Mobile Home Appliances

May 20 2015,

Written by Jerald Coffman

Mobile home

Mobile homes (manufactured housing) appliances are different from regular home appliances because mobile home appliances, such as a furnace, gas range, or water heater, have to convert the gas type from L.P. Gas to Natural or Natural to L.P. Gas. It’s important to make sure that the appliance being installed states that it is for mobile home use before starting the installation process.

Also, keep in mind that the furnace and gas water heater has to draw fresh air from the outside of the home. The water heater is on the outside wall so there is no need to ensure that it’s drawing fresh air. The furnace is a central unit that heats all areas of the home. If it does not come with air, it can be added to the unit at a later date. Otherwise the home owner can’t have central heating and cooling.

A vent free space heater can be installed in the home with certain restrictions. For instance, it can only be installed in a bedroom or a bathroom if the unit is 10,000 BTU’s or less. Authority having jurisdiction can override that number. If the manufactured homeowner is looking to install a fireplace it has to state that it is approved for manufactured housing and that it is approved for gas burning logs. There are some direct vent wall heaters that are approved for manufactured housing too.

When sizing the unit, there are guidelines that have to be followed. The formula for sizing is multiplying the length by width by height to get the total cubic feet. Then multiply that number by 20 to get the BTU.

L x W x H = Total Cubic Feet.

Total Cubic Feet x 20 = BTU.

That will give you the total space of the living area and halls that will need to be covered.

You will need to check local code to see if the setup is approved. Some states follow Pamphlet #54, but most states have a local code that needs to be followed.