Manufactured Home Furnaces
Manufactured homes are built at a manufacturer’s production headquarters and transported to the homeowner's building site. Manufactured home furnaces function differently than those in traditionally constructed houses. Your heating and cooling systems should suit your manufactured home's size and type.
Furnace Size and Placement Many consumers are interested in a manufactured home due to its smaller and more compact size and lower sticker price. Sometimes manufactured homes are incorrectly called mobile homes. Mobile homes were factory-built dwellings produced before the 1976 HUD code enactment. Buyers need to make sure they install a manufactured home furnace designed specifically for their unit. Because of smaller air ducts and tighter corners, the air doesn’t flow as freely as in a larger house. That means the fan blower must be designed to suit your specific needs.
Brands Many of the same manufacturers that make furnaces for traditional homes also sell models for mobile homes. Some brands that are available include Coleman, Nordyne, Miller, and HOME.
Ratings When shopping for manufactured home furnaces remember that standard home furnaces use different rating systems that are not relevant to a manufactured dwelling. Mobile homes furnaces need to be ducted, vented, and installed differently than furnaces for site-built homes. The ducting system in a mobile home is much smaller than in a site-built home. Mobile home furnces use a venting system called sealed combustion. Standard home furnaces to do take these differences into consideration and can be dangerous in a mobile home.
Energy Efficiency and Air Quality For the sake of energy efficiency, the furnace's incoming vents should be placed where they will be able to function most effectively. For example, in a cold climate, heat ducts work best when placed around the external walls. The heating and cooling units must be built with sealed combustion to draw in outside air without releasing polluted fumes inside. Intake and exhaust vents must be sealed to prevent air from escaping. The air comes in through outlets placed in the floor, outside walls, or ceiling.
Climate Don't waste resources and money by opting for heating and cooling systems that work too hard or not hard enough to keep a pleasant atmosphere. If you live in a more extreme climate and purchase a system that is too small and must work overtime, you'll waste energy and money. It's important to have your manufactured home sized before choosing a heating system.
For more information about mobile home furnaces, log on to http://www.consumersunion.org/other/mh/brochure.htm.
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