On a service call today to hook up a new electric water heater (they replaced their old one because it stopped working) I found #12 feeding it connected to a 60 amp breaker. The #12 had actually burned into at the connection. I replaced it with #10 on a 30. Amazing what some people will do to save a few bucks instead of calling an electrician to begin with! I advised they get smoke detectors...
Just had to share it.
I believe it was code compliant, years ago , to wire the water heaters with #12 but not use a 60 amp breaker.
4500 watts divided by 240 is 18.75 amps. Most water heaters don't take but 30 to 45 minutes to heat the tanks but the code does state we must consider it a continuous load-- I just don't know why. #12 will work just fine.
I was reading 422.11 E2....I assumed that would apply to a water heater if the max fuse size wasn't marked on the unit. Isn't #12 thhn good for 25 amps on the 75 degree column?
Is #12 limited to 20 amps on a water heater circuit?..I guess it is...
I was reading 422.11 E2....I assumed that would apply to a water heater if the max fuse size wasn't marked on the unit. Isn't #12 thhn good for 25 amps on the 75 degree column?
I assumed that water heater fell under that exception...guess I was wrong(not that I have ever used #12 fora 4500w water heater) even though theres probaly never going to be a problem with #12
The capacity of the tank does not determine the size of the feed. The wattage of the element does! E.G. 3000 watt # 12 .... 4500 watt # 10. (It's in the book) as prof. Irwin Corey would say !!! :laughing:
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Electrician Talk
2.3M posts
93.1K members
Since 2007
A forum community dedicated to professional electricians, contractors, and apprentices for residential and commercial work. Come join the discussion about trade knowledge, tools, certifications, wiring, builds, scales, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more!