You’ve decided that trailer home living is right for you and made an informed inspection. You’ve closed on the property. You’ve done all the normal cleaning and preparations you’d do in any standard home. You’re ready to move in, but wait! Before you load up your possessions, here are some things you should purchase that are specific to trailer home living and will make your new life there a success and a joy. These items are easily obtainable at any home or hardware store.
First of all, the hot water heater in an all-electric trailer home contains heating elements. Cut power, wait two hours, then remove one and take it to a hardware store. Buy two of them and squirrel them away. They usually cost less than twenty dollars a piece. You will be grateful to have replacements if it burns out at an inconvenient time, leaving you with frigid water.
While you’re at the hardware store, also pick up a can of PVC pipe cement. Most trailers, not all, use PVC pipe for plumbing. You can patch a leak by bleeding the line, cementing it, and reinforcing it with duct tape until you can make a permanent repair. Store this cement indoors and out of reach of kids or pets. If you have polypropylene pipes and have winter weather at all, consider completely replacing it. It wears out quickly and is a general pain.
If you’ve purchased in an area where the winters are brutal, purchase an extra heat tape as well. Pipes freeze in a matter of hours, and a record snowstorm is no time to make a frantic run for the hardware store if your lone tape fails. This only costs about 30$ or less for a 15-foot roll and the peace of mind is invaluable.
If you live in area where it gets very warm, have more than one method of cooling. I cannot stress how much heat will collect in a short period of time in a trailer home. If you have window units, make sure to have filters on-hand if they are not reusable. If you have a large outdoor whole-house air conditioning unit, have it serviced and have extras of any filters or any other user-maintenance-friendly parts set aside. No matter what kind of air conditioning you have, make sure you also have a few box fans. While they may not make the trailer comfortable, they will make it habitable until you can replace or repair the faulty unit.
Finally, if your trailer home uses any type of fuel, make sure there is an ample supply in the tanks. Make sure that if you need additives that you have them in stock. If you have a kerosene furnace, have filters for it as well.
Your trip to the hardware store in advance of moving in will save you countless hours of driving and frustration in the future and will probably cost less than 200$. You’ll be able to sleep easy knowing you have the tools to maintain and repair small mishaps in your trailer home yourself. Be confident, you’re prepared!
