I've never seen this addressed anywhere. But this is the first mobile home I've ever lived in, & when I see them on the news looking like kindling, I feel kind of insecure. Mine is supposed to be "tied down".

So, does anyone know if, in an earthquake especially, these things come apart in any particular pattern? Split in half lengthwise & fall outward? Break into many pieces & collapse in place?

I know what will happen if a strong quake hits & the wood stove is burning...

Any thoughts?

If I knew which way my home ( trailer or not) was going to crumble I would start planning now! Unfortunatly its very hard to predict how any given building is going to react - I just gamble the people who put them together knew what they were doing.
Martin

Mobil homes have some flexibility built into them so they can be transported on bumpy roads without snapping in half. This flexibility would help out in an earthquake. The biggest enemy of the mobil home is tornados/high winds. The second enemy is flooding. Mobil homes built in the last 10 years are a lot stronger than those built prior. When you see a mobil home on the news that looks like kindling, chances are that a tornado passed through; hence the nickname "tornado magnet". I would rather be in a mobil home during an earthquake than a concrete building, because if the mobil home roof collapses on you, you could probably stand up through the rubble and walk away.

I wouldn't loose any sleep if I were you... unless you live in Oklahoma.

Semper Fi, George

There are some things you need to know about your particular mobile home. A. what is the floor made out of? particleboard or plywood? plywood is better. B. Meter on pole or on side of m.h. Pole is only way to go. C. type of plumbing? CPVC (grey) very poor suseptible to pulling apart. regular pvc (white) or copper far better.

If you have an older mobile home and it has the grey pipe (poly), you will most likely have a change of plumbing in your future. PVC is white, CPVC is ivory and is compatible with hot water. If your place is newer the new thing is PEX which is a milky translucent flexible plastic tubing it seems to be as durable as CPVC or copper.

Before the quake happens make sure that your wood stove installation meets building codes in your area. I don't think your mobile home would easily fall apart during a earthquake, but keeping your stove in one place would lessen the likelihood of a fire. But i really an don't know much about earthquake precautions, if you want to know about hurricanes.

Thanks for the input. I was just wondering, not being especially knowledgeable about these things. I HATE being the last one to know something.

The mobile homes that look like a box of pick-up sticks that you see on TV after a disaster are almost always victims of a tornado hit. It’s basic physics – when a tornado passes close by, it lowers the air pressure on the outside of the mobile home, causing the air still inside the home to push out with thousands of pounds of force to try and equalize the temporary vacuum. It’s not unlike putting a demolition charge inside a trailer, the effect is virtually the same: a violent outward expansion of the trailer structure and all interior contents – beds, toilets, cabinets, furniture, people, all in various states of disassembly.

Actually, I saw a meteorologist dispel this as urban legend. He said the old advice about opening a window to let pressure equalize was worthless. The winds and debris coming toward you at several hundred miles per hour are far more dangerous than atmospheric pressure changes.

You'll have to excuse my ignorance on this subject, but from what I've seen and heard, if a tornado hits your home, unless your in a storm shelter 12 foot under ground ,your going to have a pretty bad day, regardless of whether your in a trailer or a 12 bedroom mansion.
With winds in excess of 100mph,and with all the pressures involved, any building not built like reinforced aircraft hanger is going to suffer.
Martin

Thanks for the info, guys. I just wondered if I had missed something along the way. I HATE it when people look at me with that look and say "Well, EVERYONE knows THAT!"