Dad's New Portable Fan

My friend Kevin was up here a few weeks ago and brought me another old gas furnace shell and all the parts to make another nice portable blower for dad's new barn. We didn't get time to make it that day, then dad's old fan that sat in the back of the shop at his place went South. When I took the big bush hog back over there a few days ago he was in there checking the air pressure in the mower and I smelled something electrical. A few minutes later the motor on his big squirrel cage fan he had used for many years started pouring out smoke out of the motor and that was that lol.

I told dad thanks to Kevin I had everything needed to make his new fancy one and spent yesterday doing that one for him. The only change is that he's gonna pick up a 16 x 16 air filter grille and put it right over the bottom cover that usually goes on the bottom front that happens to be that same size. I wanted his to look real nice since it was going to go in his fancy new barn. The only thing a little out of place is the clearance candy cane or Dr. Seuss extension cord he brought up when I asked him if he had any old 3 prong extension cords I could use for the power. He got it on the Christmas clearance shelf for like 50 cents, now I know where I get it from lol.

Anyway... I thought I would put the building of it yesterday on here I case someone else wanted to build one. They produce a ton of air that you can direct in 2 directions, and a lot of HVAC places will give you old gas or LP furnaces for free. Just make sure you get an up-flow design furnace. All you need is a Harbor Freight dolly to set it on, a 3 or 4 way rotary switch, 2 8" take offs and elbows, some duct metal, and a filter rack if you want a filter in it. You should be able to buy all of that from the HVAC place that you get the old furnace from.

Kevin already had taken the heat exchanger and control boards out of this one so I just had to make some panels and put it together. The filter was originally on the bottom so I made a panel to put in there, you will have to make a panel to block off where the heat exchanger was, and a panel on the top for the 8" ducts. The pics should be self explanatory but if anyone has a question you can ask it in here.

I took one side of the unit off so the panels would sit inside the unit, seal up good and look nice. These pics are the bottom panel where the air filter rack was originally.

These are pics of the panel to close up where the heat exchanger was, and the fan wiring to the switch.

This is the top panel, take off, and duct installation.

This is after it's all cleaned up and done minus the 16 x 16 filter rack that we have to get that will fit right where the bottom access door was. At least he has something to move some air again now.

you have an amazing set of skills

Thanks Bill, I thank the Lord every day for the ideas He gives me and the talents, abilities, and equipment He gave me to do them with.

back at ya -- everyone should feel that way - count the blessings