manufactured home water heaters

[nimrod]

is there any difference between a regular water heater and a manufactured home unit besides the side tappings and the air intake on the bottom ?if there is a vent in the floor already is it ok to install a regular water heater

[jimbo]

Some mobile home units are direct vent. If your only air inlet is in the floor, this is not acceptable for a conventional WH.

[Dunbar Plumbing]

I used to own 6 of these mfg. home water heaters and over the years I'm down to two.

They are RUUD's and there's not much to them other than what was already mentioned. Is the application you are describing one that there is a door on the outside of structure, for water heater only?

[nimrod]

yes it is a outside door with the water heater only in the space. over the years i have seen many reg water heaters in these spaces . i just want to know what the difference is between the two , also i find it interesting that the moble hoe units are convertable between lp and nat gas

[Dunbar Plumbing]

It's just designed specifically for mfg. homes because of those ports on the sides. They are pratically the same identical tank....just that the anode rod goes in the cold inlet port instead of the cold feed.

It's comes with a higher price as well, especially because of the conversion kit from LP to gas that you find in a small cloth bag attached to it.

We used to install the regular type heaters inside them for a substantial fee to switch them; those heaters have to be strapped though in order to pass inspection in the event the structure is moved.

[master plumber mark]

RUGGED ---is that a humping squirrle or a humping cat
in your avatar???



We used to work on trailers.....

then one day we changed out a trailer heater with a
normal water heater.....and a home inspector
got involved and we ened up changeing it out to make the
unit "safe"...it took a while to find the right heater....

Some-how or other even though the unit still gets its air from
the bottom, you can be sued if you dont put in anything but a
heater made for a trailer.. ( which technically makes sense)

so , we dont work on trailers anymore...

its not worth the time and trouble of cutting through
bailing wire an duct tape to make repairs

[Dunbar Plumbing]

I'm on a diet right now so I need motivation.


I paid $500 for 6 of those heaters......4-40's and 2-30's. I don't regret spending that money but I'll never do it again.

I installed two, stripped out one for an air compressor tank, sold one to have someone else install.


You should get back into drain cleaning; here's last night: $235 for 20 minutes, 2 miles away. Drain was already flowing but I rodded the drain to make sure it was open. Justified my trip out to get fuel in my truck.

They aren't all bad. It was a new house that sat months before selling, probably intermittent use with hardened toilet paper in the main. Cha-Ching Bada-Bing!

[master plumber mark]

Sewers.....they are all bad as far as I am concerned...

my batting average is about 500...
and although that is good for baseball,
that is bad for sewers....

I prefer to let someone else
go down in a crawl space to cut out a tee going
the wrong way, install a cleanout ect...
and crawl arouind in shit.....or dig a hole
in the front yard and install a cleanout
all at 9 in the evening.

we had a good year I am told,,, without having to touch
more than an occasioinal kitchen sink drain for our
good customers........

and the company that I throw about two sewers
to a week sends me their plumbing referrals....

I am their best buddy...
and they OWE ME BIG TIME....

Thats priceless...

[Cass]

MPM, does this look like some of the crawl spaces with the C/O on the other side of the duct?

http://www.appianengineers.com/images/advanced-mold.jpg

[Dunbar Plumbing]

It's all eaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasy money! Have the right equipment and the hardest part of your job is pulling it off the truck.

I gotta lift that raises and lowers my equipment out of the truck so the steps are the only bad part.

I use it for baseline income and with paid off equipment it's a joy to go earn money without having to spend money on materials to make it happen.

I couldn't however do it daily; if someone calls me with a foot of waste in the basement, call someone else who's more hungry, I'm well fed. :eek: :D

[hj]

A mobile home heater usually has a securing strap kit with it. I have seen very few modern ones with the low inlet.