Goodman does not make a mobile home approved furnace or any HVAC equipment specifically meant for manufactured housing. The internet is not a good place to find this answer. I had to call Goodman who told me to call my local distributor. The conclusion is absolutely no, Goodman does not make mobile home approved equipment.
You would think this would be such an easy question to answer but it was not. The question has several little dark areas such as what do code officials that do mechanical inspections know and what about home inspectors that check your home prior to a sale?
I called my Goodman tech support number and they told me their techs were busy fixing technically related problems and I should call my local distributor.
I have two distributors in my area. The first said they didn’t know and would have to do some research. The second was much more confident and said without hesitating, absolutely not.
The first distributor I called that didn’t know, did their research and called me back to confirm that Goodman does not have any products labeled or specifically made for manufactured homes.
Mobile Home Furnace vs Regular Furnace
Currently their are two HVAC equipment manufacturers dominating the manufactured home industry. Coleman and Intertherm. You may see another name or two poking around that have products for mobile home heating.
I have been in many mobile homes, equipped with either gas or electric equipment that are not mobile home approved. It is up to the installer and the local permitting agency to determine what brand would be applicable according to local code.
But if you’re going to be a smart home owner you won’t rely on the lack of knowledge or level of concern of others in regards to your castle.
Many counties either don’t pay attention to the proper equipment regulations or they just don’t care. And then their are those HVAC companies that don’t get the proper permits. So how would the local code enforcement people even know the furnace was changed out.
You may have bought a mobile home and found that some major brand has been installed without the proper label that says “For Manufactured/Modular Housing”.
I don’t think it would be something to get too excited about. One thing to look for is the clearances written inside the unit. If the furnace is not sitting on a non-combustible floor base then make sure the furnace says “zero” or “0” clearances to combustibles.
Note the image above that this label says “MAY BE INSTALLED IN ALCOVE OR CLOSET ON COMBUSTIBLE FLOORS”
That means the furnace has a clearance of zero inches at contact to a combustible floor. No base is required and the furnace can set directly on the duct and floor.
Do Home Inspectors Know About Approved HVAC For Manufactured Homes?
In my efforts to get more information and do research I called a customer/friend who recently retired as a home inspector.
I asked him what came to his mind when I mentioned mobile home approved furnaces for manufactured homes. His response was generic.
As long as it meets the electrical code and load of the existing circuit and it has zero clearance to combustibles that should be all that’s required.
Nothing said about mobile home approved for replacement HVAC equipment.
Here again it doesn’t seem to be anything to be concerned about. It’s really boils down to your local building department.
The previous county I lived in had a very strict governing body over mobile homes. We had a building department that issued permits for construction and remodeling and we had the Department of Labor & Industries that governed all manufactured home installations and permitting.
L&I was so strict. To me it was government run amok. Doubling up on bureaucratizes.
Do your due diligence, make some phone calls and start asking questions now that you know some questions to ask.
What Does Your Local Building Inspector Know About Mobile Home Approved Equipment?
This was getting fun as I dug deeper into things like mobile home approved gas furnaces. It’s becoming more obvious that the only time it matters is when the home is built and sold for the first time.
So then I called my local mechanical building inspector. It was something he was completely unfamiliar with. Not blaming him, it’s just more confirmation that it must be okay to install any brand furnace in your manufactured home as long as it meets the clearances we’ve discussed here.
He gave me some suggestions of people to call and ask about this subject. HUD and my states chief mechanical inspector. I may do that sometime soon, but as for now I think I’m going to move on to a new topic.
Mobile Home Furnace vs Regular Furnace, What’s The Difference Really?
The best mobile home furnace would be a very quiet furnace because of the close proximity of the furnace to the living area. Think about a brand that promotes their equipment as airtight, doors that seal to help eliminate air leaks.
Electronically Commutated Motors or ECM motors will increase the efficiency of your furnace. ECM motors are an advertised 30% plus more efficient than the conventional type induction motors. They start quieter and can make up for some duct work inefficiencies.
Conclusion
So can you put a house furnace in a mobile home? I would, but you have to make an independent decision. Base it on your local building department or whatever, but it seems that mobile home approved furnaces lack some of the basic quality that can be found in some of the big name brands.
