Need Hot Water Tank for mobile home

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nanaclaire
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Jul 02, 2010 7:38 am

I live in Michigan. I just purchased a manufactured mobile home but it was purchased "AS IS" ...took a chance so I could get it for a good price. Anyway, the hot water tank that is inside is the WRONG one. When the gas man came to turn on the gas, he told me something was wrong with the hot water tank b/c exhaust was coming in from the bottom by the floor. There is ahole under the tank. I had someone come to look at it and he told me that it is the wrong tank ... that you specifically need one for inside mobile homes and it shouldn't have feet on it and it should fit inside that hole so the exhaust goes up the chimney. He also told me it will cost upwards of $600+ to buy one let alone have it installed. A friend of mine told me it was illegal to sell the home to me with the wrong hot water tank. I think b/c I signed a paper that says sold AS IS that I have no legal ground. Does anyone here know?

Also what am I looking for to purchase a hot water tank? Any specific specifications I should be looking at??? I see Sears has one for a mobile home but I need to make sure it is the right one. It is less than $500. Also the one that IS in the home now says Mobile Home on it but it is still the wrong one. Apparently there are some for outdoors or something.

Any help is appreciated.
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Brenda (OH)
Posts: 325
Joined: Sun Apr 01, 2007 7:57 am

Hello Claire,

One answer might be if you can get the right information, if the current water heater needs to be outdoors, can it be put outdoors and a small insulated shed/shelter with the correct venting and chimney be built for it? and then you pipe the water into the house through a pipe with insulation on it?

or, can you have an electrician look at the home, and see if the water heater could be switched to an electric one? the venting is less critical on an electric water heater.....

Claire, are the people giving you advice licensed heating and air technicians, licensed plumbers, or licensed electricians? If the are not specialists, I would take their information as a good starting point, and seek out a highly qualified person to get you the rest of the way to having a safe, reliable hot water heating system......

was it legal to sell you the home? maybe, maybe not, but will it be worth the hassle to try and get a judgement against the seller? the money you paid for the home is probably already spent, it takes time and some cost to go to court even if you are "right".

What if the judge says return the lady her money, and seller, take the home back.... are you ready to move? You may be only going after getting the water heater fixed, but court is a weird place..... lol

Brenda (OH)
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Greg
Moderator
Posts: 5696
Joined: Wed Feb 28, 2007 8:01 pm
Location: Weedsport, NY

Hi & welcome. As Brenda said, you have to ask is it worth the hassle & money to prove a point. I would just accept the situation and deal with it.
Electric heaters start around $200 the question is do you have space in you panel to supply it. Gas heaters may run $500-$600 I have not priced them. Shop around and see what is out there. Just make sure it is MH approved. Greg
"If I can't fix it, I can screw it up so bad no one else can either."
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