Installing exhaust fan under mobile home.

orchiddj · Thu May 12, 2011 10:23 am

I have a 14’ x 70’ mobile home in North Carolina Mountains. There is no plastic sheeting on ground under home. The skirting around sides has small perforations.
I don’t think there is any mold (no smells) but the ground does get damp.

I am thinking about putting an exhaust fan on 1 end and a couple of intake vents on opposite end. Will probably use a timer and have run a couple hours a day (may consider a humidistat). The fan I am thinking about is a 12” shutter type greenhouse exhaust fan. About 750 cfm. I am figuring this would change the air under home about every 5 min.

Does this make sense or am I just wasting my time/money.

I know there should be plastic on the ground but with all the supports under home it would be hard to cut and cover all ground. Then I am worrying about wind blowing the plastic around.

Thank you all.

Greg · Thu May 12, 2011 4:35 pm

Hi & welcome. It makes perfect sense. If you have any type of moisture problem It should help.

Plastic is a good idea, it does not have to be perfect to be effective. You could use some long galvanized spikes with large washers to hold it in place.

Greg

DaveyB · Fri May 13, 2011 2:50 am

You might want to move all the perforated skirting into one section on the far end from the fan. Otherwise, it will simply change the air at the fan end and barely affect the intake end at all since the air will be drawn through the perforations on the sides.

Another idea is to buy a small solar panel for electrical generation, and let that power the fan. Any time the sun is out, the fan will run, while at night it will stop (letting you sleep). On rainy, heavily overcast days, it won't suck in the outside humidity into the space. I did a quick google search and found a couple of 12volt panels that sell for prices starting at about $30

Hope that helps!

DaveyB

orchiddj · Fri May 13, 2011 9:27 am

WOW!! Some great info. I will look into the solar panels. I like the idea of fan not running on rainy days (and not paying for electric). I already have the fan (115 volt, .7 amp) if I do use electric I think I will look into a rain sensor. (sucking in moisture on rainy days was a concern)

Will defiantly move or change some of the perforated skirting around. I think every other panel is solid and I have some extra. Also will put a couple vents in far end.

I work for an air conditioning company in S. FL. have been under thousands of mobile homes. Seems like prior to about 15 years ago there was no plastic sheeting on the ground. In the newer M.H. communities there is plastic (building code I think) what I see with the plastic in some cases with heavy rain if water gets under home on plastic it takes forever to evaporate.

Thank you very much.

orchiddj · Fri May 20, 2011 1:52 pm

I will be installing the fan next week. I will post after install. Thanks again for the info.

DaveyB · Sat May 21, 2011 4:27 am

If you could post the install photos, that would be great! Make it a "how to" on the subject, and hilight any problems you may have hit, and how you got around them? It may help a lot of people down the road that are looking at similar projects!

orchiddj · Mon Jun 06, 2011 10:26 am

Hi all,

I had to put the project on hold. This is at our vacation/retirement home. About an 11-hour drive. I was there for a week. Got sick while there. Did not have time to work on fan project. It will be several months before I get back.

DaveyB · Wed Jun 08, 2011 5:13 am

Thanks for the update, and I hope you get well soon!

Projects are what projects are, and until completed they are still projects, so don't get disheartened. I have a stack of lattice sheeting stacked at the end of the driveway that has been there for almost a month. Part of the job is done, but there is a lot more to go. Real Life (tm) has a habit of getting in the way, but it only slows things down, it doesn't stop them!

Please let us all know how you get on!!

DaveyB