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Divide your wattage by your voltage to get your amperage.
4500/240=18.75 Amps
12ga. wire "can" handle 20amps, however, You should only load a wire to 75% it's max. You are beyond 15amps, so 10ga. would be a good idea, and may be required by your local building codes. Remember, in a brownout (voltage drop) the amp draw will go up. You want to keep below 75% load to allow for this.
On 12ga. wire you would be at 93.75% of it's 20amp rating. (Dangerous)
On 10ga. wire you would be at 62.5% of it's 30amp rating. (Safe)
On 8ga. wire you would be at 46.875% of it's 40amp rating. (Overkill)
If you use 8ga., make sure the conductors will actually fit into the terminals on your breaker.
If you house doesn't have true 120v/240v power, the amperage will be higher. For example, if you power is actuall comming in at 110v/220v, the ater heater will draw 20.45amps. This would exceed the rating of the 12ga. wire, and raise the load on the 10ga. and 8ga. to 68.16% and 51.12% respectively.
Regardless of the wire size you choose, use a 20amp breaker (25amp if you voltage is less than 240). If the water heater draws more than 20amps, you could have a problem. The wire is not the only thing that can burn your house down.
Correction to above. If voltage decreases in a resistive circuit, wattage will go down, as will current draw. Resistance stays the same.
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
Wiki User
∙ 11y agoa # 12 wire is inadequate
a typical 60gal electric water heater takes 20 amps
this is a permanently connected permanently installed load
this is too much for #12 wire it will never see less than 20A
you must use the next larger size wire #10
20A fuse will blow in 20 minutes with 20A load it must be next larger size
30A fuse will protect #10 wire
25A fuse will carry 20A for indefinite period
if you have several people who like to shower with warm water you will see 20A for 5 hour periods
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New homes will be wired for a 40 gallon tank. This will be a # 12 wire rated at 20 amps on a two pole 20 amp breaker. A 4500 watt tank will draw 4500/240 = 18.75 amps.
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoI would run 10 AWG wire and use a 30 A 240 Volt Breaker.
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What size breaker is needed for a 220 v hot water heater?
The wattage of the water tank is needed to size the breaker and the wire to feed the tank.
What size breaker for 120 volt 2500 watt water heater?
20 amp is perfect, 15 is fine
What size wire should be used to connect a water heater from the panel?
The wire size is dependent upon the wattage size of your water heater. The higher the wattage the larger the wire size. A standard 3000 watt heater will use a two pole 20 amp breaker connected to 2C #12 wire.
Can I you use existing 8 3 wire hooked to a 30amp breaker was hooked to old electric heater to wire a heater that requires 10 2 wire its a 5000watt 240volt heater?
Yes the wire size is larger for that size breaker but will not effect the 30 amp breaker protection of that circuit.
What size of breaker to use on a wall unit 220 heater?
To answer this question the wattage of the heater is needed.
What size breaker is needed for a 220 v hot water heater?
The wattage of the water tank is needed to size the breaker and the wire to feed the tank.
How is a hot water heater wired from the power source to the heater?
10/3 wire with 30 amp double pole breaker from panel box to water heater.
What size amp circuit breaker should be used for a hot water tank?
Assuming you are referring to a 240 volt residential hot water heater you will need to install 10/2 NM cable (Romex) with ground from the service panel to the water heater wired to a 30 amp circuit breaker in the service panel. If you cannot see the water heater from the service panel you will need to install a service disconnect at the water heater.
What size breaker for 120 volt 2500 watt water heater?
20 amp is perfect, 15 is fine
What size breaker do you need for a 40 gallon electric water heater?
Usually 30 amp
What size wire should be used to connect a water heater from the panel?
The wire size is dependent upon the wattage size of your water heater. The higher the wattage the larger the wire size. A standard 3000 watt heater will use a two pole 20 amp breaker connected to 2C #12 wire.
Can I you use existing 8 3 wire hooked to a 30amp breaker was hooked to old electric heater to wire a heater that requires 10 2 wire its a 5000watt 240volt heater?
Yes the wire size is larger for that size breaker but will not effect the 30 amp breaker protection of that circuit.
What size breaker for 8kw 277volt heater?
32amp 30ma rcbo
What size of breaker to use on a wall unit 220 heater?
To answer this question the wattage of the heater is needed.
What size breaker for a 1500 watt 120 volt heater?
15 amp
What size wire and breaker do you need for a 5000 watt garage heater?
Look on the heater and see what amps it is pulling. That will determine the wire size and breaker size. It must be on a dedicated circuit. 15 amps = AWG # 14 wire with 15 amp breaker 20 amps = AWG # 12 wire with 20 amp breaker 30 amps = AWG # 10 wire with 30 amp breaker 40 amps = AWG # 8 wire with 40 amp breaker
Will a 5500 watt generator run a electric water heater?
The average size water tank is 4500 watts. The generator's supply will be large enough to operate the water tank. Larger tanks over 5000 watts will not heat correctly.
