Today we’re talking about mobile homes and the water lines that feed mobile homes. In the middle of winter, when you get a real cold spell, I’ll tell you what is necessary for those water lines not to freeze. This is particular to mobile homes.
Basically, you should have skirting around your mobile home. Then somewhere in the yard, or possibly underneath the mobile home, is where your water supply line comes up. From that point, usually, a plumber puts in a water line to your hot water heater.
Adding Heat Tape to Protect the Water Line
To prevent pipes from freezing, it is necessary to apply what’s called heat tape. This tape wraps around your water pipes and plugs into your electrical supply. You then put insulation around the heat tape.
Heat tape is set up to automatically turn on when the temperature hits 40 degrees. The heat comes on, warms up your pipe, and it stops that line from freezing.
After a Freeze
Anyone who’s been in a mobile home knows that when they turn on a faucet during a cold spell and nothing comes out, the line’s frozen. And then what happens? After a freeze, eventually it’ll warm up and the pipe will thaw. When it thaws, lots of times you have a broken waterline.
It’s always worthwhile to make sure that heat tape on your mobile home is working to save money and time.
If you call Rocketman Plumbing, we can go out and make sure that heat tape that you have is in good working order and is insulated correctly. If your water pipes aren’t protected with heat tape, we can certainly give you an estimate of how much it would be to add one.
Common Sense Tip for Any Home
Another helpful hint that is not just for mobile homes, but it seems to apply to mobile homes more than anything else, is to keep an eye on the weather so you know how cold it might get that night.
If it looks like it will get in the 20s or below, keep the tiniest stream possible running on the hot side of a faucet. That hot water circulates through the cold and the hot lines and that is enough to stop your lines from freezing.
I hope you do not have plumbing problems, but if you do, you know who to call. Just give Rocketman a call at (505) 243-1227 and we can help you out.