Renovation & Design
Renovation & Design
Eavestroughs not typically required or included with mobile homes
Question: I just purchased a 2012 mobile home. I realized there are no eavestroughs on it. So I started to look at other trailers in the trailer park and none of them have eavestroughs. It was a warmer day and the snow was melting off the roof and running down the sides of every trailer. Should they have them or if not, why not? I realize there's no basement for water to get into, but it can't be good for the siding etc. Plus it's annoying to have water dripping on your head when you open the door.
Thanks, Kelly Hough.
ANSWER: There are a few reasons your newly purchased mobile home has no eavestroughs or downspouts, most of which are simply due to the design of the unit.
Mobile homes are designed to be just that, mobile, so having additional items that may make transportation of the domicile more difficult is not practical, or necessary.
Mobile homes, while providing adequate yet somewhat limited habitation for people, are designed to be moved. Because of this, they must have different design features, for both durability and practicality, than typical homes.
As you undoubtedly have noticed, the exterior of your mobile home is considerably different than most houses. The first difference is the likelihood of metal siding and roofing on the entire structure. Metal is used because it's strong and lightweight.
Whether aluminum or painted steel, metal siding and roofing may outlast other materials while providing a smooth, thin skin for the mobile home. This material will also be applied with fasteners that will prevent detachment or damage during motion.
That may be the primary reason for this choice: a lack of problems when the mobile home is transported to its destination.
Because metal roofing and siding is highly malleable when produced, it can be formed and curved to tightly fit almost any angle or curve with minimal joints. This ability allows the transition from the roofing to the siding to have tighter seams than conventional structures, while allowing good drainage due to the curved surfaces. Since the entire exterior of the mobile home, excluding the windows, may be made of this type of siding, leakage from rain is less likely.
This may also be complemented by proper flashings or seals around doors, windows, and other penetrations of the exterior cladding. Installing eavestroughs to prevent water running down the metal-skinned walls is not necessary to prevent siding damage.
Despite the lack of necessity for siding or structural damage, eavestroughs and downspouts would help prevent erosion of the soil around your mobile home, depending on the location.
Because the manufacturer is not sure what type of surface the domicile will be resting on, installing a rainwater-management system would be frivolous.
If the mobile home is to be parked on a solid slab of concrete or asphalt, this may not be an issue. If it is to reside in a lot with sandy soil or compacted gravel, and has good grading, there may also be no need for further modifications.
Similarly, if the mobile home is to be placed in an area with a very dry climate, such as many desert communities in the U.S., water management may not be a consideration.
Regardless of the resting place of a mobile home being unknown, measures must be taken to provide a relatively tight exterior to prevent leakage from precipitation.
Adding any exterior components, such as eavestroughs or downspouts, on a mobile home may interfere with transportation.
Having flimsy metal gutters sticking out from the unit, while being driven down a highway at relatively high speeds, would not be wise.
While damage is likely, disconnection could be disastrous. Unless the gutters were designed to be integral, with seamless downspouts hidden behind the siding, transportation would be a major issue. That is why most of the items attached to, or protruding from, the exterior of the mobile home will be collapsible, foldable, or covered to accommodate movement.
While a drainage system to control runoff from rainwater may not be integral to your mobile home, one may be installed, if you desire.
This may also include foldable awnings over doors or windows, or other exterior components, to prevent you from getting wet when entering or leaving the structure.
There are many aftermarket items designed specifically for mobile homes and RVs for these purposes. Checking out the local RV and leisure product retailers should help locate these products. You may not find eavestrough systems, but these could be adapted from residential materials found at home centres, once your mobile home is situated.
Care must be taken not to damage the metal siding when fastening the troughs, but screws with gaskets are available for that purpose. Planning for easy removal of these items is important, should the mobile home need to be relocated.
Drainage systems for buildings that are designed to be moved, such as your new mobile home, are neither necessary nor practical. The design of the unit should automatically take into consideration roof integrity and drainage, but additional components could be added after it is parked, should you desire.
Ari Marantz is the owner of Trained Eye Home Inspection Ltd. and the past president of the Canadian Association of Home & Property Inspectors -- Manitoba (cahpi.mb.ca). Questions can be emailed to the address below. Call Ari can be reached at 204-291-5358 or see his website at trainedeye.ca.
trainedeye@iname.com
Renovation & Design
Grains of rice used to absorb moisture in salt shaker
Question: I have often noticed restaurants have grains of rice in salt shakers. Is this for good luck or a joke someone plays on the server? Bethany, éle-des-Chênes
Answer: While some people consider the following a myth, here is the reason many people add rice grains to shakers: a few grains is a great way to prevent salt from clumping, because rice is said to absorb moisture.
Did you know many people believe the fix for handheld devices that get wet is to leave them in a bowl of rice for several hours to absorb moisture?
QUESTION: I would like to make a Christmas fruitcake for the first time. The recipes I've looked up online are for large amounts, with expensive ingredients. Is it possible to make half a recipe? One asks for five eggs. How do I divide? Shirley, Winnipeg
Answer: The easiest option is to use three small eggs (instead of medium or large). The more technically accurate solution includes measuring. A large egg equals about three tablespoons of contents. If the recipe calls for both egg yolk and egg white, beat the egg, and use 11/2 tbsp. for the Christmas fruitcake recipe.
QUESTION: Please advise me how to clean the black ceramic shower tiles in my shower. We have very hard water. I have used many products to try to eliminate the mineral deposits and soap scum, but the tiles remain blotchy and stained-looking after they have dried. Thank you. Barbara, Winnipeg
Answer: Whenever I want to freshen up old grout, I get a handy little piece of pumice stone. Pour some dish soap onto the pumice stone and wet it, then scrub the grout; looks wonderful. Next, spray isopropyl alcohol onto the grout to prevent mildew from growing and discolouring the grout (keep the alcohol away from small children). Another option is to make a paste of borax and water and scrub the grout with an old toothbrush.
QUESTION: Thanks to a lazy dog owner, I stepped in a pile of you-know-what, and I didn't notice until the following day. After cleaning the mess up, the smell is lingering. The sole is a rubberized material used on walking shoes. I have scrubbed with a variety of products, but I cannot get rid of the smell. Do you have any suggestions? Thank you. Leslie, Winnipeg
Answer: If possible, toss the shoes in the washing machine and wash with heavy-duty detergent and hot water. If the shoes are not washable, scrub the bottom sole with an old toothbrush, water and quite a bit of whitening toothpaste. Soak the bottom sole in 50/50 solution of vinegar and water.
Smart phone tip
Recently, I got a brilliant idea. Well, I thought it was brilliant. Both my husband and I are in our 70s, and it's a bit difficult for us to get down on the floor. We had to kneel down to read the serial number on our stove (to have it repaired). To get that number, one has to pull out the drawer at the bottom of the stove. The sticker is right there, on the right. But to be able to read it, especially when using bifocals, required some major efforts on our part. We did it, and after we were done, my brain clicked in -- I have a cellphone with a camera, and it just requires one of us to bend over and click a photo. If it doesn't work, erase the picture and take another, or use a digital camera. If numbers had been difficult to read on the phone, we could have transferred the picture to our computer, where they would be easier to make out. I'm going to use this trick next time something rolls under the bed. Thanks again for what you do. Lilianna
Note: every user assumes all risks of injury or damage resulting from the implementation of any suggestions in this column. Test all products on an inconspicuous area first.
Reena Nerbas enjoys your questions and tips; keep them coming. Need a presenter on the topic: Effective Speaking or The Power of Words? Check out reena.ca.
Renovation & Design
Mushrooms a sure sign of a dead or dying tree
A common question I've had from many property owners this past summer relates to mushrooms growing on trees. Why are we seeing excessive growth of mushrooms on trees now?
Mushrooms are referred to as the fruiting bodies of fungi, and they typically occur on the bark and branches of trees that are under stress, or in many instances, on trees that are slowly dying. It is important to know tree mushrooms produce very small spores that are released into the air -- usually by the wind -- to produce new generations of fungi. The mushroom itself is produced by a network of very fine, threadlike, structures that are collectively called mycelium. These fine threads work their way through the decomposing portions of trees, especially on bark and wood, and other organic matter associated with trees.
The mycelium threads act like rootlets to absorb decomposed nutrient material from the decaying wood. However, mushrooms are even far more complex than I have described simply previously. When you see those growths -- often white or brown or grey in colour -- on your tree, the mushrooms are consuming that portion of your tree. But remember, they are not edible. They are working to reduce a tree back to the soil to start the natural cycle of life.
Apple trees have had a great deal of this fungal growth this past year. Air humidity has often been higher during this past summer than in previous summers. Higher humidity tends to favour the development of the fungi. I have included some sample images of these fungal growths. Mind you, the fungi do not grow on healthy twigs, branches and trunk bark. They grow on woody matter that is dying or dead.
In a large number of yards I visit, the homeowner has asked about these mushrooms, wondering if the mushrooms are they killing the tree. As previously stated, the mushrooms are there because parts of the trees are either dying or dead. The more mushroom growth that is present on the tree, the more the tree is telling the homeowner it is dying. I see this fungal growth on many apple trees, especially this year throughout southern Manitoba. Apple trees over the past few years have been infected with diseases such as fire blight and black rot. These are deadly diseases that are either very difficult to control, or simply impossible to control.
Annual infections of these diseases gradually stress and ultimately kill susceptible parts of the trees. People simply do not realize that their trees are slowly dying and simply do nothing. It is at the advanced stages of this disease I am usually called in to diagnose what is going on with the sick tree.
Decay fungi are nature's way of recycling a dead and dying tree into organic matter that is further broken up in the soil. You may not be very assured by the appearance of mushrooms, but they are simply a small part of the life-and-death cycles that serve important functions in the complexity of life on Earth.
viburnumtrees@shaw.ca