Have you noticed that some of the doors in your mobile home don’t close quite right? Or have you begun to see small cracks near the windows or on the walls? If this is happening, there’s a good chance your mobile home is no longer level.
There can be a few causes for this. Bad weather, soil movement, and time (your mobile home supports can sink unevenly into the ground) can all cause your mobile home to get a bit off kilter.
But don’t worry. It’s easy to fix. Follow these steps to block level your mobile home.
Before you begin
Make sure to take proper safety precautions before attempting to block level your home. Wear eye protection and gloves and consider disconnecting the electricity and turning off the water. It’s unlikely something will happen, but to level your home you’ll need to jack it up. This movement can cause damage if you’re not careful.
Once you’ve prepared to do this job safely, you’re ready to block level your mobile home. Just follow these steps:
Step 1: Remove the Skirting
To block level your home, you’re going to need to get underneath the unit. So, the first step is to take off the skirting around the entire mobile home. Store it somewhere nearby so that you can replace easily when you’re done.
Step 2: Identify the problem area
Using a level, check where things have gone wrong. Start in the middle of the mobile home unit, and then work your way towards the sides. Make sure to check on all sides of the support pillars. When you find one that is off the mark, leave something behind to indicate you need to fix it, and then move on to the next pillar.
Step 3: Jack up the mobile home
Once you’ve identified the problem area, it’s time to begin fixing it. The first thing you need to do is jack up the mobile home near the problem area. Put a piece of wood underneath the jack and begin raising the unit slowly. Place the level on the support beam and watch it as you raise the mobile home. Once you see the bubble on the level move into the center, you know you’ve successfully corrected the issue.
Step 4: Place blocks
When you jack up the support blocks and get them level, you’ll see a small space open between the block and the ground. To make your corrections permanent, place wooden shims underneath the blocks so that they will stay level when you remove the jack. Repeat this for each support block.
Step 5: Remove jack and check
After placing shims wherever they are needed, remove the jack. Then, repeat step 2. Use the level and start in the middle of the unit to check to make sure you have successfully solved the problem.
You can then go inside the unit and check windows and doors to make sure everything is working properly. If cracks appeared, then you’ll need to repair them, but they won’t reappear now that you’ve successfully leveled your mobile home.
After this, check your plumbing. When you jack up the mobile home, it’s possible for pipes to bend or for connections to become lose. Make sure there are no leaks and correct any issues that may arise.
Step 6: Check regularly
Ideally, you want to try and keep your mobile home level at all times. If you had to re-level it once, you’ll likely have to do it again. But instead of waiting until you can no longer open doors or windows, or until cracks appear in the walls, get into the habit of regularly checking to see if your supports are level. Once or twice a year, remove the skirting and perform step 2. If you find any problems, fix them before they cause damage to the mobile home.
There you have it. In five simple steps you can bock level your mobile home and have it looking as good as new.