Yes. A wood stove can go in a manufactured home when the stove is approved for that use and you install it the way its listing, its manual and the federal rules require. A general safety listing on its own does not prove that a stove is approved for a manufactured home.
What Does Federal Law Require?
Manufactured homes are built to the federal HUD Code (24 CFR Part 3280). Section 3280.709 allows a listed solid-fuel stove when it is installed according to its listing. The same rule asks for:
- a listed factory-built chimney, with a cap and spark arrester that are part of that chimney's listing
- an outside combustion-air inlet that feeds the fire chamber directly
- secure attachment of the stove to the home
- a noncombustible hearth extension
- venting through the roof
A wood stove is never allowed in a sleeping room.
Read the stove's data plate and installation manual for a clear statement that it is listed for manufactured-home use. "UL 1482", "EPA certified" or a retailer's description is not that approval on its own.
Which Stove Should You Choose?
- Choose a stove whose listing and manual allow installation in a manufactured home.
- Match the stove's output to your space and climate. Bigger is not better in a mobile home.
- Check the flue-collar diameter and the outside-air connection before you order chimney parts.
- Check the clearances, floor protection, fastening method and minimum chimney height in the manual. Common mobile-home stoves ask for a total chimney height of 12 to 15 feet.
An improvised or unlisted heater does not meet the federal rule. Do not install one in a manufactured home.
What Parts Does the Chimney Route Need?
| Part | Job | Selection Check |
|---|---|---|
| Listed stove | The solid-fuel appliance | The listing allows manufactured-home use |
| Outside-air kit | Brings combustion air from outside | Approved for your exact stove |
| Double-wall stove pipe | Connects the stove to the chimney inside the room | Listed for manufactured homes. Single-wall pipe is not allowed in a mobile home |
| Stove pipe adapter | Joins the stove pipe to the chimney | Made by the chimney manufacturer, for that chimney |
| Ceiling support box | Carries the chimney where it passes through the ceiling | Same system as the chimney |
| Listed Class A chimney | Carries the flue through the roof and above it | One system, sized to the stove |
| Roof flashing, storm collar and cap with spark arrester | Seals the roof and stops sparks | Same system as the chimney |
| Hearth and fastening hardware | Protects the floor and secures the stove | Follows the stove listing and 24 CFR 3280.709 |
Can the Chimney Go Through the Roof or Wall?
Through the roof is the standard route. Through the wall needs a check first.
The HUD Code describes a stove that vents through the roof, and the mobile-home drawings in stove manuals show the same route: double-wall stove pipe in the room, a ceiling support box, roof flashing, a storm collar and a cap with spark arrester. If your layout allows it, choose this route. You get the straightest run, the strongest draft and no discussion with the inspector.
A wall route, where the chimney passes through a wall thimble and climbs the outside of the home, is not mentioned in the federal rule. It is not forbidden either. Before you choose it, check two things: that your stove manual shows a wall route for manufactured-home installation, and that your local building authority accepts it. If either one says no, go through the roof.
Where the run does climb the outside wall, our 6 inch insulated chimney pipe is the size most stoves take.
In both routes, only the listed Class A chimney passes through the structure. The stove pipe stays inside the room.
Measure your roof with the chimney height guide before you order the final sections. The chimney must end at least 3 feet above the point where it passes through the roof, and at least 2 feet above any part of the home within 10 feet.
How Do You Handle Outside Combustion Air?
Use the outside-air kit and connection your stove manufacturer specifies. The inlet must feed the fire chamber directly and must not draw air from a wall, floor or ceiling cavity, an attic or a crawl space. An open window or a general room vent is not a substitute.
How Is the Stove Secured?
The HUD Code requires the stove to be secured so it cannot move. Use the brackets, bolts and attachment points in your stove manual. Do not guess at fastener size, and check which floor member the approved method uses before you drill.
What Floor Protection Is Required?
Follow the stove listing first. The federal rule also requires a noncombustible hearth extension at least 3/8 inch thick, reaching at least 16 inches in front of the stove opening and at least 8 inches beyond each side of it. For a freestanding stove the hearth must also cover the entire surface beneath the stove. If your manual asks for more, use the larger requirement.
Why Double-Wall Stove Pipe?
In a mobile home, double-wall stove pipe is required between the stove and the chimney. It stays cooler on the outside, it lets you keep smaller clearances in a tight room, and it is what mobile-home approved stoves are tested with. Double-wall pipe cannot be cut to length, so plan at least one adjustable or telescoping section to line up with the ceiling support box.
What Do the Main Chimney Parts Cost?
The total depends on diameter, route and chimney length. These transition parts are priced by diameter on the US store:
- The wall thimble runs from $97 to $114 depending on diameter, on our class a insulated chimney pipe page, which is the only grid that carries both the 6 inch and the 8 inch.
- The 11 inch ceiling support box runs from $175 to $208 depending on diameter, on the same class a chimney pipe page.
Check the current product page before you order. Build your parts list from your stove, diameter, dimensions and route, not from a flat estimate.
Can You Install It Yourself?
Yes, in most cases, as long as your stove manual allows owner installation and local rules do not require a licensed installer. Before you cut an opening, check the permit and inspection requirements with your local building authority. If you cannot confirm the floor attachment, the outside-air route, the clearances or the structural opening, send us your stove manual and layout and we will check it with you.
What Should You Check Before the First Fire?
- The stove is approved for manufactured-home use and is not in a sleeping room.
- The stove is secured the way its manual describes.
- The outside-air connection is complete and unobstructed.
- The connector is double-wall stove pipe, not single-wall.
- The hearth and all clearances match the listing and the rules.
- The adapter, support box, chimney, flashing and cap all belong to one listed chimney system.
- The chimney meets the height rule above the roof and the minimum height in your stove manual.
- The required permit or inspection is done.
- Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are installed and working.
- Your home insurer knows about the stove and has said what it needs to see; our guide to wood stove home insurance lists the questions to ask.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Makes a Wood Stove HUD Approved for a Mobile Home?
The stove must be listed for installation in a manufactured home, and it must be installed the way that listing and the HUD Code require: a listed factory-built chimney, an outside combustion-air inlet, secure attachment to the structure, a compliant hearth, and never in a sleeping room. Check the data plate and the manual, not a retailer's description.
Does a UL 1482 Label Automatically Approve a Stove for a Manufactured Home?
No. Check the data plate, listing and manual to confirm that your exact stove is approved for manufactured-home use.
Can I Use Single-Wall Stove Pipe in a Mobile Home?
No. Manufactured-home installations need double-wall stove pipe between the stove and the chimney.
Can the Chimney Go Out Through the Wall?
Only if your stove manual shows that route for a manufactured home and your local building authority accepts it. The federal rule describes a roof route, so through the roof is the safe choice.
Can a Wood Stove Go in a Manufactured-Home Bedroom?
No. The HUD Code does not allow a solid-fuel stove in a sleeping room.
A house built on site answers to the building code its state, county or town has adopted instead. Our guide to a wood burning stove in a bedroom covers that case.
Can You Use a Chimney Liner Instead of a Factory-Built Chimney?
A liner goes inside an existing chimney. For a stove in a manufactured home, the federal rule calls for a listed factory-built chimney. Do not use a liner as a freestanding chimney.
Need More Information?
Read the frequently asked questions, browse the installation guides, or send your stove manual and layout through the free flue-design service and we will check your parts list. You can also call 888-834-0880.
Heating a travel trailer or camper instead? Read how to install a wood stove in a trailer.
