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Question: I live in a manufactured home, dates to 1992, in a mobile home park. The water heater recently started leaking badly. I decided to get a new one. As with most MHs, it is located in a water heater closet on the outside of the home. I bought a new GE 9-year warranty water heater at Home Depot. (Natural gas, as is the current one.) I paid for installation and delivery too. Then I got a call from the company contracted for the installations, Action Contractors, to set up an installation time. When I gave the address, I was asked, is that a townhouse? I said no, a mobile home park. I was told that this water heater could not be installed in a mobile home,.that it is listed as "not for use in a mobile home", that they "the contractor" could not take on the liability of installing a water heater in a mobile home, that is not rated for such use. In the HD store, I did not see such a label ("not for mobile home use") on either the box or the WH itself. Why would a water heater for a MH need to be any different than that for another type of building? (Of course, for a MH that does not have natural gas, the WH would have to be propane or electric. I do have natural gas--for heat, stove, and water heater.) Other than having to fit in the water heater closet, what other considerations could there be? What is the difference in a WH rated OK for mobile homes? Where does one get them?
Answer: -Try a 'search', in Google Groups, for " mobile home water heaters " ... -The water heated is marked for MH usage. They are usually taller and thinner to fit the space, cheaper built poor specs, and a lot more expensive. If you hire it done, and it is not MH approved, the installer is breaking the law, subject to etc. Could you put in the none MH heater safely? Probably. Gas is trickier than electric. The potential for gas leaks and venting makes it more important to be done correctly. Even if installed "perfect" if inspected, it will never pass inspection and may need to be changed to a MH approved unit if you sell.
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