How safe is a manufactured home

[Jennifer]

To whom it may concern,

My husband and 2 kids are moving. I found a beautiful house but is a manufactured home. I'm wondering how safe is it. I know that when a mobile home catches of fire, you have about 2 minutes to get out before your kids are dead. How do manuf. homes compare?
I know that manuf. homes are built on a foundation slab and can have more than on story, but can they have a basement?

If you could help us in this matter it would be greatly appreciated.

Jennifer DeMuynck (De'-Mink) and family
563-359-6174 if you'd rather call in the evening
or 563-355-5376 if you'd like to call Jen during the day

[Danny]

jen, todays homes don't burn as fast as the older homes, due to the use of drywall rather than paneling.and less combustable materials

[Eugene]

Typically, fire is no more a concern in a manufactured home than any other home.
Yes, a full basement is an option and a good idea, make sure the home is designed for a basement set. Don't take a standard frame home and place over a basement, there is no good way to attach it to the foundation.

[JohnnyJ]

Any home, stick or MH, can be dangerous when fire breaks out. In any home,
the real key to safety is being prepared. Have a family fire drill. Make sure each
and everyone of you knows your escape options for fires starting in different
areas of the home. Make sure that you and your children have a designated
place to meet outside the home in the event of a fire.

There are also other emergencies for which you might prepare. Tornadoes
are a threat in the south where I live. You may have other things to prepare
for depending on your locale. Just being prepared, having a plan, and
knowing what to do in an emergency have saved many a life.

good luck

[Jennifer]

I know fires are dangerous for any home, I wanted the camparable difference between a mobile and manufactured home. Thanks though, I got my answer.

Jennifer

[Jennifer]

Thank-you so much for the answer. I think I will go see the manufacture home.

Thanks again,
Jennifer

[Mark]

Sort of. A mobile home IS a manufactured home. They are the same. The industry adopted the new name because it sounds better.

The are usually not put on slabs, but rather brick piers. Even when they are on slab, it's not the traditional way most people think of, as they aren't designed to be set directly on a slab, they are still set on piers.

And yes, mobile home fires do tend to spread faster than a traditional home, due to the materials used, thinner walls, less insulation, lack of firestops in the walls, etc. One with drywall rather than panelling would be more resistent to fire spread.

A fire escape plan is a good idea, no matter what you live in.

[Roy Yong]

Manufactured homes are generally prefabricated and assembled in a factory environment and I believe are somewhat similar to mobile homes, although some people in the industry sometimes call them differently, for various reasons.
Safety in a manufactured or prefabricated home, in fact any home, should be of greatest priority. Hence apart from the design layout aspects, eg. good ingress and egress (exit), it is important to use non-combustible materials. For instance one can use concrete or cement based wall and ceilng panels which can provide 1 hour or more fire resistance. This will provide ample time for evacuation of the fire victims. Another safety measure is to have smoke detectors installed which provide an early warning system. Avoid using curtains and blinds which burn easily. Exposed decorative timber should be treated with an approved quality fire retardant. Materials and their usage in the homes must be carefully thought through and selected. Therefore it is wise to purchase such manufactured homes from well established, reputable companies in your area.

[Amy]

Hi Jennifer,

Regretfully I have alot of experiance in this subject. Last August I had a house fire. I had a 1997 Palm Harbor on a full basement, Drywall through out. The fire started in the front room and I was in the shower with my 12 mo. old playing on the floor in the bathroom. When I got out of the shower the smoke alarm was going of as I came out of the Bathroom into the Master Bedroom It was alittle smokey (the bedroom door was shut) I opened the bedroom door and my living room was in flames. I couldn't go out the bedroom windows because I had an infant and was 8 mo. pregnant so I had to crawl out. I crawled out of the bedroom to the garage but the baby in the car drove out of the garage to the neighbors and called the Firedept. They came put out the fire and the house was considered totaled but it was still able to move it off the basement with out demoing it so the structure was still sound. I can't tell you how long it burned but I know it was longer than 2 minutes. So I believe that MH are made better now a days and I bought a new one to replace the old one so I do believe they are safe. So have fun in your new MH!

[martha]

Amy I think I can safely speak for everyone when I say we are glad that you got out safe!