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How to wire water heater with switches & timers

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Neutral required:
This plan draws hot and neutral from any outlet box.
Applies to all programmable timers, countdown, wifi and zwave home automation devices.

Buy:
Programmable timer
Countdown timer
Zwave switch
Wifi switch
z-wave switch
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Neutral required:
This plan draws hot and neutral from any outlet box.
Applies to zwave home automation devices.

Buy:
Zwave switch
ST01C timer controls 240Volt water heater
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No neutral required:
Intermatic ST01C is best choice/ no neutral required
7-day programmable timer/ or dawn-dusk or dusk-dawn
Timer rated max 15 amp AC voltage: Use Fuse and fusholder
        
Buy:
3-way switches
Intermatic ST01 timer

Resources:
More wiring for ST01C + ST01C programming
Intermatic timers: ST01C & Ei600
Materials list/ and step-by-step for timer project

Busman fuseholder
Buy fuseholder that accepts terminals

Solder can melt with the flow of amperage

Solder can only be used for structural wiring such as intercom, phone, doorbell etc
Buy: fuseholder:
Buy fuseholders
ANL fuseholder
Buy:
Terminal kit with crimp tool
Electrical terminals
Blue 14-16 gauge female terminals 20 pcs
Yellow 12-10 gauge female terminal 16 pcs
360 pc assortment

water heater single pole circuit
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Control water heater with 15-20 amp switches

Do not connect 15 or 20 amp switches directly to 240V water heater


Resources
See inside box with contactor
Step-by-step installation of contactor
Figure volts-amps-watts for your water heater
water heater 3-way switch
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Control water heater with 3-way switches

Buy 3-way switches
3-way switches
Resource:
See step-by-step installation of contactor
Figure volts-amps-watts for your water heater
How to wire switches


Do not connect 15-20 amp switches directly to 240V water heater. Amp rating shows on each switch

control water heater with 3-way switches
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Control water heater with two 15-20 amp 3-way switches (same as above)

Buy 3-way switches
3-way switches
Contactor with 120Volt coil
Contactor with 240Volt coil

Resource:
See step-by-step installation of contactor
Contactors
Water heater 3-way timer
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3-way switch and 3-way timers
Intermatic Ei600 and St01C are 3-way timers
For applications up to 100 feet away
Timer and switch control contactor
Contactor turns heavy-amp load on-off
Buy:
3-way switches
Intermatic ST01 timer

Resource:
Intermatic timers: ST01C & Ei600
Intermatic timers and manuals
More wiring for ST01C + ST01C programming

How to find Hot wire
See step-by-step installation of contactor
Figure volts-amps-watts for your water heater


Do not connect these switches & timers directly to 240V water heater
ST01 timer
Red-Blue-Black-green wires
LED display is not illuminated Other uses for ST01 timer:
Resource:
Programmable or dawn-dusk or dusk-dawn, any voltage or no voltage
ST01 timer controls water heater or any 240 volt load
Reverse ST01 using Intermatic air switch
Intermatic air switches
Use ST01C for 4-way timer
ST01 24 volt DC photoeye
Convert single-pole switch into 3-way switch using ST01/
How to add a switch   
How to add 3-way switch
24 volt programmable timer

water heater 30 amp switch
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240V water heater can be controlled directly using 30-amp switches
Illustration for 30-amp 3-way circuit
Note: 240V circuit can be controlled by turning off 1 hot wire

Buy:
Leviton 3-way 30 amp switch
Leviton 3033
30 amp 3-way switches
30 amp switches

Resources
Twisting wires
wire connector basics

Rated 25 amps, max 5500 watt water heater
5500 Watt elements draw 23 Amps
4500 Watt elements draw 19 Amps
Figure volts amps watts for water heater
Read label on water heater



water heater switch
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240V water heater can be controlled directly with a 30-amp single-pole switch
Look for green colored 30 amp switch
Turning off one hot wire to 208-240V single phase water heater will work. Internal thermostat wiring inside water heater also turns off one hot wire.

Buy:
Leviton 3032 30 amp switch
Leviton 30 amp switch
30 amp switch/ maximum 25 amps
5500 Watt elements draw 23 Amps
4500 Watt elements draw 19 Amps
Resource:
Figure volts amps watts for water heater
Read label on water heater

How to wire thermostats
control water heater with switch
240V water heater can be controlled directly with a 30-amp double-pole switch

Rated 25 amp
Turn off both Hot wires.
Not necessary, since turning off 1 hot wire works fine. Read above

Buy double pole 30 amp switches:
Leviton 3032-2w double pole 30 amp
Leviton MS302-DS 30 amp double-pole switch
2-pole 30 amp non-fusable safety switch/ power cut-off
30 amp switches
Resource: Twisting wires
wire connector basics
30 amp DPDT switch

For certainty, always Test switch terminals using continuity tester before wiring.
24 amp safe maximum
Practical wiring diagram
Wire diagram
Toggle water heater between 120Volt and 240Volt

Max 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 3-way switches
2 DPDT switch with center off
2 DPDT switch with center off

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.
Resource:
How to wire water heater for 120 volts
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
Leviton 3033 switch
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Use 30 amp 3-way switch to toggle water heater between 120V and 240V
Does same thing as diagram above... except diagram above has center off position

Buy

Leviton 3033 switch

30 amp switch/ maximum 25 amps
5500 Watt elements draw 23 Amps
4500 Watt elements draw 19 Amps
Resource:
Figure volts amps watts for water heater
Read label on water heater
240 volt water heater circuit Basic water heater circuit
Single-phase 208-240Volt/ residential/  non simultaneous water heater

Resource:
How residential water heater works
How to wire thermostats
Troubleshoot electric water heater
See inside main breaker box

3-phase water heaters
Convert 3-phase water heater to single-phase
30 amp safety cut off
30-Amp 120-240-volt Two-Pole Indoor Safety Switch with Neutral/ fusable
Buy
2-pole 30 amp non-fusable safety switch/ power cut-off

2 pole 60 amp non-fusable / outdoor box/
Safety switches
Safety switches for power tools

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




Buy
Tools
Milwaukee
DEWALT
Black and Decker
Stanley
SKIL
Makita
Porter-Cable
Bosch

Irwin Hand tools
Klein hand tools
Fluke electrical testing
Dremel hobby tools

Campbell Hausfeld air powered
Tekton automotive

Powerbuilt automotive
Saws and saw blades

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