Mount electric furnace upside down?

cdig · 11-25-09, 12:14 PM

I've finally gotten my garage insulated and purchased an old electric furnace to heat it with. I'd like to mount it in the corner up near the roof because a) floor space is at a premium, and b) I'm cheap and want it as close to my fuse panel as possible to save on wiring expense.

The problem is that this unit is a top feed, so the hot air comes out the top. I'm wondering if anyone knows if I can mount it upside down? One forum post I read somewhere said that it would eventually melt the wiring in it... which seems plausible so I'll check that. Any other 'gotchas' I might need to look into before trying this?

Ryland · 11-25-09, 03:41 PM

The hot air comes out of the top because heat goes up, if you want it to come out of the bottom you are going to need a stronger fan and are going to need to seal the whole unit better so you can push that hot air down, you are also going to need to make sure that the thermostat is placed in such a way as it stays on long enough to get the heat out of the unit, it's also going to now be placed in such a way as it will not get hot in the first place... risk of starting your garage on fire greatly increase if you do any of this wrong.

NiHaoMike · 11-25-09, 08:01 PM

Use a window A/C installed backwards as a heat pump.

dremd · 11-28-09, 02:05 PM

How about a few feet of duct?

11-25-09, 12:14 PM	#1
cdig Helper EcoRenovator Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 61 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Mount electric furnace upside down? I've finally gotten my garage insulated and purchased an old electric furnace to heat it with. I'd like to mount it in the corner up near the roof because a) floor space is at a premium, and b) I'm cheap and want it as close to my fuse panel as possible to save on wiring expense. The problem is that this unit is a top feed, so the hot air comes out the top. I'm wondering if anyone knows if I can mount it upside down? One forum post I read somewhere said that it would eventually melt the wiring in it... which seems plausible so I'll check that. Any other 'gotchas' I might need to look into before trying this?

11-25-09, 08:01 PM	#3
NiHaoMike Supreme EcoRenovator Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 1,154 Thanks: 14 Thanked 257 Times in 241 Posts	Use a window A/C installed backwards as a heat pump. __________________ To my surprise, shortly after Naomi Wu gave me a bit of fame for making good use of solar power, Allie Moore got really jealous of her...

11-25-09, 03:41 PM	#2
Ryland Master EcoRenovator Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Western Wisconsin. Posts: 913 Thanks: 127 Thanked 82 Times in 71 Posts	The hot air comes out of the top because heat goes up, if you want it to come out of the bottom you are going to need a stronger fan and are going to need to seal the whole unit better so you can push that hot air down, you are also going to need to make sure that the thermostat is placed in such a way as it stays on long enough to get the heat out of the unit, it's also going to now be placed in such a way as it will not get hot in the first place... risk of starting your garage on fire greatly increase if you do any of this wrong.

11-28-09, 02:05 PM	#4
dremd Need More Eco Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Scott, La Posts: 172 Thanks: 2 Thanked 6 Times in 6 Posts	How about a few feet of duct?