ECN Forum
Posted By: derater Mobile home service - 05/03/07 01:34 PM
Is anyone here familiar w/ grounding requirements for mobile homes ? Service is o/h to meter to 200a disco to panel. Do I need 2 gnd rods as per stick built? Do I bond the frame (has existing gnd. fr. panel to frame) ?
Posted By: renosteinke Re: Mobile home service - 05/03/07 03:05 PM
Define "Mobile Home."

If it's considered as a trailer, then the ground wire to the pedestal is sufficient. Any ground rod will be at the pedestal.

If it's considered "real estate," ... permanently anchored, etc .... then it's ust like a stick-built home as far as the code is concerned.
Posted By: gfretwell Re: Mobile home service - 05/03/07 03:30 PM
I inspected a bunch of these for the prison system. The typical installation was a service disconnect on a post next to the unit, 4 wire feeder to the panel in the unit and a solid ground electrode conductor from the home panel to the ground under the unit that picked up a lug on the frame along the way. The commercial trailers used as office space always had an 8ga factory installed that bonded the frame. YMMV on residential units.
"Trailers" really come in at least 3 varieties.
There is the travel trailer which is cord and plug connected and stays on wheels
You have the "HUD" approved manufactured home that is basically like a house. The service equipment may actually be in this unit.
You also have a "park model" RV that gets the wheels taken off and sits like a manufactured home but exploits a loophole in the law that allows it to avoid HUD standards. These get connected to a post mounted disconnect. They are hard to get permitted in Florida these days.

I imagine there are variations in between in other places but Florida has made it hard to have anything that won't meet the wind code.

In reality, once you put in all the tie downs the Florida law requires these things are very well "grounded" in any case but we still want to see a rod.
Posted By: Theelectrikid Re: Mobile home service - 05/03/07 07:56 PM
Quote
They are hard to get permitted in Florida these days.


I wonder why...

Sorry had to say it,
Ian A.
Posted By: Tom Re: Mobile home service - 05/03/07 09:20 PM
Mobile home is defined in 550.2, recreational vehicle in 551.2 and park trailer in 552.2. That should cover the 3 types mentioned above.

A mobile home service will need two ground rods and the bonding to the frame should have been installed by the manufacturer. If you're dealing with a used home, you might want to see if the connection is still intact.

Don't forget to comply with 550.32(D). In the area I live in, this means that there must be additional spaces available at the serviceto plug in circuit breakers for loads outside the mobile home.

Posted By: gfretwell Re: Mobile home service - 05/04/07 04:34 AM
Where the confusion comes in is when this is listed/titled as an "RV" (not HUD compliant) but it looks like a "park model".
© ECN Electrical Forums