Heating My Shop

[cabranch47]

Hello everyone,
I am a new member ( about 3 mos.). I am a novice welder/fabricator, carpenter, and general handyman. I have enjoyed going through the posts. Very interesting and great information. My shop, 30' X 30' X10', walls insulated, attic storage with lift, was pretty uncomfortable in the winter. I came across an old central air unit put out for the trash. The a/c coils were shot but the heat strips were good. I mounted it on a plywood box, installed filter, and made an angled plenum out of plywood, lined with foil faced foam insulation. Located on the side wall, the plenum focuses the air to the front, left, and right, no duct work needed. It works great, ceiling fans distribute the heat well. 30 deg. to 70 deg. in about 20 minutes. Makes working in the winter much more enjoyable plus it was free with the exception of the wiring. Doesn't help with cooling in our Louisiana summers, but I also have an attic fan vented to the outside and 60" ceiling fans. Just thought that I would pass this along as an inexpensive way to heat your garages.

 

[930dreamer]

Sounds good, just make sure you don't create any fire issues.

 

[ambenz]

Greetings from the flatlands of Illinois!
I love seeing how other jury rig equipment so it can be used again!
I would like to see some pics of the install and maybe it will turn on a lightbulb of an idea for others to follow your example or give them insite into other projects they are trying to figure out.

 

[cabranch47]

Thanks for the responses. No apparent fire issues, similar install as in a home but without the ductwork. Nothing fancy, but functional. Will try to post some photos.

 

[Lakeozark]

bump -

Any photos of your plywood plenum?

 

[DekeT]

Isn't a cold Louisiana winter day warmer than Michigan about 300 days of the year?

 

[dbandel]

I'm currently working on the same project. I called my usual HVAC contractor and told him what I was doing and he gave me an old unit for free - one less he had to cart off to the dump. He even had one of his men make a sheet metal replacement panel for one that was missing.
I went to Home depot and purchased 18' of 6/3 NM-B ($2.78/ft), a 50A breaker, fittings and some angle brackets, an $18 thermostat and thermostat wire. The AC coil has been removed, so all that is left is the heat strips, blower and controller board. I have an upstairs in my garage, so I need to rig up some ducting to evenly distribute the airflow and be able to adjust it (louvers?) a bit, but I expect the total project, with another run to HD/Lowes to be under $200.

-David