A shut-off valve at the cold water inlet to a water heater is not required by HUD and many mobile/manufactured homes are delivered without one. If your water heater doesn’t have a shut-off valve, retrofitting one when you replace it is a good idea. The valve makes the job of flushing the normal sediment accumulation from the bottom of your water heater easier.

    But HUD does require that water heaters be approved by them for installation in mobile homes, and they are configured differently than a typical residential water heater. See our blog post What is the difference between a manufactured/mobile home water heater and a regular water heater? to learn more.

    Draining the water heater sediment every two years is recommended and will extend the tank’s lifespan. But, if you wait too long to do it, your water heater will remind you by making rumbling/gurgling sounds sporadically when heating. 

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Want to learn more about inspecting
manufactured/mobile homes? 
Get our  Handbook for 
Manufactured Home Inspectors 
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    Also, go to our HUD-CODE FOR MOBILE HOMES page for a listing of our other HUD-code articles.

Here’s links to a collection of our blog posts about SHUT-OFF VALVES: 

• How do I find the main water shut off valve for my house?

• How do I shut off the main water service in a mobile/manufactured home?

• Where do I find the main water shut-off valve for my condominium?

• Is a hot water faucet required at a washing machine?

• Does a refrigerator water supply line require a shutoff valve behind it?

• Is it alright to have a shut-off valve on both the hot and cold water pipes at a water heater?

• Is a shut off valve in-line on a supply line to a plumbing fixture acceptable? 

• What is the average life expectancy of plumbing fixture water shut-off valves? 

• Is it alright to have a shut-off valve on both the hot and cold water pipes at a water heater? 

• Is a sink or toilet shut-off valve behind an access panel approved by code?

   Visit our WATER HEATERS and  and MOBILE/MANUFACTURED HOMES  page for other related blog posts on this subject, or go to the INDEX for a complete listing of all our articles.