In addition to the electric water heater breaker size, you may want to know how this machine works, its pros and cons, and overall power. Electric Tankless Water Heater: How It Works So, make sure to take into account other heating elements as well. As I’ve mentioned earlier, there are water heaters that need multiple circuit breakers for each heating element they have. Take note that this example only featured one circuit breaker for one heating element. To find the breaker size: multiply 1.25 or 125 % by the rated amp of your device, which, in this case, is 31.7 amps.įinally, get the closest breaker size based on the final answer (39.62 amps), so for a safe maximum continuous load on our sample heating element, the breaker you should buy is 40-amps. We’ll use the example earlier, which is 31.7 amps. This safety method is necessary because 100% continuous loads generate heat dangerous enough to cause a fire at the wiring terminals of the circuit breaker. The National Electric Code (NEC) states that a circuit breaker should only handle 80% or less of its total capacity. Otherwise, you’ll risk accidents because there’ll be no protection for a power surge. Do not use the same calculated amperage as your final size breaker for the tankless water heater. However, using the exact amperage as the breaker size is a terrible idea. The final answer concludes that in order for this heating element to work, 31.7 amps are required. To get the amperage, divide 7,600W by 240V: Let’s say a heating element needs 7600 watts from a 240-Volt circuit. Once you’ve gotten all the needed variables for a tankless water heater breaker size, proceed to the calculation. The standard Volts for an ETWH is already 240 Volts, so you’ll only need to find the amount of power input or wattage of your device located inside the device’s specs sheet or in the water heater itself. Use the Power equation, P= I x V, from which we have this formula to get the amp size specifically: I= P ÷ V (I=Amps, P= Watts, and V= Volts). However, if you can’t find the manufacturer’s manual, you can always proceed to the mathematician’s method. Remember that the more breakers and the higher amperage they have, the higher the electrical current.Įlectric tankless heaters can draw amps ranging from 42-amp to 167-amp max. Is it a 3 x 50 (this means there are three heating elements protected by three 50-amp breakers) or a 4 x 40 (four 40-amp circuit breakers)? It always depends on the model you have. You can view what type of wiring it has, which is equivalent to the number of breakers needed for the device. Now, to get the perfect breaker size for a water heater, the most reliable and accurate method is to check the manual that goes along with your electric tankless water heater.
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