Manufactured home heat source

[D._Frederick]

My son wants to get a new manufactured home with about 1800 to 2000 sq ft. What would you suggest  for heating?

They will install electric baseboard heat, or an air heat pump. He could install an Earth furnace, a pellet stove.

Electricity is about 10 cents per kwhr. Propane is about $1.75 per gallon. Pellets about $150 per ton.

He does not want anything to do with fire wood.

[TexasTimbers]

It depends on what part of the country he is in. A heat pump is adequate for moderate winters but in harsh winter climates they can't keep up without supplemental heat kicking in. The supplemental especially if it is electric will quickly wipe out any economy the heat pump can offer.
Plus, they feel cold to some people because the air coming out of the vents is usually relatively colder than our 98.6F. You can have practically any supplemtnal you want with a heat pump though.
Insulation is another factor. With a maufactured home you generally aren't going to get a super-insulation like R56 in the attic. R11 at best in the walls and according to US Gov reports even brand new homes do not come close to achieving R11 because of air infiltration never mind the claims about tyvek/caulking/sealing that home builders tout.

Propane scares some people. I prefer it for my cutting torch over acetylene but I really don't like it as a heating source because it scares me after nearly killing myself and my helper in 1987.  :

I can't speak to the pellets or the earth furnace as I have no experience with them.

[DanG]

Gee, D.  I don't know what to tell ya.  The prices of any of those fuels are subject to change at any time, so the best deal right now may not be the best next year.  The best defense is insulation, but that is difficult to enhance in a manufactured home.

The way I see it, you can either get your heat from the woods, or from your wallet.  If ya ain't willing to handle firewood, you've pretty much narrowed it down to the wallet.  If I was in that situation, I'd consider sacrificing some square footage for a "high quality" home, and going for a Heatalator fireplace, in case I changed my mind after a few electric/propane bills.

Also, you can install an airtight wood stove later, if the firewood attitude changes.

[Engineer]

Make sure house is well insulated, although with manufactured homes you kind of have to depend on the manufacturer to guarantee the R-value.  I'd go propane, high-efficiency, with hot-water baseboards.  If it's possible to do staple-up radiant rather than baseboards, it will feel warmer and probably burn less fuel.

[leweee]

Hydronics are all the rage in this climate. In floor systems were possible & radiators elsewhere.Fire the boiler with whatever you like. The more insulation the merrier.

[KENROD]

 Well, if it was me. I would go with the ground source heat pump if I didn't have the choice of a wood fired heater of soom kind. My parents have had one for 10+ yrs. They are very cost efficient when compared to a propane furnace. Works good to both heat and cool.

[treecyclers]

While I appreciate your son's aversion to firewood, I suggest a slightly different approach.
This past week I had a wood stove installed in my manufactured home, and a second one installed in my shop.
The one I has put in my house is AWESOME!
I stoke it 3-4 times a day with slab wood, and it's fantastic!
My girfriend has a major aversion to cold, and likes the house kept near 75 to 80 (She's from Phoenix), so that eats a ton of wood.
However, I only go through about 15-18 pieces of wood per day, all of which is free for me.
If you've got slab piles up the ying-yang like I have, and don't want the hassle of selling firewood (around here, firewood customers are a royal pain in the kazoo - I'm the cheapest price within 75 miles, and they STILL want a price break), it's a great way to go.
Alternatively, pellets are tough to get sometimes, electric and propane are subject to massive price swings, as are most fossil fuel motivated heat sources.
Have your son do the research on efficient heat sources, and he may be surprised in what he learns.
It ultimately boils down to what he's willing to contribute labor wise vs. price wise.
Savings usually means more labor on his part, but if he's willing to do it to save those dollars, it may be worth it to him.

[Onthesauk]

Treecyclers,

What brand stove did you put in the house?  Have a neighbor down the street who on his second stove in a manufactured home, can't seem to get enough heat or a long enough burn out of them.  Claims it's the code on stoves made for manufactured homes.  Kind of looking for suggestions.

[logwalker]

If it is still possible, can the baseboards and go to hydronic in floor tube. Fire this with either electric or propane boiler. These are not really boilers but that is how the industry refers to them. The baseboards set up drafts by their design. Infloor heat is something you have to experience to appreciate.

[rebocardo]

With the options presented and  I will assume it gets pretty cold where you are in OR, I would vote pellet stove.  Just make sure you use a good deep cycle battery and to have a spare or a way to charge it with the car if the electric is off for more then 12 hours. Without the battery turning the auger, the stove will not run nor will the blower work.

Make plans for dry storage off the ground for the pellets inside a shed or garage.

[D._Frederick]

In my stick-build home, I have hydronic heat from an oil fired boiler with base board registors and do not feel any drafts. The problem with this heat source is the No 2 diesel costing up to $3.20 a gallon last winter. I filled my tanks this past sept. for $1.82 a gallon, price lasted about 3 days. In my living here over 60 years, I have seen temps of -5 to 110 degrees F.

I would talk my son in going to an earth furnace with the pipes buried in the ground below the frost level, they give about 6 BTU's for every 1BTU's spent. The weak point of this system is the refrigeration equipment. I don't kown if you can get more than 5 years out of the compressors. Anybody have any history with this type of heating?

[Bill]

Not quite sure I recognize the term earth furnace - I haven't followed the industry lately - other than paying the bills. On the other hand we did have a geothermal system at my last job - 300,000 sq ' building.  Seemed to work OK and some of my friends still there say some equipment is starting to show wear ( 6 yrs old ) but they like it - alot of pipes to deal with and A/C in the summer is more $$$$ than they thought but after all its a big building. . .

Good Luck

[treecyclers]

Treecyclers,

What brand stove did you put in the house? Have a neighbor down the street who on his second stove in a manufactured home, can't seem to get enough heat or a long enough burn out of them.

I am running an Archguard Chalet model in my place.
I have 1100 sf under roof, but shut out about 400 of it during the winter, like the laundry, spare bedroom, and my office. I don't run a blower either, just a box fan on the floor that I direct to sucking the cold air out of my bedroom so it draws the warm air in up high.
It works well for me, and even burnig pine, I get a good 8-9 hours burn when I stoke it tight for the night.
SD

[farmerscotty]

here is an option........works,  and was designed for modular homes.....


www.outsidewoodheater.com

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