4500 Watt Hot Water Heater Breaker Size - (2024)

FAQs

4500 Watt Hot Water Heater Breaker Size -? ›

All in all, most standard 4500 watt water heaters will require a 30A breaker. For smaller hot water heaters, a 20A breaker might just be enough. For bigger heaters (100-gallon, for example), the go-to breaker size is double 30A.

All in all, most standard 4500 watt water heaters will require a 30A breaker. For smaller hot water heaters, a 20A breaker might just be enough. For bigger heaters (100-gallon, for example), the go-to breaker size is double 30A.

Simple equation; Watts=Volts x Amps, so Amps=Watts/Volts. 4500/120volts=37.5 amps.

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.

So, 5500 watts / 220 volts X 0.80 = 20 amps.

For a 4500 watt 240 volt water heater, you will need a 25 or 30 Amp circuit breaker. The majority of electricians will recommend installing a 30 Amp breaker to allow for electrical fluctuations.

A water heater with a 4500-watt rating that runs on 240-volts will have an amperage of 4500 / 240 = 18.75 amps.

A: Hi Gary and thank you for your question. A 240-Volt electrical connection is required for installation. The unit requires 25 amp breaker to work correctly / fully.

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.

Adding a 240-volt baseboard heater usually requires a new 20- or 30-amp double-pole circuit breaker and new circuit wiring to supply one or more heater units.

How many amps should a hot water heater pull? ›

The standard amperage of an electric water heater is 18.75 amps at 240 volts. The average electric heater comes with a wattage rating of 4500 watts, although this figure may differ from one model to another.

How do I size a breaker? Generally, you should size a breaker for 125% of the load (or 25% extra capacity) and no less. Oversized breakers can allow wires to heat above safety levels without stopping the current. On the other hand, undersized breakers may continuously trip under normal operation.

It is large enough for protection of most residential water heaters, but may be too large to provide adequate protection.

The main difference is the downsized elements. The 15 amp model uses 2,500-watt elements instead of the standard 4,500-watt elements in standard electric water heaters. The first-hour rating of the 15 amp model is 54 gallons per hour. On the other hand, the 30 amp model's first-hour rating is 67 gallons per hour.

No, most electric tank type water heaters are wired with 10 gauge wire which is limited to a 30 amp breaker. A 40 amp breaker uses 8 gauge wire.

It is essential to know how long each water heater takes to heat the water before buying one for your household. Generally, a 4500 Watt heater heats about 18 to 25 gallons every hour. 5500 Watt water heaters can heat about 25 to 35 gallons of water every hour.

A 3,500-watt element should register 16 ohms, a 4,500-watt element should register between 12 and 13 ohms, and a 5,500-watt element should register between 10 and 11 ohms.

Power rating is 4500 watts, 240 volts.

The minimum breaker for this heater is 25 amps @ 240V. Ideally use a 30 amps @ 240 which leaves plenty of unused capacity.

Essentially, you can see that most water heaters use 4500 watt heater and require 14 AWG copper gauge wire. This is a wire that can handle up to 20A and the heater only draws a maximum of 18.8A.

How long does it take a 40-gallon 4500 watt electric water heater to heat up? ›

An average 40-gallon heater will only take about 30 to 40 minutes to provide heat water, while you can expect hot water from a larger tank (80-gallons) in approximately 60 to 70 minutes.

The average residential container heater has a 40-gallon tank and usually requires a 30-amp breaker.

A 40-gallon (180-litre) tank with 3,000 watts of heating power will provide 173 litres of hot water. On average, it takes 50 to 70 litres of hot water for a bath and 40 to 60 litres for a shower.

So a 240-volt circuit running on a 20-amp, double-pole breaker, can have any combination of heaters up to 3,840 watts. For example, using just one thermostat, you can install: Two 1,500 watt heaters, or.

Single-pole breakers: Provide 120 volts, 15-20 amps and have one hot wire and one neutral wire. Double-pole breakers: Provide 240 volts, 20-60 amps and have two hot wires that share one neutral wire.

A 30-amp double-pole breaker is defined by the presence of two "hot" wires and a single neutral wire – i.e., it has two poles that take up roughly two slots in a circuit breaker box. 30-amp double-pole breakers can handle double voltage (240 volts)—whether as a single 240v circuit or two 120v circuits).

The simple answer to that is that they are almost the same cost to operate or are just within a few dollars. Most people think that 240V is cheaper because it uses half the amps that 120V uses. Amps isn't what consumers pay for, it's actually the wattage used by the electrical device.

If you find yourself experiencing this issue, it's likely that your water heater's heating element has burnt out, you've got an issue related to your thermostat, or there's a wiring problem somewhere in your system.

What advantages does a 240 volt heating unit have over a 120 volt heating unit? ›

At 240V the amperage is 50% of what it is at 120V. So, by using 240V you are able to take up less space in your electrical panel, and allow more room to make any future modifications which involve electricity. It also requires less wiring and you can fit more heaters on a 240V circuit than you can on a 120V circuit.

Assuming a 240 volt 3500 watt water heater #12 wire and a 20 amp breaker is all that is required.

As we know that the same water heater rated for 240V can be operated on 120V. Keep in mind that you can't operate a 120V water heater on 240V AC.

The average water heater runs at around 1125 watts, though some more powerful water heaters can use up to 4000 watts. Check out the specs on the back of your water heater to get the most accurate wattage number. You can also calculate kilowatts by multiplying amps and volts and dividing by 1000.

This rule states that an OCPD can be loaded to only 80% of its rating for continuous loads. We should remember that 80% is the inverse of 125% (0.80 = 1 divided by 1.25) and as such, the rules are indeed identical in their end requirement.

The math for the 80% rule is pretty simple. For example, if a circuit is rated for a maximum of 30 amps, it shouldn't carry more than 24 amps (80% of its capacity) to charge an EV. This rule also applies to other amperage levels such as safe charging at 40 amps on a 50 amp rated circuit.

(In the US), usually a 30- or 40-amp two-pole breaker, depending on the wattage of the water heater element (4500 or 5500 watts, among others).

Circuit Capacity

Using this simple relationship principle, you can calculate the available wattage of any given circuit size: 15-amp 120-volt circuit: 15 amps x 120 volts = 1,800 watts.

Most homes in the United States have outlet voltages around 120V. So on a 15 amp circuit, the maximum watts are 15A*120V = 1800 watts.

Product Details

The Richmond 15 Gal. Electric Point-of-Use Water Heater has a space saving design that's ideal for installations in tight spaces and can supply a quick source of hot water for a single application. The heater includes a 2,000-Watt element and a factory installed temperature and pressure relief valve.

What happens if you oversize a breaker? ›

Oversizing a circuit breaker can be a safety concern. 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.

Q-Line 40 Amp 1/2 in. Single Pole Circuit Breaker. Light to heavy duty demolition tools for use breaking concrete slabs and foundations, concrete removal for rebar, penetrations for pipes, electrical boxes and HVAC. Protect your home from electrical fires with an AFCI breaker.

The only difference between plugging it into a 30A port vs a 40A port is that the breaker could potentially trip earlier. It won't be harmful. There is no rule about breaker size and the controller.

All in all, most standard 4500 watt water heaters will require a 30A breaker. For smaller hot water heaters, a 20A breaker might just be enough. For bigger heaters (100-gallon, for example), the go-to breaker size is double 30A.

High wattage means more power is consumed. Because of this most of the time we are trying to build and use appliances that use less power and have lower wattages. Higher wattages however are good when you particularly need to turn electricity into heat. The higher the wattage the hotter the heater.

You're probably really getting closer to 220 volts than 240 volts from your utility. So, 5500 watts / 220 volts X 0.80 = 20 amps.

240 Volt heating circuits are more common because it reduces the Amp draw on your breaker/fuse panel, as the chart shows, you can place more heaters on a 20 Amp 240 Volt circuit (maximum of 3840 Watts) versus a 120 Volt circuit (maximum of 1920 Watts).

So a 240-volt circuit running on a 20-amp, double-pole breaker, can have any combination of heaters up to 3,840 watts. For example, using just one thermostat, you can install: Two 1,500 watt heaters, or. Three 1,000 watt heaters, or.

Can you put a 3500W element in a 4500W water heater to run a 20 amp breaker on a 12/2 wire? So yes, a 2 pole 20A circuit breaker will work. You need a wire with 2 #12 power conductors, and 1 #12 equipment ground conductor. Of course, it will not heat as fast with a lower Wattage element.

5 amps x 12 appliances = 18 amps

This means that the above load of 18 amps exceeds the limit of 16 amps on a 20-Amp breaker. For this reason, the generally accepted number of outlets that can be safely installed on a 20-Amp circuit breaker is 10 (i.e., 1.5 amps x 10 = 15 amps).

Can a 20 amp breaker handle 4000 watts? ›

20 amps x 220 volts is 4,400 watts. But as a general rule you should assume a circuit breaker should be limited to about 80% of the rated capacity. That would mean the 20 amp breaker should run no more than about 16 amps. 16 amps x 220 volts is 3,520 watts.

As a rule of thumb, it's safest to stick to a maximum load of 1,500 watts per outlet or circuit. The number of things you can plug into one outlet depends on the wattage of each device or appliance you want to plug in.

An important note to remember is that circuit breakers can only handle about 80% of their overall amperage. That means a 15-amp circuit breaker can handle around 12-amps and a 20-amp circuit breaker can handle about 16 amps.

What is a 20 amp outlet? A 20 amp outlet is designed for kitchen and laundry room appliances. This outlet requires a 12 or 10 AWG (American Wire Gauge) wire and a 20 amp circuit breaker to power large appliances, like refrigerators and washing machines.

Single-pole breakers: Provide 120 volts, 15-20 amps and have one hot wire and one neutral wire. Double-pole breakers: Provide 240 volts, 20-60 amps and have two hot wires that share one neutral wire.

Product Details. The Square D by Schneider Electric Homeline 20 Amp Two-Pole Circuit Breaker is used for overload and short-circuit protection of your electrical system. This breaker is compatible with Homeline load centers and CSED devices.

A 240-Volt electrical connection is required for installation. The unit requires 25 amp breaker to work correctly / fully.

20-amp 240-volt circuit: 20 amps x 240 volts = 4,800 watts.