Manufactured Housing Water Heaters

   / Manufactured Housing Water Heaters #1  

Bird

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Corinth, Texas
I know a few of our members are living in manufactured housing, and we've had some discussions in the past about the quality, etc. I'm going to suggest that, if you live in a manufactured housing, you keep a close eye on your water heater, and now I'll tell you why.

We bought a new double wide in 1997, a brand that was supposedly the "Cadillac" of the industry at the time. Both the paperwork, and the salesman, mentioned that the electric water heater was installed in a drain pan so that any leaks would drain out the bottom. The access to the water heater was outside and the "door" had 6 screws that had to be removed to open it. Like a dummy, I did not check on it until I noticed the floor getting soft in the laundry area about 4 years later. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif Yep, it was in a drain pan, but the drain pan was barely big enough in diameter for the water heater to fit into it, and then the water heater was wrapped in insulation that extended out over the edges of the drain pan, the insulation was soaked and dripping over the sides of the drain pan. A substantial amount of flooring had to be replaced, in addition to replacing the leaking water heater.

In 1999, one of our daughters bought a really nice 1997 double wide. The outside access door to the electric water heater was much easier to open to check on the water heater, and I did that; looked OK, but no drain pan and that 50 gallon water heater barely fit in there. And again, like dummies, we forgot about it. Then day before yesterday, I was mowing and noticed that her water heater door was bulging out in the middle. Yep, water heater was leaking, floor softened, water heater tilted out against the door.

First Point: Check your water heater frequently.

Second Point: Now both of these mobile homes were built with what they called "OSB" (I call it particle board). I think that's the industry standard, but if you buy a new one, you can specify plywood floors, at extra cost, of course. The salesmen will tell you how much better the OSB is if it doesn't get wet! Insist on plywood!!!!

Third Point: There are water heaters made specifically for manufactured housing. I don't know what the difference is, but if anyone else does, let us know. Our daughter's home had a State "Scout" water heater. You won't have much luck finding a dealer with one in stock. In fact, the State dealers that I contacted said they don't even know what the difference is in the manufactured housing water heaters, but that they can't even get them. It seems that State (and I don't know about other manufacturers) makes some cheap water heaters for manufactured housing manufacturers. Even their website shows the Scout to have a one year warranty while their other heaters have 6 to 15 year warranties. I contacted their home office, found that I could buy one, and pick it up at one of their warehouses for $231.33, but even they recommended that I get a different water heater at Lowe's or some other local outlet.

OK, I've replaced water heaters, and I've replaced flooring, but at my age, I don't want to do it anymore. So I called a local mobile home service company for an estimate; $600 and he said he'd get the water heater from Lowe's. Hmm . . ., the only mobile home water heater at Lowe's is $188 plus sales tax. Home Depot didn't even have one.

So, if you wondered why the long winded post, I called one of my brothers to come help me, and we did the job this morning ourselves. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif You can bet I'll keep a close eye on water heaters in the future. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
 
   / Manufactured Housing Water Heaters #2  
Bird i had a hot water tank go bad in my manufactured home , i found the leak in time and had no floor damage. OSB also. i put a regular home hot water tank back in it was cheaper and the only diff. i could tell was the outlets were on the side of the tank with the one i took out and the one i put back had the lines coming out of the top. i just did some plumbing work and it fit fine.
 
   / Manufactured Housing Water Heaters #3  
Bird, that brings back memories. This was back in 89 or 90. We bought an older mobile home and I decided to check the water heater. It required that you unscrew about 25 screws holding on the panel on the outside of the trailer. The water heater was all of about 10 gallons. I checked it over to make sure that there wasn't any obvious catastrophe about to happen (like I could have recognized it anyway). /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif In the course of my examination, I wiggled the hot water line coming out of the water heater. Yes, it was some sort of flexible plastic line about 1/4" inside diameter. It immediately broke in half and started shooting water everywhere. Well, I finally got it sorted out and found the shutoff valve, but for a while there it was pretty interesting.

I've often wondered whether the line would have been o.k. had I not disturbed it. We sold the trailer almost three years later with no other major problems.
 
   / Manufactured Housing Water Heaters #4  
Bird, I don't know much about manufactured housing other than I have an uncle who has gotten extremely (to the 10th degree) wealthy by selling them for the last 20 years or so. I tried to give him a call to ask about what you mentioned, but he is vacationing in Maui this month. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif Silly me, I forgot that. I knew he and his family go there this month but fly back in time to go to their suite at the Indy 500 later this month.

Anyway, one guy who works for him told me that they use State water heaters, but had never heard of "Scout". He told me that their State water heaters had a 10 year warranty. They not only sell double wide homes, but also 2 story double wide ones. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif They have 2 50 gallon water heaters in them; some electric and some gas. He told me that they are putting up a 2 story double wide this week which also has a full basement! Holy cow, when did they get into the 3000 sq ft. plus manufactured housing?!
 
   / Manufactured Housing Water Heaters
  • Thread Starter
#5  
John, when we bought our place in the country, it had an old (1970) single wide mobile home and someone had replaced the gas water heater with an electric water heater, and the first thing I did was fix a couple of leaks at the water heater. It had that old gray plastic (Quest?) that I understand was replaced under warranty in a lot of them. Now the one I worked on today (our daughter's) has some kind of clear plastic 3/4" water lines. I don't know what the stuff is, but I was sure trying to be careful not to break it since I'm not sure how you repair it.
 
   / Manufactured Housing Water Heaters #6  
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( the only mobile home water heater at Lowe's )</font>

when mine went out I went to lowes and got what would fit in the hole and adjusted the piping to fit.
It seems like the MH heater had one pite in the top and one on the side near the bottom and the lowers hearter bother were in the top
 
   / Manufactured Housing Water Heaters
  • Thread Starter
#7  
Yep, Brent, some of the manufactured housing has some quality material and appliances. Right now, we're living in a 1997 Fleetwood product and it has a Rheem water heater. No problem so far, and it at least has vinyl flooring under the water heater, but you can bet I'll keep a close eye on it. And to the best of my knowledge, State makes some good stuff, but the Scout is apparently their bottom of the line; only water heater I know of with only a one year warranty. However, this one apparently lasted nearly 8 years. I replaced it with a Whirlpool with a 6 year warranty. And I know that some people replace the "mobile home" water heaters with regular residential water heaters, and I found one place on the Internet where someone "said" that a building inspector would red tag it if they found that. I still don't know what the difference is. The one I replaced, the new one, and the one in our home all have the water inlets and outlets on the side, while most residential heaters have them on top. What difference does that make? And the State Scout had the electrical connection on the side, while the others have the electrical connection on top (I had to go get some more wire and a junction box to run the power on to the top of the new one I put in our daughter's house, but didn't have to change the plumbing). I also dropped back from a 50 gallon in her house to a 40 gallon; same height, but smaller diameter, thank goodness, because we had a time prying the old one out through the small opening. And that old one is supposed to weigh 140 pounds empty.
 
   / Manufactured Housing Water Heaters #8  
If you have enough room ,you can go to a tin shop & have them build you a larger w.h. pan.Those store bought w.h. pans are no good ,too small. I think the only difference in mobile home water heaters vs others is the inlet & outlet water connections on the side.I installed 1 in a mobile home today ' I got it at lowes for $188.00 less than standard house w.h. $.198.00. I can tell you from experence that anything installed in a mobile home must state that it is approved for mobile home.Tank warranty is determined by size or number of anodes in the tank.
 
   / Manufactured Housing Water Heaters #9  
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I think the only difference in mobile home water heaters vs others is the inlet & outlet water connections on the side.I can tell you from experence that anything installed in a mobile home must state that it is approved for mobile home.Tank warranty is determined by size or number of anodes in the tank. )</font>

I believe you are correct in the fact that the appliance has to say it is approved for Mobil Home use. The furnace also have to say approved for mobil homes and it has to have zero clearances on the sides and back. Other than that I don't think there is any difference.

murph
 
   / Manufactured Housing Water Heaters #10  
Gas furnaces & gas water heaters are made differently for mobile home in that all air for combustion has to be taken from outside the mobile home.
 
 
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