R156-56-714. Installation and Safety Requirements for Mobile Homes Built Prior to June 15, 1976.

(1) Mobile homes built prior to June 15, 1976 which are subject to relocation, building alteration, remodeling or rehabilitation shall comply with the following:

(a) Exits and egress windows

(i) Egress windows. The home has at least one egress window in each bedroom, or a window that meets the minimum specifications of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Manufactured Homes Construction and Safety Standards (MHCSS) program as set forth in 24 C.F.R. Parts 3280, 3283 and 3283, MHCSS 3280.106 and 3280.404 for manufactured homes. These standards require the window to be at least 22 inches in the horizontal or vertical position in its least dimension and at least five square feet in area. The bottom of the window opening shall be no more than 36 inches above the floor, and the locks and latches and any window screen or storm window devices that need to be operated to permit exiting shall not be located more than 54 inches above the finished floor.

(ii) Exits. The home is required to have two exterior exit doors, located remotely from each other, as required in MHCSS 3280.105. This standard requires that single-section homes have the doors no less than 12 feet, center-to-center, from each other, and multisection home doors no less than 20 feet center-to center from each other when measured in a straight line, regardless of the length of the path of travel between the doors. One of the required exit doors must be accessible from the doorway of each bedroom and no more than 35 feet away from any bedroom doorway. An exterior swing door shall have a 28-inch-wide by 74-inch-high clear opening and sliding glass doors shall have a 28-inch-wide by 72-inch-high clear opening. Each exterior door other than screen/storm doors shall have a key-operated lock that has a passage latch; locks shall not require the use of a key or special tool for operation from the inside of the home.

(b) Flame spread

(i) Walls, ceilings and doors. Walls and ceilings adjacent to or enclosing a furnace or water heater shall have an interior finish with a flame-spread rating not exceeding 25. Sealants and other trim materials two inches or less in width used to finish adjacent surfaces within these spaces are exempt from this provision, provided all joints are supported by framing members or materials with a flame spread rating of 25 or less. Combustible doors providing interior or exterior access to furnace and water heater spaces shall be covered with materials of limited combustibility (i.e. 5/16-inch gypsum board, etc.), with the surface allowed to be interrupted for louvers ventilating the space. However, the louvers shall not be of materials of greater combustibility than the door itself (i.e., plastic louvers on a wooden door). Reference MHCSS 3280.203.

(ii) Exposed interior finishes. Exposed interior finishes adjacent to the cooking range (surfaces include vertical surfaces between the range top and overhead cabinets, the ceiling, or both) shall have a flame-spread rating not exceeding 50, as required by MHCSS 3280.203. Backsplashes not exceeding six inches in height are exempted. Ranges shall have a vertical clearance above the cooking top of not less than 24 inches to the bottom of combustible cabinets, as required by MHCSS 3280.204(e).

(c) Smoke detectors

(i) Location. A smoke detector shall be installed on any ceiling or wall in the hallway or space communicating with each bedroom area between the living area and the first bedroom door, unless a door separates the living area from that bedroom area, in which case the detector shall be installed on the living-area side, as close to the door as practicable, as required by MHCSS 3280.208. Homes with bedroom areas separated by anyone or combination of common-use areas such as a kitchen, dining room, living room, or family room (but not a bathroom or utility room) shall be required to have one detector for each bedroom area. When located in the hallways, the detector shall be between the return air intake and the living areas.

(ii) Switches and electrical connections. Smoke detectors shall have no switches in the circuit to the detector between the over-current protection device protecting the branch circuit and the detector. The detector shall be attached to an electrical outlet box and connected by a permanent wiring method to a general electrical circuit. The detector shall not be placed on the same branch circuit or any circuit protected by a ground-fault circuit interrupter.

(d) Solid-fuel-burning stoves/fireplaces

(i) Solid-fuel-burning fireplaces and fireplace stoves. Solid-fuel-burning, factory-built fireplaces and fireplace stoves may be used in manufactured homes, provided that they are listed for use in manufactured homes and installed according to their listing/manufacturer's instructions and the minimum requirements of MHCSS 3280.709(g).

(ii) Equipment. A solid-fuel-burning fireplace or fireplace stove shall be equipped with an integral door or shutters designed to close the fire chamber opening and shall include complete means for venting through the roof, a combustion air inlet, a hearth extension, and means to securely attach the unit to the manufactured home structure.

(A) Chimney. A listed, factory-built chimney designed to be attached directly to the fireplace/fireplace stove and equipped with, in accordance with the listing, a termination device and spark arrester, shall be required. The chimney shall extend at least three feet above the part of the roof through which it passes and at least two feet above the highest elevation of any part of the manufactured home that is within 10 feet of the chimney.

(B) Air-intake assembly and combustion-air inlet. An air-intake assembly shall be installed in accordance with the terms of listings and the manufacturer's instruction. A combustion air inlet shall conduct the air directly into the fire chamber and shall be designed to prevent material from the hearth from dropping on the area beneath the manufactured home.

(C) Hearth. The hearth extension shall be of noncombustible material that is a minimum of 3/8-inch thick and shall extend a minimum of 16 inches in front and eight inches beyond each side of the fireplace/fireplace stove opening. The hearth shall also extend over the entire surface beneath a fireplace stove and beneath an elevated and overhanging fireplace.

(e) Electrical wiring systems

(i) Testing. All electrical systems shall be tested for continuity in accordance with MHCSS 3280.810, to ensure that metallic parts are properly bonded; tested for operation, to demonstrate that all equipment is connected and in working order; and given a polarity check, to determine that connections are proper.

(ii) 5.2 Protection. The electrical system shall be properly protected for the required amperage load. If the unit wiring employs aluminum conductors, all receptacles and switches rated at 20 amperes or less that are directly connected to the aluminum conductors shall be marked CO/ALA. Exterior receptacles, other than heat tape receptacles, shall be of the ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFI) type. Conductors of dissimilar metals (copper/aluminum or copper-clad aluminum) must be connected in accordance with National Electrical Code (NEC) Section 110-14.

(f) Replacement furnaces and water heaters

(i) Listing. Replacement furnaces or water heaters shall be listed for use in a manufactured home. Vents, roof jacks, and chimneys necessary for the installation shall be listed for use with the furnace or water heater.

(ii) Securement and accessibility. The furnace and water heater shall be secured in place to avoid displacement. Every furnace and water heater shall be accessible for servicing, for replacement, or both as required by MHCSS 3280.709(a).

(iii) Installation. Furnaces and water heaters shall be installed to provide complete separation of the combustion system from the interior atmosphere of the manufactured home, as required by MHCSS.

(A) Separation. The required separation may be achieved by the installation of a direct-vent system (sealed combustion system) furnace or water heater or the installation of a furnace and water heater venting and combustion systems from the interior atmosphere of the home. There shall be no doors, grills, removable access panels, or other openings into the enclosure from the inside of the manufactured home. All openings for ducts, piping, wiring, etc., shall be sealed.

(B) Water heater. The floor area in the area of the water heater shall be free from damage from moisture to ensure that the floor will support the weight of the water heater.