[2016 Versa]

Here's one for you. In KY a home owner has to register water heater purchases made within the state to the state government, be installed by a licensed plumber and go through a state inspection. I live in a double wide mobile home and had a water heater leak in 2016 so I called to find out what all the exact requirements were. Because I live in a manufactured home I could buy a water heater in KY, install it myself and didn't have to have a state inspection. They said if I was ever questioned about the purchase to tell them it was installed in a manufactured home. A plumbing contractor here in town quoted me $1200. for a water heater and to do the install. I bought a water heater for about $350 if I remember correctly and installed it myself in an hour. I live about 25 miles from TN and if I was going to have to pay a plumber $1200. to install a water heater then get an inspection on it I was just going to go to TN buy the water heater, install it and keep my mouth shut. I suspect the reason they don't require a state inspection on a manufactured home is because most manufactured homes come with single element water heaters and wired with 14 ga. wire and most replacement water heaters are dual element units that should be wired with 12 ga. wire. I did mine right, I found a single element heater rather than running a new 12 ga. wire, but I'll bet there are many mobile homes out there that have had the water heater replaced and are not up to code. I guess this is a loophole for the mobile home manufacturers to keep them from having to use 12 ga. that would cost them an extra $ .25 instead of 14 ga. wire and keeps the state from getting their pants sued off when someones house catches fire and burns their family up because the water heater circuit wasn't wired with the correct 12 ga. wire and the state didn't require an inspection. The way my home is set up my breaker box is in the utility room, the water heater is on the other side of the utility room wall in the master bath closet. The difference would have amounted to about 15' of 12 ga. wire vs. 15' of 14 ga. wire. Truth be known mobile homes probably need the state inspection worse than stick built homes.