Things You’ll Need
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8-inch by 16-inch louvered vents
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Marker
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Tape measure
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1/4-inch drill bit
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Drill motor
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Jigsaw
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Fine-tooth, metal-cutting jigsaw blade
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Pan head sheet-metal screws
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Phillips screwdriver
Vents in the skirting prevent mold growth under your mobile home. Image Credit: Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
Skirting protects the underside and plumbing of mobile homes from the effects of sunlight, weather and animals. Properly ventilate the area closed in by the skirting to prevent moisture buildup from causing mildew and mold from forming under the house. Install non-closing, louvered vents near all four corners of the home to promote cross-ventilation. Install at least one vent for every 150 square feet of floor area in the trailer, with a minimum of eight vents.
Step 1
Identify the skirting pieces in which the vents will mount. Locate a vent in skirting sections close to each corner and spread any remaining vents evenly between the corner vents.
Step 2
Lift up on the skirting top trim strips to unsnap them from the top channel and remove the strips from the skirting to release the top of the skirting panels. Place a small mark on the tops of the removed skirting panels to avoid mounting any vents upside down. Lift up on the skirting panels to disengage them from the adjacent pieces of skirting.
Step 3
Measure the overall height of the skirting panels and mark the center of the panel using a tape measure and marker. Lay out the vent horizontally on the panel with the bottom of the vent on the center mark and the top of the vent toward the top of the panel with the louvered openings toward the bottom of the panel.
Step 4
Mark the skirting for the vent hole, using a marker. Trace around the outside of the inner shoulder of the vent where it contacts the skirting. Set the vent aside.
Step 5
Drill a hole in one corner of the traced out vent opening, using a 1/4-inch drill bit, to use as a starting point for the jigsaw blade.
Step 6
Insert the jigsaw blade into the starter hole and cut out the hole for the vent. Use caution while cutting, and stay close enough to the line so that the flange on the vent will completely cover the hole.
Step 7
Insert the vent into the hole. Install the vent, using small pan head sheet-metal screws and a Phillips screwdriver.
Step 8
Hold the skirting piece above its location on the mobile home. Engage the bottom corners of the skirting piece with its neighboring pieces of skirting and slide the skirting down until it engages with the bottom channel.
Step 9
Place the skirting top trim strip in position and push it down firmly to snap it into place above the top channel.
Tip
Handle the skirting and trim strips with care. Severely weathered or sun-damaged plastic skirting can be brittle and crack during this operation. Aluminum skirting can easily be deformed, making reassembly difficult. Use caution while tightening the vent screws. The skirting is thin and made of soft material, and the screws will strip out in the material if over tightened.
