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How to
wire off-peak water heater
Altered wiring will void product warranty. Tip: Change wiring back to make warranty claim
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Search Search using google with ads
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How to
wire off-peak water heater
Altered wiring will void product warranty. Tip: Change wiring back to make warranty claim |
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Buy residential upper and lower
thermostats Thermostats are interchangeable/ each works with your water heater 89T is discontinued/ replace with Apcom or Therm-o-disc Buy 90-150° F for residential tank: Rheem UV11698 Rheem SP11698 Camco 08163 Aprom / 110-160° Water heater thermostats Camco thermostats More thermostats |
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Adjust
temperature using screwdriver. Typical residential range 115-130°F Typical bath shower is 104°/ All settings are approximate. Higher temperatures risk scald. |
 Commercial only... upper and lower thermostats Buy 120-180 degree F Rheem SP8293 upper / 110-170° Camco 08314 lower / 180° Rheem SP8295 lower / 110-170° Camco 08304 upper/ 180° Apcom WL6190 Upper 130-160°F Apcom WH9C lower 135-180°F Apcom WL6200 Upper 135-180°F Residential tank thermostat is rated 90-160° F Residential tank is NOT rated for pressure and temperature of 170-180° water. Only use 180° F thermostat on commercial water heater that is rated for high temperature Thermostats are rated for Single phase and 3-phase-non-balanced water heaters up to 480 Volt Resource How to change 3-phase water heater to single phase Read more about 3-phase water heater |
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brands of thermostats are interchangeable $48 for 2 low density 240 Volt 4500 watt elements/ + Upper and lower thermostat  Buy LOW density kit: Apcom plumbers pack Amazon 110°-160° Resource How to replace elements |
$35 for 2 high density 240 volt 4500 watt elements + Upper and lower thermostat  Buy HIGH density kit: Apcom plumbers pack Amazon 110°-160° Resource How to replace elements Low density elements might last longer in hard water |
$45 for 2 high
density 240 Volt 4500 watt elements/ + Upper and lower
thermostat Buy HIGH density kit: Therm-O-disc high density plumbers pack Therm-O-disc high density Therm-o-disc high density / copper element 90°-150° Resource How to replace elements |
 Wires attach to either screw on element: |
 Resources How residential water heater works How to replace thermostats on electric water heater How to replace thermostats on gas water heater Troubleshoot electric water heater Troubleshoot gas water heater |
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Thermostats must sit flat against tank, and be covered with insulation Without insulation, thermostat is exposed to room temperature and will misread temperature and cause overheating. Thermostat must sit flat against tank wall to read correct temperature. Wiggle thermostat. Check that bracket is not rusted and loose. Steel cover should be reinstalled. Plastic protector should be snapped over thermostat if available |
| Off-peak water heater/ Option #1 Buy from manufacturer, or rewire tank |
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 See image Off-peak Purpose of off-peak Save energy during peak electric prices. How it works > Upper thermostat operates normally to keep top 2/3 tank hot. > Lower thermostat heats bottom 1/3 of tank when ordered by off-peak meter or timer Compare: Off-peak water heater thermostats vs Ordinary water heater thermostats 1. Lower thermostat is replaced with ECO-protected thermostat identical to upper thermostat. ECO safety red reset cuts off power when water in tank reaches dangerously high 170°F 2. Upper thermostat: the Red wire is moved from L4 to T4, so lower thermostat and element can only receive power if upper part of tank is heated. Color of wires vary. 3. Black wire from L1 on lower thermostat does not connect to upper thermostat T4 screw.  4. Black wire from L1 on lower thermostat
runs to top of water
heater for
connection to output from off-peak meter, or off-peak timer. 5. At top of tank, Black L1 and Yellow L1 come from the same leg on 240V breaker, and the Black Hot 2 comes from other leg on 240V breaker. See image Buy 36" drill bits Fish bits Resources: See Off-peak operation sequence How to wire thermostats See all thermostat wiring diagrams |
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DPDT
Timer
wiring for OFF peak DPDT timers can be wired to toggle water heater between peak and off-peak operation. 40 amp digital and mechanical timers with Nema3R indoor-outdoor enclosure Wire water heater so lower part of tank is OFF during peak price times. Less hot water is available. Tank will probably not run during peak times unless hot is drawn from tap Buy: GM40AV Timer Resources: How to wire DPDT timers How to wire thermostats How electric water heaters work |
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EH40 ... 30 amp 7-day
programmable Timer
wiring for OFF peak Lower thermostat receives power only when timer is ON Upper thermostat receives power full time 30 amp digital timer with Nema1 indoor enclosure 6 programs/ SPDT timer Buy: EH40 30 amp timers  Resources: Compare timers Resource: EH40 off-peak water heater timer |
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Timer wiring for OFF peak Heavy duty 40 amp mechanical timer with Nema3R
indoor-outdoor enclosureUp to 12 programs per 24-hour day T106R / outdoor metal box/ 240 Volt 40 amp/ NO NC Buy T106R indoor/ outdoor timer Resources: How to wire T106 timer |
| Off-peak
option 2: toggle water heater between 240 volt and 120 volt |
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Toggle
water heater between 240 and 120 Volt using timer or switch 1) Wires inside water heater are NOT changed. 2) Requires Neutral wire from any nearby outlet or from breaker box. 3) Objective: Save electricity by heating water slowly. 4) Water heater will not 'recover' as quickly. Will heat 5-15 gallons per hour instead of 20-30 gallons per hour. 5) No need to change breaker. Just run additional neutral wire to timer. 240Volt Elements and thermostats will work with 120Volt or 240Volt Element watt consumption drops when voltage drops  T106R / outdoor metal box/ 240 V Buy T106R outdoor Resources: How to wire T106 timer |
| Off-peak
option 3: DIY home WiFi or Zwave |
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Off peak Home
automation Use any zwave, wifi, insteon, or programmable timer rated for inductive load. Connect to DTST 30-40 amp open frame power relay. Or use on-delay timer, off delay timer, cycle timer, twin timer etc.  Magnecraft relay with NO NC terminals 120 volt coil or 24 volt coil Buy from my affiliate links Magnecraft box and cover  Magnecraft
w199 relaysSiemens power relays Programmable timers Zwave contactor WiFi contactor Resources: Programmable timers On-off-delay timer |
| Off peak sequence of operation |
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| Off-peak option 4: Add another water heater to store hot water ...so more hot water available at usage time Add timer to either water heater -or- both water heaters |
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Install
tanks in series: Cold water enters heater #1 and then feeds into heater #2. Wiring goes in reverse order: Wire from circuit breaker arrives at heater #2, and then goes to heater #1 (as shown diagrams below) IF WATER HEATER HAS FOAM INSULATION the wiring may not be possible without drilling hole to drop additional wire into lower part of tank. This action will void water heater warranty. Remember, for water heater to work correctly, the thermostats and element must be covered with insulation or thermostat will misread temperature. |
 Larger image Add timer to either water heater or both water heaters Redundant thermostats control 2 water heaters Set upper thermostats at lower temperature than lower thermostats Purpose: Add additional tank so more hot water available at peak times, without adding additional wiring from breaker. Heater #1 must be satisfied before power is sent to heater #2. Heater #2 may not fully heat before heater #1 needs to turn ON again. This will happen IF water heater is poorly insulated or cold water is drawn from heater #1 or incoming water is very cold. Sequence: 1) Power from circuit breaker arrives at ECO-protected upper thermostat on heater #1 2) ECO protection required on upper part of tank to prevent overheating event since heat rises 3) Typical lower thermostat on heater #1 is replaced with ECO thermostat so power can be transferred to heater #2 when heater #1 thermostats are satisfied. 4) Once heater #1 is satisfied, power goes to heater #2. Either heater can be wired for redundant or typical non-simultaneous operation. The key is adding ECO-protected thermostat to lower part of heater #1, and adding wire from lower thermostat so power can be transferred to heater #2. Resource: Read about two water heaters |
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 Non-simultaneous thermostats control 2 water heaters Simultaneous wiring will heat top of tank first. Redundant will turn ON as soon as cold water enters tank. How electric water heater works Purpose: Add additional tank so more hot water available at peak times, without adding additional wiring. Heater #1 must be satisfied before power is sent to heater #2. Heater #2 may not fully heat before heater #1 needs to turn ON again. This will happen IF water heater is poorly insulated or cold water is drawn from heater #1 or incoming water is very cold. Sequence is generally same as above. Resource: Read about two water heaters Add timer to either water heater or both water heaters |
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does this work? 240volt water heaters have two hot wires from breaker. Each element is permanently connected to one hot wire, and will always test hot for 120Volt to ground. Thermostat opens and closes second hot wire to element. This action turns element ON-OFF Resource: Basic water heater circuit Thermostat is either Hot on T2 or Hot on T4, but never both. Some ECO thermostats are numbered 2 and 4. So the lower thermostat on water heater #1 will either send power to lower element on heater #1, or it will send power to heater #2. Water heater #2 will not turn ON unless water heater #1 is OFF When water heater #1 turns OFF, then heater #2 has 240V power available.  Resource: Larger image How thermostats work How to wire thermostats |
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If water heater has foam
insulation, then replacing lower thermostat with ECO protected
thermostat may not be easy. Take apart most upper thermostats and make new lower thermostat that will work for the specific two-water heater diagrams shown above. When not to use: Do not remove ECO protection on upper part of tank. On simultaneous and single-tank off-peak water heaters, the ECO is require for lower thermostat operation. ECO protects you in case of overheating and is required for safe operation of water heaters. |
| If you cannot rewire water heater: | |
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 If
you cannot rewire water
heater because of foam insulation or other factor such as warranty:Re-plumb water heaters in series, and run additional 30 amp circuit to additional heater. Then put both water heater on a GM series timer Buy: GM40AV 120-208-240-277V GM40AVQ w/ back-up battery Resources How to wire GM40 series timers See basic water heater circuit Water heater timer for two water heaters Both water heaters have same schedule & turn on-off at same time More box-type water heater timers |
| Other Off-peak ideas | |
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Adding
home energy system is more expensive option. Automated home energy system can regulate all appliances during peak pricing. Basically same as adding programmable timer to each appliance. Difference is more control tweaks available with home energy system. For example, instead of turning heat OFF and water heater OFF, the system can decide to run one or the other so both do not operate at same time. Example system: Brayden Energy Sentry |
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Change
elements to lower wattage for slower heating Good for homes with lower consumption and homes with peak electric pricing Resource: How to replace element 3-element tank from Giant Water Heater & Hydro-Quebec Manual & specs Product manual |
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Elk
remote control contactor (relay) Works on 120Volt. Plug into outlet. Relay works with automated hardware. Rated up to 60 amps. Buy: Elk relay contactor Resource: Elk-9200 manual |
 Larger image Control water heater or pool pump with telephone or compute |
Control water heater with Z-waveIntermatic CA3750 contactor moduleContactor controlled by remote Z wave 5-year warranty/ 30 amp Buy: WiFi and Zwave contactors Zwave hub Zwave contactor WiFi contactor Resource: How to wire and set up CA3750 How to wire wifi contactor More contactors |
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Buy
from my affiliate links every time/ thanks: Amazon ''As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases'' Enter Amazon from any link on my site, fill cart with any item ... purchases pay small commission E-mail: geno03245w@gmail.com My response might end up in spam folder, check email folders Waterheatertimer on Twitter Message thru facebook |
