Definition of Earthquake Tie-Downs for Mobile Homes
Worrying about living in a manufactured home or mobile home in high-wind or seismic events is common. But securing them for these destructive forces by tying them down properly relieves concerns. Especially, when you educate yourself on how earthquake tie-downs for mobile homes work.
As you may know, the stability of its foundation against harsh winds and destructive seismic activity is imperative. Furthermore, as a mobile homeowner, enjoying its light weightiness and portability is advantageous. Consequently, these homes are defenseless against natural calamities in the absence of a proper tie-down and anchorage system with the ground.
Comparing them to site-built homes, manufactured homes are built entirely in a factory. Likewise, they are an attractive economic alternative due to lower construction costs. In fact, the factory-built structure of mobile homes is resilient against shaking or severe forces.
Obviously, because they are subjected to these during transportation from factory to site. However, the seismic performance of manufactured homes largely depends on the anchoring. In particular, the connection, tying of the home with the foundation and ultimately to the ground.
Ultimately, you will need a tie-down or seismic bracing system contractor to do the work. Moreover, the contractor will provide you with engineering for the foundation certification.” Need To Talk To An Earthquake Tie-Down Expert? Call Now! 360-419-9909″ “We Sell & Install Earthquake Bracing Systems for Manufactured Homes” style=”outline” color=”sky” We have been installing earthquake bracing systems on manufactured homes for more than 30 years. We sell and install earthquake bracing for manufactured homes, mobile homes, trailers, RV’s, park models, tiny houses, and more!
Steel Jack Stands or Otherwise Known As “Metal Pier Supports” A Big Mistake
In the Manufactured Home Industry Metal Piers or Steel Jack Stands are becoming notorious. Moreover, they’re a costly mistake to mobile homeowners. Consequently, homes placed with these installed from the 1970s through 2015 are ticking time bombs poised for collapse. Indeed, it’s a wonder we haven’t had much press coverage over these lately.
Before we get started let’s get this straight. We’re talking about stands to hold mobile homes up, right? So, it’s a good idea to inspect under a manufactured home fitted with metal piers. Specifically, looking for the beginnings of rust and corrosion. Not to mention after finding rust going forward another ten years and some will already be disintegrating.
Are “Metal Piers” A Standard That Needs To Go Away?
What was once a standard support component is now under scrutiny in our industry as dealerships, contractors, and municipalities. Hence, they’re distancing themselves from admitting they ever thought they were a good idea. Likewise, contractors and installers retrofitting homes are at risk of installing new manufactured home skirtingor Earthquake Resistant Bracing Systems (E.R.B.S.) are crawling under existing homes.
However, finding life safety issues like rusted mobile home jack stands are helping homeowners. Is this an accident waiting to take place? Just imagining, a small earth tremor has the potential to have hundreds if not thousands of homes collapsing.
How To Know If Your Home Has Steel Jack Stands
Every home is required to have a crawl space opening for the purpose to have access to the underside of your home. Finding the access opening on your home take a flashlight and carefully look under the home without placing your body under the home. Obviously, this is an important safety precaution. Certainly, you can see from the photos these kinds of homes can collapse at any moment.
Now have a look. What do you see? Many homes were blocked with 8″ x 8″ x 16″ concrete blocks and wood wedges which is good. If all you see is metal piers then you will need to replace them at some point, although if steel jack stands appear to have any scaling rust then they will need replacing as their engineered ability to support is already below the original specifications.
How Do You Go About Replacing Steel Jack Stands?
Carefully, very carefully. For YOUR NAME HERE, we begin at the crawl space shoring up the beams on either side. Then we work both
After an earthquake in California jack stands like these could be found poking up through the floors.
ways along the first and second beams. With one person on the outside at all times, we begin loading one of our low-profileDURASKIRT™ Retrofit Cartswith blocks to pull under the home.
This process can take up to two days depending upon the conditions of the stands and crawl area accessibility. Because of the danger factor and hard conditions, it is difficult to find qualified companies like ours that can be trusted and will do this work both correctly and cost-effectively.
How Much Can I Expect To Pay To Replace The Metal Piers for Manufactured Homes Under My Home?
You can expect to pay anywhere from $3500.00 to $7500.00 depending on the conditions and size of the home. But this is money is well spent when considering the considerably higher costs of life and limb. Supposing you decide to add an Earthquake Resistant Bracing System (E.R.B.S.) for additional peace of mind, you can expect to pay an extra $3000.00 to $5500.00.
However, we do recommend these systems as they proved their worth in 1989 when California’s magnitude 6.9 earthquake known as the San Francisco World Series, and Loma Prieta Earthquake happened. As a result, all the homes with E.R.B.S. were left intact while 67% of the homes with metal piers for manufactured homes collapsed.
Moreover, the homes with concrete blocks without E.R.B.S. fared better than homes with metal piers having a 40% collapse rate. All of the homeowners having earthquake insurance were paying deductibles considerably higher than simply adding Earthquake Resistant Bracing Systems. Therefore, replacing jack stands with concrete blocks is a good idea. In fact, all of this is on record at the California Housing And Community Development – The Factory-Built Housing Program.
Is An Earthquake Resistant Bracing System A Good Idea and Why?
As we’re alluding to above, E.R.B.S. is an excellent idea. Surely, because they’re such a good idea and many consumers are retrofitting their existing homes today. Similarly, adding them to the new home setups. Because of their popularity at this time, it is difficult to find qualified contractors that are schooled in all the systems.
Knowledge and understanding of these systems take years to compile and that is why you need to hire a company like ours for peace of mind. But if we cannot serve you look for a qualified manufactured home installer/contractor who understands the importance of re-leveling manufactured homes and knows what to look for in these systems and their benefits for your home. Then install an E.R.B.S. and be safe.
(State of California Sent This Notice Out To Property Owners After The Earthquake)
“If you live in a mobile home…
Mobile homes can easily slide off their foundations if not properly secured to resist side to side motion. Look under your home – if you see a metal or wood “skirt” on the outside with concrete blocks or steel tripods/jacks supporting your home, you need to have an “earthquake-resistant bracing system” (ERBS) installed.
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Call or use the contact form below if you would like to learn more about these systems and their benefits. Or for more information regarding mobile home skirtingplease visit theDURASKIRT™home page.
DURASKIRT, LLC – PO BOX, Mount Vernon, WA 98273 – phone: 360-419-9909.
DIY Mobile Home Re-Leveling & Set-up / Retrofit Cart – A Do-It-Yourself Must
Have you ever installed new blocking on a re-level or seismic blocks under a used mobile home? Not a fun job is it? That’s why you need the Retrofit Cart for this very cumbersome task, making it less of a chore.
Installing new blocking when you Do-It-Yourself or DIY mobile home re-leveling is easy. With the mobile home re-leveling retrofit cart, seismic-blocks are simple too? Not a fun job is it? DURASKIRT, LLC sells a Retrofit-Cart. This very cumbersome task is done in short order with this cart.
So…before beginning your DIY re-leveling on your mobile home you should know about the DURASKIRT™ re-level and seismic retrofit cart. The cart makes it easy to maneuver blocks and seismic blocks under homes through crawl spaces. This can be very time-consuming and back-breaking work without the Retrofit-Cart.
Another use for the cart is on new home sets like the new manufactured home in this video. Watch how the cart can be used with the tray insert to load blocks along the marriage line of this home. After seeing the cart in use pick up the phone and order yours today.
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