What size wire is needed for electric water heater?

What size wire is needed for electric water heater?

Common Current and Wire Gauge Sizes Wire a hot water heater with wire that’s sized to accommodate the heater’s current requirement. For example, a 20-amp hot water heater needs 12-gauge wire, a 25-amp hot water heater requires 10-gauge wire, and a 30- to 40-amp hot water heater requires 8-gauge wire.

What size wire do I need for a 4500 watt hot water heater?

The correct 4500-watt water heater wire size is a 10/2 wire or a 10-gauge non-metallic wire.

What size breaker do I need for a 50 gallon electric water heater?

An electrical water heater typically uses a 30-amp breaker, so something like the Q230 30-Amp Double Pole Type QP Circuit Breaker will do the work well.

Can I use 12 3 wire for hot water heater?

Most water heaters run on 240V, 3KW would require 12.5A. 120V (if such exists) would require 25A. 18.75 is neither. Most electric water heaters sold by Home Depot draw 4500W, this would require 18.75A which is a little marginal for a 12 gauge circuit.

Can I use 10-2 for a hot 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). I suggest you use a 10-2 Non-Metallic Cable (NMC) for a 30-amp 240Volt circuit. This type of wire consists of two conductors with a ground— a total of three wires.

Can I use 8 gauge wire on a 30 amp circuit?

For 30 amp service 100 feet away you would need a wire that can handle at least 45 amps. Luckily, the #8 AWG wire has a 50A ampacity. You can use the #8 AWG wire for sub panel 50 feet, 100 feet, and even 150 feet away.

Can I use Romex for water heater?

Electric hot water heaters typically require a dedicated 30-amp, 240-volt breaker. The wire supplying power from the breaker panel to your water heater will usually be a 10/2 Romex cable (Blk wire- hot, Marked White wire – hot, Bare copper wire – ground).

Can I use a 20 amp breaker for hot water tank?

But going by the NEC 125% rule, a 20 amp is a risk of frequent tripping and could damage the water heater. A 25 amp breaker is sufficient; however, most electricians will install a 30 amp circuit to provide room for electrical fluctuations as outlined above.

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).

Can you use 10 3 wire for water heater?

If you use 10/3 the black and red are the hots, the white or bare is the ground. Simply snip off the excess wire–or pull it all the way out of the cable–or wrap it in a jar of jelly–anything you want to do with it, so long as you have the three wires.

What’s the difference between 10-2 wire and 10 3 wire?

10/2 uses two 10 AWG wires. They have a combined ampacity of 70 amps. The wire contains one 10 gauge hot wire (black insulation), one 10 gauge neutral wire (white insulation), and an additional ground wire (for safety reasons). 10/3 use three 10 AWG wires.