contractor puts in wrong furnace

[f.flujan]

Hi everyone, i have a big dilemma. i just recently (april of 2008) had a furnace put in by an hvac contractractor. when getting estimates i pretty much was told by everyone i needed a specific furnace for a mobile. everyone recomending coleman or evcon. when the contractor i hired came to put in my new furnace along with a/c he brought out a payne furnace. just by looking at it it did'nt look right. i asked and he said it would work for my application. the old unit was a downflow coleman. the unit he put in was a payne PG8JAA. the unit stuck out like a sore thumb. also i told him that i was on propane. assuming he knew what he was doing i thought he converted it. when i got this unit installed it was 100 degrees where im at so the heater was not being used. recently i used it and noticed a strong odor of propane around my mobile and property (1 1/2 acres. i then called and asked if he had converted it. of course not. he came the next day and converted. that night the heater kept turning off and later noticed black/brown soot coming out of the elbow vent. having lost faith i called other hvac contractors to seek help and info. they all said the unit he put in was illegal and was dangerous for my application. when my hvac guy showed up i told him of the info i got and he said that per the manufacturer it was ok. i asked if he could call to make sure. he did and found out that the unit indeed was wrong for my application. he then assured me he would do the right thing and replace the furnace with the correct one.he told me at the latest it would be done by wednesday. its tuesday now and got a call from him saying its not his responsibility to pay for a furnace and that i have to pay for it and that he would do the work for free. first i cant afford this and second i think he should be responsible for it. now i dont want him to do any work on my house, i feel his incompetent and not trustworthy. sorry this was so long but what i want to know is what are the requirements for a furnace to be on a mobile in riverside,ca and should he be responsible for taking care of getting a new furnace installed by someone else. oh yeah he is licensed and bonded.

thanks so much

[rmurray]

Sounds to me you have a complaint for the agency who dispenses his license. Even your county building department probably handles contractor complaints in your area..What this guy did was/is dangerous. I would be very cautious using this improper equipment. All gas equipment has to be certified by the manufacturer to be compatible with a manufactured home..Might I guess this guy was the lowest bidder? Maybe now you know why..

[mannymanbo]

The Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards (AKA the HUD Code), at 24 CFR 3280.707 requires that all fuel burning appliances be listed as approved for installation in a Manufactured Homes.
If the furnace does not indicate approved for Manufactured Housing, it could be dangerous.