Hey All,

I've currently got an old 3000 watt in-wall electric heater in my 2-car garage workshop. I believe it to be original to the house, which was build early 70's, namely because the dedicated 220v circuit in the panel shares the same moon-man chicken scratch as the rest of the original wiring. I may be wrong, but i digress.

Needless to say, the power situation in the garage is abysmal, and i'm contemplating pulling the heater unit in lieu of adding a 220 outlet. It's a simple 3-wire (2 hot + copper grnd) cable entering the garage directly to the right of my tablesaw. The motor on my Delta saw can be converted over to 220, thus freeing up the *only* other duplex outlet on the wall.

I've only been through one winter in the house, and admittedly as we had just moved in i was not set up to work on projects all that much in the garage. It is a bi-level house, though, and the garage is directly below living space, with conditioned spaces on two sides, and an insulated garage door. I recall firing up the heater once, but the age, and smell of burning off years and years of dust make me hesitant to use it extensively. Central PA can be brutal in the winter, but i'm not convinced the vintage electric heater buried in the wall is the best solution.

Any opinions on making the switch? Am i wrongly assuming that removing the heater box from the wall, adding a new box, and wiring up the appropriate outlet is all that is required? Seems as though i have a dedicated circuit, a good location, and plenty of access to do so.

Lastly, does anyone have any thoughts on potentially feeding a 4th (neutral) wire from the panel, and creating a multi-wire branch circuit where I could pull off one leg for an additional 120 outlet? I know of this only from one or two blogs, and would most likely speak with an electrician before going that route. Just curious if anyone has done it.

Thanks all!

Happy woodworking!

alex