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How to wire 240 volt water heater for 120 volt generator
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How to wire water heater for 120
Volts How to wire 240 volt water heater for 120 volt generator |
| Use only 600 volt wire. Lamp cord, extension cords are not rated 600 volt. Use copper wire only. Aluminum wire is fire risk and should be avoided or installed by professional. 30 amp breaker use 10 gauge / 120-240 volt 30 amp outlet can be installed on 30 amp breaker only/ use 10 gauge wire ... cannot be connected to 15-20-40 amp breaker.  Orange/ #10 gauge wire, with ground ... 30 amp capacity. Safe maximum: 30 x 80% = 24 amps. Buy: 10-2 gauge/ 30 amp 10-3/ 30 amp Southwire electric tools |
Yellow
12 gauge 20 amp 120 volt 20 amp outlet can be installed on 20 amp breaker, but not 15 amp breaker/ use 12 ga wire. ... cannot be connected to 30-40 amp breaker. 1  Yellow/ #12 gauge wire, with ground ... 20 amp capacity. Safe maximum 16 amps. Buy: 12-2 gauge/ 20 amp 12-3/ 20 amp NMB is house wiring UF is underground Rolls of stranded wire HOOK UP Wires |
White
14 gauge 15 amp 120 volt 15 amp outlet, AFCI, GFCI, timer, switch etc can be installed on 15 or 20 amp breaker. Never connect 15 gauge wire to 20-30-40 amp breaker.  White/ #14 gauge wire, with ground ... 15 amp capacity. Safe maximum 12 amps. Buy: 14-2 gauge/ 15 amp 14-3/ 15 amp NMB is house wiring UF is underground |
| 50-60
amp breaker use 6 gauge / 240 volt 50 outlet can be installed on 50 amp breaker only  Buy: 6-2 wire Southwire electric tools NMB is house wiring UF is underground |
40-50
amp breaker use 8 gauge / 240 volt 40 amp outlet can be installed on 40 or 50 amp breaker only  Buy: 8-2 wire Southwire electric tools NMB is house wiring UF is underground |
  Copper ground wire. Every device, load, metal enclosure etc must be grounded. Ground wire must be continuous throughout installation, never switched on-off, never used as a Neutral wire. Generally ... use same size as other wire in circuit Buy: 12 gauge copper ground wire Ground wire Green ground wire Ground pigtails Ground rods/ ground clamps at Amazon |
 Non metallic flexible cables must carry ground wire, but do not have hazard of short circuit causing injury from shock. Armored steel cable can be used as a grounded connection, and will protect wires from damage. Metal can be energized from an insulation failure. All conduit ...metal, plastic ... flexible and rigid ... must be attached to structure, and attached to enclosures, boxes. Movement, damage and deterioration are major cause of electrical failure. Buy: Non-metallic flexible conduit Power whip Armored cable Southwire armored cable cutter Pull boxes |
 Electrical tools must be insulated. Always best to disconnect power, but insulation failure, lack of proper grounding, grounded neutral, lack of GFCI, out-of-code wiring, generator operating without transfer switch, and other problems still pose a risk to anyone working on electric power ... even when breaker is off. Buy: Electrician tools kits KLEIN TOOLS Tools kits IRWIN tools KNIPEX Telephone cable knife Low Voltage Mounting Bracket for Telephone |
 600 volt 12 ga Stranded wire ot THHN wire is good for conduit with multiple wires ... but stranded cannot be installed under screw terminals on outlets, switches, timers etc without risk ... of heat causing splayed strands ....that come loose ... and begin to arc. Connect stranded to short piece of solid copper wire, and attach solid to screw terminal. Do not solder residential or commercial wiring. Project wire, extension cords, thermostat, bell and automotive wire are not rated for residential or commercial wiring. Only wire maked 600 volt can be used for permanent household wiring. Buy: Southwire 600 volt stranded wire Rolls of stranded wire HOOK UP Wires |
 Protect wiring from damage Use nipper instead of pliers or screwdriver for removing staples (and nails). Do not damage cable or wires inside cable. -Code says: Cable SHALL BE secured without damage to the outer covering. NEC sec. 336-15 Buy End cutting nippers at Amazon |
  Electrically insulated tools When removing insulation from wire, do NOT score or put cuts on surface of copper wire. Doing so increases resistance and heat on wire and creates possible weak point. Buy tools: KLEIN TOOLS Wire strippers at Amazon Electric Wire Stripping Machine Linesman pliers Utility knife at Amazon |
 Multimeters Voltage is tested across two separate wires. Ohms or resistance is tested across both ends of same wire. Amperage is tested along one or two points on same wire. Buy: Analog multimeter Multimeters at Amazon Klein multimeter Electric testers at Amazon Clampmeter for testing amp flow on line |
 GFCI circuit breaker A GFCI circuit breaker will protect all boxes on circuit. Circuit must be grounded. Ground wire must be continuous and connected to each piece of equipment. White wire on circuit breaker must be connected to Neutral busbar inside the breaker panel. Buy GFCI circuit breakers |
Push down 1" wide Push down breaker Plug-in breaker Buy single-pole: Choose from 15 to 60 amp Eaton CL series Siemens 15-60 amp Single-pole tandem breaker Tandem breakers |
Push down 2" wide Push down breaker Plug-in breakers Buy double-pole: Choose from 15 to 125 amp Choose from 15 amp to 200 amp Eaton CL series circuit breaker Siemens circuit breaker Double pole GFCI |
| Are you wiring a 120 volt
water
heater? Does it have 2 elements (dual elements)? Or one element (single element)? |
|
 Single-element thermostat Dual-element thermostat 2 screws on right side 3 screws on right side See Larger You CAN use dual-element thermostat for single-element tank You CANNOT use single for dual tank |
Single element thermostat/ 120V
or 208V or 240V Same thermostat works for all voltages Screw numbers are 1 thru 4 Single-element is identical to dual-element thermostat, except all dual-element upper thermostats have 3 screws located on right side. You can use dual-element thermostat for single-element tank You cannot use single-element thermostat for dual-element tank, unless tank is being rewired for redundant and simultaneous operation. Wiring
illustrations for single element water heater:
 See Larger 240 Volt single See Larger 120 Volt single |
| Basic wiring for changing 240
volt water heater
to 120 volt Why do this?
Breaker panel is overtaxed. The 240 volt breaker went bad and you need
water tonight (option would be using the 30 amp dryer breaker). The
water heater breaker is 20 amp with 12 gauge wire, so breaker is
tripping off. The
cost of power is too high most hours when you need hot, and you don't
mind longer recovery period
before water heater reaches full temperature after each use (option
would be use 240 volt timer to heat a full tank during off peak or
toggle water heater between voltages using a timer) Resources:
Toggle
water heater between voltages using a timer. Off peak water heater wiring Home
generator that doesn't produce enough
power to run heater. Resources:
Connect heater to generator
Toggle water heater between voltages using a
transfer switch
Changing
from 240V to 120V will NOT work on water heaters that require specific
voltage such as Solar-glycol heaters,
AO Smith-American-etc energy smart, or hybrid electric water heaters. Resources:
Review Energy Smart
Review hybrid water heaters |
|
 Larger image Wires on top of tank
can be connected to either wire color.
I prefer black-to-black and white-to-red for various reasons, but it will work either way, and no codes are violated with either choice. Wire colors vary by brand of water heater, but basically all residential water heater wiring follows same pattern, unless tank was altered or manufactured for simultaneous or off-peak function etc. How to wire thermostats Thermostats are mechanical, and are not powered by electricity, so they work with any household 120-240 volt .... and commercial installation up to 480 volt: How thermostats work |
Instructions: Move wires to
single-pole
breaker will change
water heater from 240Volt to 120Volt 120Volt is slower recovery (heats 1/4 as fast, or 5-8 gallons per hour), and good for homes with low consumption, or consumption that is spaced farther apart ... giving heater time to reheat tank. Another strategy for faster heating is to install elements rated for 120 volt. It still takes same number of Kwh to heat gallon of water. General purpose of 120V is slower heating during peak electric pricing. Not best strategy if consumer uses a lot of hot water, since all hot leaving tank is replaced by cold entering tank, and new cold water must be heated to set point. Typical 240Volt water heater will work when connected to 120V or 240V or any AC voltage ... as long as elements are rated for same of more voltage. If 240 volt element is connected to commercial 277-480 volts, the 240 volt element will instantly burn out. Change element to correct voltage. Hot wire from 120Volt breaker connects to Black wire at top of heater. White Neutral wire connects to Red wire at top of heater. Thermostats can be wired many different ways; Illustration shows typical household electric water heater. Wire color varies by brand, model and year of manufacture. Resources: Read how to convert AC water heater to DC/ high voltage Convert AC water heater to DC/ low voltage How to wire thermostats How to change water heater temperature How to wire off-peak water heater See inside main breaker box |
 Cautions
and general instructions for changing 240 volt heater to 120 volt. Big
wires on main breaker are still Hot when main breaker is OFF.When main breaker is OFF, then all small breakers are OFF and safe to work on. Use only solid copper #12 and #10 wires ... if stranded wire is used, then connect stranded to short piece of solid copper and cover with twist on wire connector ... and put solid copper wire under screw plate on breaker and Neutral busbar. Always tighten screws and twist on connectors very tight. Change wiring from 240 volt to 120 volt Fig-1 shows typical 240V water heater circuit. Two Hot wires connect to circuit breaker Ground wire connects to Ground busbar Fig-2 shows conversion to 120V: Move black wire from 240V breaker to 120Volt circuit breaker rated for correct amps. 30 amp breakers and 10 gauge wire run cooler with less heat loss. Circuit is more efficient, and breaker box lasts longer ... so you can use a 20 amp single breaker, or a 30 amp single breaker because the orange wire is 10 gauge. If the wire is yellow, then wire is for 20 amp breaker only... do use 30 amp breaker and yeallow 20 amp wire..  Move white wire from 240V breaker to Neutral busbar where ground wire connects. If White is not long enough, then buy short length of 10-2 or 12-12 sheathed cable, and take out length of white wire. Join white wires with twist on wire connector. Use only solid copper for #12 and #10 wires. Modern breaker boxes have separate Neutral busbar where white wires are connected ... while illustration shows both Neutral and ground busbars on same side of box for purpose of illustration, the modern breaker box has Neutral and ground busbars on separate sides of box. Always connect ground wire onto the ground busbar ... and white Neutral on the Neutral busbar. Water heater must be grounded for safety. Resources: Basic 240Volt water heater circuit How to replace circuit breaker How to install subpanel |
| 240 volt 4500 watt elements will heat slower at 120 volt | |||
| Heating water more
slowly during peak-price hours can reduce electric bill for some folks. It still takes same amount of electricity to heat each gallon of water up to thermostat set point. And keep water at that temperature. Typically, 240Volt heats 21-47 gallon per hour. 120Volt heats 5-12 gallons hot water per hour. Recovery is slower. And electric usage is spread across more time, so peak usage can be reduced. Resources: Toggle water heater between voltages using a timer Off peak water heater wiring |
|||
 Wattage
drops when voltage is reducedSee water heater label showing difference between 208V - 240V Resistive loads such as light bulbs and elements will burn less hot when voltage is reduced. Examples: ordinary household dimmer for incandescent bulbs, or power brown-out when household voltage is reduced and light bulbs dim. Same is true for water heater elements. Lower wattage heats less water per hour See chart  Assumes 4500 watt element rated for 240V Element wattage and voltage printed on end of each element Resource: How to identify and replace elements
|
|||
| Voltage
higher than element rating: result
element burns out. Connect element that is rated 240 volt 4500 watt to 277 volt or 480 volt, and elements burn hotter and burn out Connect element that is rated 120 volt 1500 watt to 240 volt, and element burns 4x hotter 6000 watts and burns out Voltage lower than element rating: result element heats less water per hour Connect element that is rated 240 volt 4500 watt to 208 volt or 120 volt, and elements burn cooler and heat less hot water per hour Connect element that is rated 240 volt 4500 watt to 120 volt, and element burns 1/4 power and heats at 1125 watts. Good for off-peak or generator. Resources: How to replace element Connect water heater to generator |
 |
Change elements
If 240 volt 4500 watt water heater is connected to 120 volt, then
change elements to 120 volt... this will heat water faster Buy: 120 volt: 1000 watt 120 volt minimum 8" tank diameter 1500 watt 120 volt minimum 8' tank diameter 1650 watt 120 volt 7.5" minimum 1750 watt 120 volt 9" minimum 2000 watt 120 volt 9" minimum 120 Volt elements |
 |
Circuit breaker check up Also use 120Volt strategy when main box is overtaxed If main breaker is tripping. Main breaker stress test  If
water heater breaker is getting hot and tripping.Another strategy is to change elements from 4500 watt to 3500 watt for slower heating and less draw off breaker Generator may not provide enough wattage for entire house: save generator capacity for other parts of house by toggling water heater to 120 volt using transfer switch Resource: How to wire 240 volt water heater for 120 volt generator Toggle water heater between voltages using a transfer switch |
 Toggle
water heater between 120Volt and 240VoltMax 4500 watt non-simultaneous water heater Use 240Volt during times when electric prices are lower, and faster recovery is needed. Use 120Volt during peak prices when less hot water is used Bring 120Volt from nearby outlet that has 12 gauge wire, or install lower watt elements if wire is only 14 gauge. Using 30 amp Double Pole Double Throw switch Ordinary 3-way switch will do same job, but without center off Also called: 30 amp 2 pole DPDT switch Buy: double-pole double throw 30 amp 2 DPDT switch with center off at Amazon Connect 120Volt wires as Hot and Neutral. Black connects to 120Volt circuit breaker and White connects to neutral busbar. Connect 240Volt wires as Hot1 and Hot2. Both wires connect to 240Volt breaker. Resources Select correct wire and breaker Figure volts amps watts for water heater See inside main breaker box Two water heaters How to control motor with two switches 30 amp maximum current/ safe limit 80% = 24 amps Over-amped switch will feel warm/ hot How to control water heater with ordinary switches For certainty, always Test switch terminals using continuity tester before wiring. 24 amp safe maximum Practical wiring diagram Wire diagram |
 |
 Buy double-pole double throw 30 amp 2 DPDT switch with center off at Amazon 2 DPDT switch with center off at Amazon Larger image Bring white neutral wire from breaker box, or nearby outlet |
 Larger image |
Use
30 amp 3-way switch to toggle ordinary water heater Buy: Leviton 3033 switch at Amazon 30 amp 3-way switch Max amp rating for 30 amp switch is 24 amps 5500 Watt elements draw 23 Amps 4500 Watt elements draw 19 Amps |
 |
Toggle
water heater between 240 Volt or 120 Volt using T106 timer Move clock motor wire from Com to NO terminal See more T1906 and T1975 timer wiring 15 minute on-off Resources: How to wire T106 timer All Intermatic timers Buy: T106 timer Wires inside water heater do not change. Elements and thermostats will work with 120Volt or 240Volt Element watt consumption drops when voltage drops No need to change breaker. Just run additional neutral wire to timer. Element rated for 4500 watts @ 240Volt, will consume 25% or 1125 watts @ 120Volt  |
 30-Amp 120-240-volt Two-Pole Indoor Safety Switch with Neutral/ fusable Buy 2-pole 30 amp non-fusable safety switch/ indoor / power cut-off 2 pole 60 amp non-fusable / outdoor box/ at Amazon Resource: How to wire safety switch You can use fusable or non-fusable Having more than one fuse on same line is ok by code |
 Multimeter: for testing voltage and continuity etc Buy Multimeters at Amazon Continuity tester at Amazon |
| Timers can be wired to toggle water heater between 120V and 240V | |||
 Mechanical Intermatic GM40 series |
 Digital GM40AVE GMXFM1 |
 Digital ET70000 series |
 Digital 240Volt Tork DTU40 |
 |
Toggle
water heater between
120Volt and 240Volt Use SPDT timer with dry NO NC relay terminals to change water heater between 120Volt and 240Volt Use 120Volt at peak-electric price. Water heater recovers slowly with 120Volt. Use 240Volt when electric prices are lower, and faster recovery is needed.  Resources: Intermatic GM40 series Tork DTU40 timer GE 15207 series timers Dry terminals mean NO NC COM terminals are independent and receive no power when power is applied to timer clock on terminals H and N. |
| Timers can be wired to toggle water heater between temperatures | ||||
 Larger image |
Change water heater temperature
using GM40 timer Applies to Intermatic WHQ timer Tork DTU40 timer GE 15207 series timers
Either upper thermostat and element have power or lower thermostat and element have power. But not both at same time. Must install ECO-protected thermostat for lower thermostat. Thermostat must sit flat against tank wall, and be covered with insulation. Both upper and lower parts of tank are ECO-protected from overheating Rewire tank so upper and lower parts are separate. Use GM40 timer to switch power between lower and upper parts of tank. Also use Intermatic WHQ timer, Tork DTU40, or GE15207 series etc. Normal operation, the lower thermos and element receive power and keep tank at temperature set point. Upper thermostat and element have no power. This is called 'redundant' water heater operation. This technique for heating tank more rapidly after cold water first enters tank. Resource How to wire thermostats When timer activates, power to lower part of tank turns OFF. Power to upper part of tank begins. Upper thermostat is set for higher temperature. Since tank is at regular temperature, the higher setting means upper element will turn ON and begin heating tank to higher set point. Use this technique to heat water very hot for laundry cycle. Disadvantage: The lower part of tank will cool rapidly as new cold water enters tank, so this technique is good for making short-term batches of hot water.
|
|||
 Larger imageHow to toggle between under counter water heater and dishwasher Same wiring for
either 120 or 240 volt loads
Code permits 15 or 20 amp switch on a 20 amp breaker ... as long as switch is rated for same voltage and more amps than Load (anything that consumes power is Load). Use only approved 600 volt, solid copper wire under screw terminals. Never use extension cord for permanent household wiring.  Objective: Either the dishwasher has power or the under-counter water heater has power. But neither at same time. Why? Because safe maximum amps on 20 amp breaker is 80% or 16 amps ... while dishwasher and water heater together consume 23 amps. Do not install 30 amp circuit breaker unless wire is also increased in size from 12 ga to 10 gauge. Color code for wire How to wire: Incoming wire from breaker has 2 wires. If voltage is 120, then the white Neutral wire is never switched on-off. Connect white Neutral wire to each appliance. Black Hot wire is switched on-off. Connect Hot wire to COM terminal on the 3-way switch (dark or different color screw). Then run a Hot wire to each appliance from the other two screws on switched. Heavier amp loads, or more voltage, such as 30 amp 240 volt water heater, use a 30 amp 3-way switch (safe max 23 amps). Other options, for higher amperage loads and motor loads (such as irrigation pumps, shop tools etc), include using a switch (or timer) to toggle loads with 30-40 amp open frame relay. Buy 30 amp 3-way: Leviton 3033 switch at Amazon 30 amp 3-way switch Dishwashers at Amazon Resource: How to wire open frame relay |
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