# Homemade modine-style hanging heater?



## MNBobcat (Dec 26, 2009)

I'm putting a hanging heater in my garage.  I have an outdoor wood boiler.

The local dealer wants $475 for what amounts to a water hx (radiator) with a shroud and a fan mounted behind the radiator.  I was wondering if anyone on here has made their own heater?  I searched but couldn't find anything.


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## Paso (Dec 26, 2009)

I used a Bus radiator with a fan behind it in my shop. 

It transfers a lot of heat out. I also have a Modine type and there is not any comparison. In my opinion in the shop environment where pretty doesn't overule function they should be considered.


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## woodak (Dec 26, 2009)

i've also made a couple of these that work great. one uses an old surplus large fan and the other i just have a cheapo 3 speed box fan behind. neither of mine are hanging though.


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## Gooserider (Dec 26, 2009)

Works quite well, only concern is the that the pressure on the system doesn't crowd the rad pressure capacity to much, but that is not a big issue with an open system like an OWB...  (This is one reason to possibly prefer a bus or truck rad, they supposedly have higher pressure ratings...

Also watch the materials - You probably want to stick with a copper / brass rad, as opposed to an aluminum one, in order to avoid the potential for corrosion.

Gooserider


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## in hot water (Dec 26, 2009)

check with local HVAC shops for a recycle-able squirrel cage blower, from a furnace..  Then hit e-bay for a slab coil and put them together.

Or an old furnace with a bad HX then put a slab coil on the box.

I prefer a squirrel cage to propeller type fans for the noise factor in the shop.

Old bus heaters work well also, the ones you see under the seats.  Check the junk yards for them.

hr


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## tom in maine (Dec 26, 2009)

Smart Cat!


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## taxidermist (Dec 26, 2009)

Check out buds pics here https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/46725/P15/


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## 91220da (Dec 27, 2009)

Sorry no pictures but I met an ol Timer who took an 8' section of slant fin baseboard and cut it into 2' lengths and soldered them together with copper elbows made into u shapes that allowed him to stack them on top of each other forming a 2' by about 2' square grid with a box fan behind it.  The unit worked great and could easily be expanded if more heating area was needed. So cheap and simple it was brilliant.  I would try to come up with a fan control run off of an aquastat?


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## rowerwet (Dec 27, 2009)

put a box around a thermocube onto the water supply line, simple inline temp control for the fan for $20 , look it up on amazon.com.


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## MNBobcat (Dec 28, 2009)

taxidermist said:
			
		

> Check out buds pics here https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/46725/P15/




He is using the squirrel cage type of blower which I have read is supposed to be a lot quieter than a normal fan.  Central Boiler makes a heater like this and I found one dealer in Wisconsin who also sells a similar design.  I'm wavering between spending the money and buying one or making my own.  It wouldn't be hard to make but I think having a quiet fan would be a big deal on a unit used in a garage attached to the house.  If I could find an old lower from a furnace I"d be half way there.


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## MNBobcat (Dec 28, 2009)

Paso said:
			
		

> I used a Bus radiator with a fan behind it in my shop.
> 
> It transfers a lot of heat out. I also have a Modine type and there is not any comparison. In my opinion in the shop environment where pretty doesn't overule function they should be considered.



Very clever idea.  Thanks for sharing the photos.  My son in-law said that he has a large truck radiator that I could have.  I'm thinking about it.  Still haven't decided yet.  Sounds like your system really heats well!  You have some cold temperatures there!


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## Bricks (Dec 28, 2009)

To control fan I used a bimetal thermostat that clicks on at 140 " cost about 65 cents bought ten off of E-Bay delivered $6.50. 

  I purchased my hanging heater for my garage the fan on mine is really quite most of the time I don`t realize it is on. It is just a small 3 blade fan about the same noise as a box fan.


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## MNBobcat (Dec 30, 2009)

Yesterday I went to a locat HVAC place and they had about a dozen dead furnaces laying in a snow bank behind their shop.  They said I could pull a fan out of one for free.  I walked behind their shop and lo and behold there was a fan with the attached capacitor laying right there!  I took it home and will test it this morning.  I ended up buying a 140K btu HX from the local central boiler dealer.  It cost me $300 but I opted to buy it because it will be the faster and easier road to completing my heater versus converting a radiator.  If my shop was done and heated I might have gone the radiator route and saved some money.

I'll post some photos of the build on this thread so others can see what I'm doing in case anyone else wants to go the same route down the road.


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