All manufactured homes come with their own “unique” roof noises. Metal roofs will always make noise.
Sometimes a hot sunny day will cause an expansion in the roof and make it pop. Aluminum sidings too are prone to popping in the hot sun.
Such sounds occurring on the roof are generally called the “roof rumble”. Gusts of wind are the culprit most of the time – if your home is located in a wind belt, you will hear these noises more often.
But that’s going to depend on the age of your roof. Old roofs are more vulnerable as wind finds it easier to move the dislodged sections up and down than a freshly installed roof.
Still, some mobile homes will be noisier than others. People used to simply install rumble bolts, or screws with larger washers,
in an attempt to hold down the roof. Yours probably has a few of these screws already, or you’ve seen a home with them.
The problem is that this handy remedy will just increase the chances of your roof leaking.
However, once you learn more about these noises they sort of become normal and you stop hearing them. Sometimes the noises can be too much to bear.
So, How Do You Quieten A Noisy Manufactured Home Roof?
There are several solutions for it. Some will depend on the cause of the noise. The hot sun causes the roof to pop without coming into direct contact with it while falling berries must land on the roof to produce the noise. For instance, if your home is situated in trees and the falling acorns are the source of your tribulations, it would only make sense to install uncoupled 1×4 lathes plus an insulation material. Still, you will need to be careful with your approach.
Seven Methods Of Silencing A Manufactured Home Roof
Here is how to quieten your noisy roof:
1. Sealants and Coatings – Perfect for Impact and Wind-Induced Noises
The best solution to wind-induced roof rumble is an elastomeric roof coating. Whether you choose a sealing or coating or both, the objective remains the same – to stop wind gusts of wind from getting under the metal.
One approach is to seal the edges and seams and then proceed to coat the whole roof with a new elastomeric roof coating.
You can opt for STA-KOOL white acrylic sealant or similar products.
This waterproof roof sealant is designed specifically for mobile home and RV roofs. It protects your roof from destruction besides reducing noise. It even reflects sunlight into the atmosphere.
Pay more attention to the edges of your roof while applying any sealant or coating.
It’s recommended that you apply a fresh coat on your mobile home’s roof once every year if it is a flat roof.
2. Car Tires – Perfect for Wind-induced Noises
There are numerous solutions and recommendations to quieting roof rumbles on a manufactured home, but some may sound a bit unorthodox yet effective.
If you have ever seen a few tires on the roof of a mobile home, you have seen one remedy. Believe it or not, this method works just as perfectly as your average roof insulation material.
The tires help keep the blowing wind from tunneling beneath the metal roof. They also serve to dampen the sound.
This old-school, seemingly primitive, problem-solving technique can save you a lot of money in roof coatings and sealants but doesn’t come without issues.
For example, having several heavy tires on your roof exerts a significant weight on it. The heavier the roof gets, the sooner you might need to repair and even replace it.
3. Ceiling Insulation
Having a dense barrier between your interior space and the roof can cut the amount of noise reaching your living space.
A good example of such a dense barrier is an insulation material.
This route is often taken retroactively because roofs are seldom installed with a roof underlayment specifically designed to cut on noise.
So, if your roof has become noisy lately and you’re trying to figure out what to do about it, the first thing to cross your mind should be roof insulation.
If there is an unfinished attic space or room in your home, consider adding a layer of insulation there.
Spray foam and rigid foam insulation are the two popularly used options with superb noise reduction capabilities.
They both form a physical barrier in-between you and the noise. They also absorb the noise before it even gets into your living space.
4. Fasten Your Roof
Chances are your roof has become too loose with age that it makes all kinds of noises even in the slightest wind rush.
Roof fasteners are used to hold metal roofs in place.
Most of the time, a loose roof is the result of fastener problems, meaning you didn’t install it correctly.
If you don’t have enough fasteners in place, or if your fasteners aren’t correctly placed, or they are just loose, your roof will react to almost any kind of weather with noises.
So, tightening or replacing your loose fasteners, and also adding a few additional fasteners, will help manage the problem.
5. Roof Underlayment
It is recommended that you add a roof underlayment immediately after you install a metal roof.
Some of the commonly used types of materials in roof underlayment are foam insulation materials and nylon mats.
Installing an underlayment between the metal roofing and the roof sheathing is a key step to cutting noise levels in metal roofs.
Roof underlayment is also a step you’d complete during roof renovation.
If you feel your roof was installed without proper roof underlayment hence the noise, or you feel it has seen better days already, you should add a new layer of roof underlayment.
6. Pick A Quieter Roof Profile
Reroofing a mobile home’s roof is anywhere between $1,000 and $3,000.
These calculations apply to single-wide homes, which tend to be between 600 and 1,300 square feet.
The two most often used materials are asphalt and metal. Using high-end materials on large homes will cost higher rates.
With that said, it’s important to understand that the metal roof of your choice can influence the level of noise.
For example, corrugated roofing, which is more prone to vibrations than flat roofing options, may end up being the noisiest option.
So, to keep the roof quiet, you can consider standing or flat seam metal. T
hese kinds of roofing are normally installed to hug the deck of the roof and are less prone to vibration and, hence, less noise.
Also, if a roofing profile is more complex and very high, the roofing material will need to be stiffer.
While corrugated metal vs. flat metal profiles can have a huge impact on the noise level, the stiffness of the relevant material has more influence on the noise signature of the roof.
Related: Manufactured Home Roof Over Kits Guide
7. 1×4 Lathes & Fiberglass – Perfect for Noises from Falling Objects
If your home is under trees that can’t stop raining fruits and debris (or bats and birds that won’t stop perching there and drop all sorts of things) on your roof, then it’s about time you try out a lathe.
Hire a professional to install 1×4 lathes spaced 4 feet apart.
Thereafter, they should cover the whole roof with 3” fiberglass insulation complete with a vinyl backing.
They might feel the need to add a 26 gauge Galvalume® panel over that depending on the situation.
Great care needs to be observed – if it is installed incorrectly, the noise will get even get louder than before, very much like packing too much insulation in one place until it becomes a good conductor of noise.
So, airspaces should be integrated into the installation process.
The lathe must be uncoupled from the rest of the home with an appropriate isolation material (rubber, green glue, resilient channels on isolators, etc.).
Related: How Do You Get Rust Off A Manufactured Home Roof?
Conclusion
How do you quieten a noisy manufactured home roof?
There are several solutions for it.
Some will depend on the cause of the noise.
The best solution to wind-induced roof rumble is an elastomeric roof coating. Whether you choose a sealing or coating or both, the objective remains the same – to stop wind gusts of wind from getting under the metal.
One approach is to seal the edges and seams and then proceed to coat the whole roof with a new elastomeric roof coating.
If you have ever seen a few tires on the roof of a mobile home, you have seen one remedy.
The tires help keep the blowing wind from tunneling beneath the metal roof. They also serve to dampen the sound.
If your roof has become noisy lately and you’re trying to figure out what to do about it, the first thing to cross your mind should be roof insulation.
If there is an unfinished attic space or room in your home, consider adding a layer of insulation there.
Spray foam and rigid foam insulation are the two popularly used options with superb noise reduction capabilities.
