Sometimes when the simplest way to do something isn’t an option, we have to get creative on the job. That was the case of a heater installation we did at Newport Power Yoga in Newport, RI. We didn’t want to disturb the beautiful studio space so we had to come up with a way to install the ceiling mount heater without opening any walls or making any holes. A tricky task for any electrician!
The studio already had a heater installed but it had to be turned on and off directly from the circuit breaker—not really the ideal way to operate the heater. For the studio’s new heater, we decided it would be much better to install a switch inside the studio that would allow the instructor to control the heat without having to open the circuit box. Since the type of heater our customer selected didn’t allow us to run a switch, we had to install a converter that would step down the power to 140 volts. If we hadn’t done this, we would have had to install a disconnect—a big, ugly metal box—that would take away from some of the serenity of the yoga studio! The converter made it possible to install a switch and retain the look of the studio.
The customer was especially happy that we were able to achieve a simple and elegant design without disturbing the studio’s finished walls. In order to avoid making and cuts or serious modifications we ran conduit along the floor of the studio between the heater and electrical box and ran the wires through the conduit (an important safety measure). Now the heat is cranking over there at Newport Power Yoga, and we like to think we’ve helped contribute to the peaceful aura of the studio!