Many people each year make the choice to move into mobile homes. This is a particularly popular option among retirees whose children are grown and out living on their own.
The lure of living in a milder climate induces many folks to sell their ordinary homes and move south, where there are hundreds of mobile home communities set up to provide low maintenance living among people with similar backgrounds and interests.
Other people choose to live in mobile homes for a variety of reasons. For some, it's an opportunity to live economically as a permanent choice or while saving money to build or buy a regular house.
One thing that many, if not most, people fail to realize is that the construction and systems of a mobile home are not in all cases quite like those found in an ordinary house. This is particularly true in the case of the mobile home furnace.
Due to the construction realities of mobile homes, the furnaces intended for installation in them must be designed differently from an ordinary furnace. Space limitations are critical, and mobile home heating systems must account for smaller ductwork, tighter angles in the ductwork, and a different system of venting than in the ordinary furnace they may be familiar with.
Unless someone is planning on moving to the very warmest parts of the country, a well-functioning furnace is a necessity. If someone is lucky enough to buy a brand new mobile home, they can rely on the manufacturer to properly install a suitable unit in a safe and efficient way.
However, if one is buying a used mobile home, there are some things that ought to be considered to avoid financial loss or even disaster. While a furnace installed in a house may be expected to last upwards of thirty years with proper maintenance, this isn't necessarily the case with a mobile home furnace. Although mobile home furnaces have closed the longevity gap with regular furnaces to some extent, they operate under more challenging conditions and may not last so long.
If one is contemplating buying a used mobile home that is more than fifteen years old, it's very wise to have the furnace inspected by a technician qualified and experienced in dealing with such units. A thorough inspection will involve some dismantling of the unit and a careful examination of the combustion chamber for cracks. This is essential to ensure that combustion gases don't escape into the living area, which could be deadly.
A qualified technician can give some estimate of the useful remaining life (if any) of the furnace being inspected. He will ensure that all the electrical connections are safe and functional. If the determination is made that the furnace will need extensive repairs or is no longer safe, there are some options for the mobile home owner or potential buyer.
While electric furnaces are just about always more expensive to operate than gas fired units, they do provide a safe means of supplying heat. In some more remote areas where natural gas lines have not reached but electrical service has, some people have opted for electric mobile home furnaces.
However, in light of the reality that electricity is an expensive option for heating, manufacturers for many years have offered propane fired gas furnaces. If you opt for such a unit, it will be necessary to provide a large tank for storage of the gas and arrange for reliable deliveries of it. It will also be necessary to install appropriate venting to account for the release of combustion gases. This is also true if natural gas service has been extended to areas where there was formerly only electricity.
A qualified technician can provide expert advice regarding whether or not a conversion from an electric mobile home furnace to a gas one will pay long-term dividends. He or she will have access to professional software that calculates the amount of energy needed to effectively heat the living space. In many cases, the cost of this analysis will be forgiven if a new unit is purchased.
Used mobile home furnaces can also be found for sale. However, unless such a unit is being sold by a certified expert in the field with a safety guarantee, these should be avoided in light of the risk of there being hidden safety defects.
Here is a video I came across that some people may find helpful.
