New Hampshire mobile home installation requirements conform to federal standards.
To reduce the likelihood of mobile homes being dislodged during severe weather, mobile home installers use tie down anchoring systems during installation. In New Hampshire, the installation is governed by the Manufactured Housing Installation Standards Board (MHISB), an agency the Division of Fire Safety of the New Hampshire Department of Safety, in accordance with federal law: Title 24 CFR § 3282 (Manufactured Home Procedural and Enforcement Regulations).
Definition
Tie down anchoring systems for mobile homes are defined under New Hampshire law in Chapter 600 (Manufactured Housing Installation Standards) of the Rules of the Manufactured Housing Installation Standards Board.
Tie down anchoring systems include cables, chains, footing, ground anchors, piers, straps, tension devices, ties, turnbuckles, and any other materials and methods of construction used to stabilize a mobile home in New Hampshire, which is in federally-designated Wind Zone I, the least dangerous category.
Tie down anchoring systems comply with federal manufactured home construction and safety standards: Title 24 CFR § 3280.306 (Windstorm protection).
Installation
Inst 603.12 (Anchoring Instructions, Security Against Wind) ensures that all tie down anchoring system equipment is certified by a New Hampshire registered engineer and that the installer has a MHISB-issued permit. The tie down straps used will have a breaking strength of at least 4,725 pounds, and be made of either galvanized aircraft cable with a minimum diameter of one-fourth inch or Type 1, finish B, grade 1 steel strapping that is one and one-fourth inches wide and three-hundredths of an inch thick, in conformance with the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) International standard D3953-91.
Installers will block and level the mobile home first and will ensure that the number and spacing of the tie down anchors conform to the manufacturer's installation instructions and are in accordance with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standard 225. The installer will only utilize the diagonal tie down method.
Applicability
MHISB rules apply to only manufactured housing that is: transportable in a mode that is at least 8 feet wide and at least 40 feet long; at 320 square feet once erected, whether or not the foundation is permanent; and connected to plumbing, heating, and electrical systems.
Tags: down anchoring, anchoring systems, down anchoring systems, mobile home, Housing Installation