Skirting helps protect the underside of your mobile home. The sturdy, well-connected panels prevent external weather conditions, wildlife, and other potential hazards from getting underneath your home. However, it’s a good idea to follow the proper requirements for mobile home skirting ventilation. Improper ventilation may create new problems that can damage your home in different ways.
How To Determine Vent Size
Figuring out how much ventilation you need beneath your home may seem like a daunting task, but there are easy ways to do it. One general idea is that you should have one square inch of ventilation for every square foot of your home. Many skirting kits have ventilation holes built into the design and material and may meet this requirement when you order the kit. Ensuring that your vents are large enough is essential for maintaining proper airflow.
How To Determine Vent Placement
One of the requirements for mobile home skirting ventilation is making sure that your vents are in ideal places. For starters, you want to have vents on every side of your home to maintain a solid and natural airflow. You should have vents roughly every 150 to 200 feet of flooring. However, ensure that your vents aren’t too close to your pipes, or you risk exposing them directly to the temperatures you want to protect them from.
We also advise installing vents within three feet from every corner. Dead air pockets often form in corners, eventually damaging your mobile home’s support and foundation if that air has nowhere to go.
Dangers of Improper Ventilation
Failure to install vents in the right spots or to have large enough ventilation can lead to a few common problems. For example, we mentioned that open vents too close to plumbing might cause freezing in the winter or that not having vents near corners can create dead air pockets. Beyond that, improper air circulation may result in built-up humidity, and excess moisture in the air can develop unsightly mold and mildew that may damage your home.
To find the right skirting kit for your home, Mobile Home Outfitters has a vinyl skirting calculator. We can help you find the right size kit and provide helpful insight into where you should install any necessary ventilation. For more details, contact us anytime, and a member of our staff will be happy to assist you.