With winter rapidly approaching I needed to get my heater install going, which meant figuring out a plan to get the heater up to my 10' finished ceiling. I searched around and found descriptions of renting lifting devices, tractors/forklifts, some stacking contraptions, but didn't find an example of what I ended up doing.... maybe it's out there somewhere but thought someone might think it's the right solution for them.
I decided to rotate it into position by mounting it on top of what amounted to a tall 2x4 frame. I have a 10' ceilling, used 8' 2x4's, and the heater height was about 16-18" IIRC. The top was framed to be slightly smaller than the heater with some bracing to prevent unwanted side-to-side movement. Very important for anyone trying this is to install a board on the front such as to create a 'lip' for the front of the heater to rest against while it's rotated/lifted upwards.
Steps:
1) I had the heater on a furniture dolly and wheeled it over to the frame that I had propped up off the ground a bit
2) Position a ratchet strap such that it will hold the heater securely to the top surface of the frame
3) Place heater such that it is squarely on the frame and resting against the front lip and snug up the ratchet strap.
4) Recommend using another ratchet strap to prevent lateral movement (see 2nd pic)
5) LIFT the assembly upwards, pivoting around where the base is against the floor and plan where you're going to put your hands. Take care not to 'push' or you may slide it into your wall --- or rig up a solution that prevents the base from moving along the floor.
6) I chose to attach some legs immediately afterward to prevent the frame and heater from tipping forward while I moved it around to exactly where I wanted it (not pictured).
7) Once in position I chose to stack some other boards under the base to lift it up to within 1-2" of the ceiling (also not pictured) -- you could just use nuts on a threaded rod to accomplish this.
My 8' frame with 16" worth of heater easily cleared my 10' ceiling and left the heater about 6" away... things are pretty manageable at this point.
Pics below. Conduct at your own risk... don't want anyone dropping a heater on their face.
I decided to rotate it into position by mounting it on top of what amounted to a tall 2x4 frame. I have a 10' ceilling, used 8' 2x4's, and the heater height was about 16-18" IIRC. The top was framed to be slightly smaller than the heater with some bracing to prevent unwanted side-to-side movement. Very important for anyone trying this is to install a board on the front such as to create a 'lip' for the front of the heater to rest against while it's rotated/lifted upwards.
Steps:
1) I had the heater on a furniture dolly and wheeled it over to the frame that I had propped up off the ground a bit
2) Position a ratchet strap such that it will hold the heater securely to the top surface of the frame
3) Place heater such that it is squarely on the frame and resting against the front lip and snug up the ratchet strap.
4) Recommend using another ratchet strap to prevent lateral movement (see 2nd pic)
5) LIFT the assembly upwards, pivoting around where the base is against the floor and plan where you're going to put your hands. Take care not to 'push' or you may slide it into your wall --- or rig up a solution that prevents the base from moving along the floor.
6) I chose to attach some legs immediately afterward to prevent the frame and heater from tipping forward while I moved it around to exactly where I wanted it (not pictured).
7) Once in position I chose to stack some other boards under the base to lift it up to within 1-2" of the ceiling (also not pictured) -- you could just use nuts on a threaded rod to accomplish this.
My 8' frame with 16" worth of heater easily cleared my 10' ceiling and left the heater about 6" away... things are pretty manageable at this point.
Pics below. Conduct at your own risk... don't want anyone dropping a heater on their face.
