What Size Breaker For Electric Water Heater

What Size Breaker Do I Need for a Water Heater

Are you worried about busting your water heater or setting your firm on fire for non using the correct circuit breaker? I know the feeling. I asked myself what size billow do I need for a h2o heater, too.

Choosing the incorrect breaker tin have serious consequences. That is why I volition help you determine the right size of a excursion billow to use for your h2o heater.

How Does a Conventional Water Heater Work?

Before I guide y'all in determining the correct size of a excursion breaker to utilise in your h2o heater, let us get down to the basics start.

A typical electric water heater has two thermostats and two heating elements located in the upper and lower sections inside a tank. Once the tank is total of water, the upper thermostat activates its heating element to raise the water temperature in the upper department.

Estrus moves towards the bottom, activating the lower thermostat and kick-starting its heating element. Around this time, the upper thermostat switches off because information technology already achieved its purpose.

On the other hand, the lower thermostat continues controlling the lower heating chemical element until it achieves the water heater's desired temperature. Information technology then switches off.

The lower thermostat turns on and activates the lower heating chemical element for about one to 4 minutes every hour, round the clock. It does this to maintain the water's ideal temperature.

How Does Electricity Oestrus the Water?

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Based on our word in a higher place, your h2o heater needs electricity to operate the heating elements. Your residential electric arrangement'southward voltage pushes electrons as amperes through a conducting wire. All wires offering resistance, reducing electrical flow. It besides creates estrus.

When the electrons accomplish the water heater's heating element, the voltage pushes these electrons through a resistance wire inside the heating chemical element. Engineers designed these resistance wires to reach extremely high temperatures without melting.

Equally the resistance wire heats, it too heats the water in your tank.

What is a Excursion Billow and Why Do You lot Need It?

Think what we said about the voltage pushing the electrons through the wire, producing heat? If at that place is excessive rut on the wires, it tin melt the wire roofing and start a fire. There must exist a mechanism that volition finish the catamenia of electricity from the source to the water heater.

A excursion breaker 'trips' to break the electric period from the source to the heating elements when there is too much electricity passing through the circuit. In other words, information technology disconnects the water heater from the power source, saving the appliance'due south integrity and your habitation.

What is the Right Circuit Breaker Size?

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Manufacturers rate excursion breakers according to the maximum electric current (in amperes) they can accommodate without tripping or breaking the circuit.

The National Electrical Lawmaking (NEC) requires electricians to detect the 80% rule when sizing an overcurrent protective device, such as a circuit breaker. The code states that a circuit breaker should non handle more than than eighty% of its electrical rating.

The fourscore% rule offsets the corporeality of heat generated in the electrical excursion on a continuous load of at least three hours.

An appliance running continuously 24/seven should have a circuit breaker with 125% of its power rating. If the device does non require a continuous electric load, a circuit breaker with 100% of its rated chapters can accommodate said device.

Given that water heaters operate continuously, it would be safe to size your circuit breaker at its 125% rating.

What Size of Wiring Do I Demand for My H2o Heater?

In general, the smaller the diameter of the electric wire, the faster it tends to rut. That is why it is best to go a wire with a large gauge.

The NEC recommends using a Gauge x non-metallic or metal-clad electric cable with two conductors (10/2) for 4500-watt water heaters. If your water heater has 3800-watt heating elements, you can use a 12/2 wire (Gauge-12 and two conductors).

It is also important to remember that your water heater requires a defended voltage and breaker arrangement. Most of the appliances we have at home run on 110-120 volts. Water heaters crave 240 volts to push the electrons through the cables.

Considering your water heater runs on 240 volts, it too requires a double-pole circuit breaker. This CB type has two live wires. If a problem occurs in one of the wires, it also trips the other to cut off electricity to the water heater.

How to Determine the Correct Breaker Size for Your Water Heater

Let united states now talk about how you can make up one's mind the correct circuit billow size for your water heater. Here are three quick steps.

one. Cheque your water heater's wattage and voltage ratings. You lot can look for the data on a label sticker near the water heater's ability cord base or the thermostat control console.

If you cannot see this data, yous may want to bank check the transmission or perform a model search online.

Most water heaters have a 4500-watt element running on a 240-volt arrangement. Commercial-grade units can accept more than 5500 watts, while others tin simply have 3000 watts or less.

2. Determine the maximum electrical current (amperes) your water heater needs by dividing its wattage rating past its voltage.

Permit us say you lot take a four,500-watt water heater on 240 volts. Using our formula, you will get 18.75 amperes (four,500 ÷ 240).

iii. Adjust the computed value by 125% because a water heater runs on a continuous load.

Equally such, we will multiply 18.75 amperes past ane.25, getting 23.4375 amperes. In other words, the size of circuit billow you lot will need for a 4500-watt, 240-volt water heater is 25 or 30 amperes.

You may think that a 20-amp circuit billow is plenty for a 240-volt, 4500-watt water heater because it only draws 18.75 amperes. Unfortunately, 18.75 amperes already accounts for 93.75% of the circuit breaker's ampacity. Recollect NEC'southward fourscore% rule?

While a twenty-amp circuit billow may work, it does not guarantee your system will not trip or cause power failures. There is no way to assess how much rut the electric wires are generating inside the cables.

Hence, getting a 30-amp circuit breaker makes perfect sense because it gives the system enough allowance to mitigate any potential problem.

What Size of Circuit Billow Should You Employ for a 5500-watt Water Heater?

A 5500-watt, 240-volt water heater requires 22.nine amperes to work. Multiplying it by 1.25, you volition get a final ampere rating of 28.645. Hence, a xxx-amp circuit billow should be sufficient for this setup.

What Size of Excursion Breaker is Ideal for a 50-gallon Water Heater?

Most 50-gallon water heaters have 4500-watt heating elements. As such, 4500 watts divided by 240 volts equals eighteen.75 amperes. Multiplying 18.75 amperes by i.25 results in 23.4375 amperes. A 25-amp or 30-amp circuit breaker is ideal.

Conclusion

If you lot find yourself request what size breaker do I demand for a h2o heater, always remember the following steps.

Determine your water heater's voltage and wattage ratings.
Split up the wattage by the voltage to get the h2o heater's amperage rating.
Multiply the water heater's amperage rating past 1.25 to become the correct excursion breaker size.

How unproblematic is that? Yous can employ this quick formula to determine the excursion breaker size of nearly whatsoever electric appliance in your business firm.