air' from below the floor so venting year 'round was required.

    I cut the formed foam 'venting' grill spaces open on 6 sheets ..... two on each long side and two on each end for good cross venting.

    My location was grass and pretty flat but had decent drainage so moisture was never an issue. A few times I went under the home in the winter months to check things. Never any moisture buildup plus it was always fairly warm under the home ... even when -30 below outside in the winter.

    I was in manufactured housing industry from 1978 - 1990. On an average, I transported about 100 homes a year. Some new for dealers but most were homeowner owned & moving for some reason or another. installed foam thermo-skirting on hundreds of homes the same as I installed on my own and never had an issue.
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  • slumlord44
    I have 9 older mobile homes for rentals. Started this in '69. At one time I thought venting was necessary. Not any more. All the skirting is uninsulated. I'm in Southern Illinois. Hot humid summers and cold winters. No mobile home skirting is airtight so there is ventelation weither or not you want it. I have an old double wide on a block foundation with no venting whatsoever. Never had any problems with it or any of them. Heat tape on the incoming water line and no issues with freezing unless heat tape fails and with them wraped in foam pipe insulation it has to get in single didgets to have a problem even with a bad heat tape.
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