My partner, Robin, and I put a deposit down on a Clayton Home from the Avondale series back in August. It is now January and we still have not gotten possession of the home even though they have begun deducting payments for the home from our bank account. We have had many problems similar to what others have related. To say the least, our first home together, which we still do not have and had hoped would be a happy event, has been a nightmare of deception, lies, property damage, and unkept promises. While there are many issues I could write about, and I may in the future, I would like to focus on an issue that potentially affects 1 in 12 Clayton mobile home buyers. When a home is set up a water test is done to verify the integrity of the sewer pipes. The pipes are filled and left sitting overnight to see if there are any water leaks. If there are, the water generally leaks into the insulation under the floor and is held there by the plastic sheeting called a belly board. This water has nowhere to go, because it will not evaporate through the plastic, except to slowly evaporate over months up into the flooring; creating an ideal situation for mold and rot damage to occur.
The water test was performed 4 times on our home. Only passing the last time. On the first occasion, based on the flow rate of our well pump, I watched them pour over 200 gallons of water into the pipes, which consequently leaked into the insulation. With the multiple tests done, plus several times when the plummer filled the pipes inbetween the tests to find the leaks, perhaps a 1,000 gallons or more of water was used, much of which was trapped in the insulation under our new home. Clayton Homes' response, from several representatives, was that nothing needed to be done. It would eventually dry out.in an effort to reassure me I was told by a manager that 1 in 12 homes fail the water test. Later, I asked their contract plummer if that was true, and he responded that 1 in 12 sounded about right. More than a month has passed and our insulation is still very wet. Potentially, one in twelve mobile home owners may have this same issue. Keep in mind, that the Clayton homeowner video states that dampness under the house is the homeowner's responsibility. Months down the line, if homeowners have an issue with mold or rotting under their home, how will they be able to prove that the damage was caused by water damage from a failed water test that was never cleaned up, and not ground moisture as the video asserts? Is my memory correct that the video states that moisture under the home negates warrenty coverage on certain things?
When the pipes began to leak at the first test a plummer was sent out. I informed him that there were multiple leaks and even pointed to places where water was leaking through slits in the belly board that had been made for pipes and ducts. He fixed one of these leaks and without searching for the remaining leaks filled the pipes back up for test number two. Naturally it leaked. One more joint was fixed and the pipes were filled for a third time. When I returned home in the afternoon I saw water coming from four different places. Going inside the home I found gallons of water on the bathroom floor and the hallway carpeting was drenched. When calling the dealership I was told that it was no big deal, it would eventually dry, and nothing was done. Almost two weeks went by before they responded, and this was only after I made a call to the corporation complaining.By then it was too late. The OSB flooring underneath the carpet, which had been saturated for days, froze and thawed each day with the temperature change and has caused the flooring to be weakened. It now squeeks whenever walked across. Both the flooring in the house and the wet insulation under the house have yet to be corrected.
After the third, disasterous, water test the plummer came and fixed one of the leaks. Water was still dripping from three other locations, which I had pointed out to him and he had acknowledged. He left without even bothering to make slits in the plastic to allow the water to drain. The plastic was swollen like full water balloons. I had to crawl under the house to cut the plastic to allow drainage. Three days later the plummer was back. I found him taping up the slits I had made even though the insulation was still very wet. He had just gotten there and hadn't had time to trace or fixed the leaks, but he was sealing up the plastic. I asked him what he was doing, and he replied that the county had passed the pipes (leaks and all) and so there was no need to repair them. I told him that I didn't want sewage leaking into the insulation under the house and needed the leaks to actually be fixed, to which he responded that if I didn't like it he could just pack up his tools and go without finishing to tape up the plastic. (Some threat).
While all the leaks were finally fixed (Only after a call to the county where they forced the dealership to make repairs and do a new test.), currently, none of the other issues have been resolved. The insulation got taped up wet with promises to return in the future to fix it. The floor still squeeks.
1 in 12 homes, by employees and contractors of Clayton own admissions, have had water leak into the insulation. That is a lot of you. Mold can be a very serious health hazard. I recommend you study up on the health hazards, and I also recommend that you check the dryness of insulation under any spot where sewage pipes connect to the house (toilets, showers, tubs, and bathroom and kitchen sinks).
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