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Electric water heaters require a 240-volt dedicated circuit, which serves only the water heater and no other appliances or devices. The circuit wiring typically includes a 30-amp double-pole breaker and 10-2 non-metallic (NM) or MC cable.
What size breaker do I need for a 50 gallon hot water heater?
The standard for water heater circuits is #10, two conductors with ground (10/2) and a 30 amp circuit breaker for a water heater. If you are running cable anyway, just run #10 and replace the breaker so it’s done right, once and for all.
What size breaker do I need for a 40-gallon hot water heater?
With our answer, a 40-gallon water heater needs at least a 25-amp breaker, the closest to the amperage value. However, I highly recommend using 30-amps for a safer breaker size.
What size breaker do I need for a 4500 watt hot water heater?
The right circuit breaker for this appliance with 4500 watts at 240 volts is either 25 amps or 30 amps. If the water heater isn’t rated as “continuous load”, then it would have been fine to use 100% of the circuit breaker’s rating.
What size breaker do I need for a 30 gallon water heater?
The branch circuit needs to be calculated at 125% of the rated ampacity for this type of water heater to be considered a continuous load. In order to work on a 20 Amp OCPD, you will need a 25 or 30 Amp circuit.
Can I use a 40 amp breaker for water heater?
You cannot put a 40A breaker on #10 wire. If you are sure there is (at least) #8 wire all the way from the breaker to the water heater, you can just replace the 30A breaker with a 40A breaker, but if and only if you have verified the size of the wire throughout the entire circuit.
What size breaker do I need for a 20 gallon electric water heater?
Electric water heaters require a dedicated 240-volt dedicated 30-amp circuit and a 10-2 non-metallic (NM) or MC cable. This means the breaker only powers the water heater and no other appliances. A 30-amp circuit breaker can power all 4500watt water heaters regardless of gallon size.
How many amps is a double pole 30 amp breaker?
A 30 amp double pole or two pole breaker gives you a total of 30 amps on each legbefore it is supposed to trip. In the cases where a double pole breaker feeds a single load, such as for stove, clothes dryer, water heater etc. the majority of the load will be provided across the two halves of the split phase service.
What size breaker do I need for a 240-volt water heater?
Electric water heaters require a 240-volt dedicated circuit, which serves only the water heater and no other appliances or devices. The circuit wiring typically includes a 30-amp double-pole breaker and 10-2 non-metallic (NM) or MC cable.
Does Square D make a 25 amp breaker?
Square D QO 25-Amp 1-Pole Standard Trip Circuit Breaker.
How many watts can a 30 amp breaker handle?
30-amp 240-volt circuit: 30 amps x 240 volts = 7,200 watts.
How many amps is 5500 watts at 240 volts?
So in this case the 5500 watts would be divided by 240 volts, which would equal 22.9 amps.
What size breaker do I need for a 3500 watt water heater?
You have to have a 30 Amp 2-pole breaker and a 10 AWG wire.
Can I use 10 3 wire for a hot water heater?
Can I Use 10 3 Wire For A Hot Water Heater? You can use 10/3 wire. Use the red and black wires as hot conductors. The ground wire will run to the green screw.
What size wire would you run for a 30 amp breaker connected to a electric water heater?
Electrical wires Since the generic breaker size for water heaters is 30-amps, the best wire size is a #10 American Wiring Gauge (AWG).
What size wire do I need for a 40-gallon electric water heater?
An average 40-gallon electric water heater requires 12 gauges of wire. You cannot use a 6 gauge or 10 gauge wire in that case. The current will overflow and the wire will start melting.
Can I use a 50 amp breaker for a 30 amp water heater?
30 amps is where a 30 amp breaker should cut off, and to avoid that, you should only use 80% of the breaker’s capacity. So for a 30 amp breaker, you shouldn’t be using more than 24 amps. Using a 50 amp breaker and a dedicated outlet ensures that you don’t exceed the capacity of the circuit with that appliance.
Can I use a 40 amp breaker for a 50 gallon water heater?
Yes, if AND ONLY IF the wires from the breakers to the water heaters are sufficient to carry 40 amps (e.g. 8-gauge 90C THHN copper). The largest residential heating elements for a tanked water heater are 7000 watts.
What happens if you oversize a breaker?
If there is a direct short in an appliance a breaker will kick off even if oversized, but if there is simply a crossed or burned wire it may not turn off. This would cause a possible shock hazard. It is best to size the breaker slightly above the total current draw of the appliance.
Can I use 12 gauge wire on a 30 amp breaker?
You should not use a 30-amp circuit breaker on a 12-gauge wire. The circuit breaker installed on a circuit is of a specific size to protect a certain wire gauge. This higher current can damage the thinner wire, melt the insulation, cause short circuits, fire, and even lethal shock.
What size breaker do I need for an electric heater?
Multiply the value for current by 125 percent to determine the size of the breaker you need for the heater. A 1500-watt heater on a 120-volt circuit thus needs a breaker of 15.6 amps. Because a 15-amp breaker would be too small, you need a breaker with the next highest rating, which is 20 amps.
How much does a 30 amp breaker cost?
The average cost to install a new circuit breaker is $187. The cost is as low as $130 for 15 amp to 30 amp breakers and as high as $280 for breakers up to 200 amps or when the circuit breaker is an older one with limited availability.
