Electric heaters are considered one of the most commonly popular types of electronic appliance that is available in almost every household.
It has its significant use in cold climate areas where you need hot water for a variety of purposes. In today’s article, we will discuss what size Breaker is recommended to use for an electric heater.
Electric heater breaker size
It is important to use the right-sized breaker for your household electronic appliances because a wrong breaker can cause damage to the circuits and lead to burning. People choose breaker sizes for 220/240V breakers. The ideal breaker size for an electric water heater should be a 20 amps breaker.
If you are living in a cold climate area, having an electric heater for you is a must. The electric heater is considered one of the most commonly used electric appliance that almost every household have.
These electric heaters can provide you with a form of radiant heat that will help you to provide natural air to change its temperature and circulate heat into a room. But before installing the electric heater, you need to determine the breaker size for it.
It is important to determine the size of the breaker for running an electric heater because the wrong sized breaker can damage the electric circuits and can even lead to burning.
In addition to that, the installation of a breaker for an electric heater is considered an advanced household electrical project, which should be done by a proper electrician or heating contractor.
They have a better idea and mind which size heater is important for your house. Depending on that, they will provide you with the proper consultancy of using the right sized breaker for your house.
In most cases, the electric heaters are powered by a 120- or 240-Volt circuit. However, the electricians recommend using 240 Volt circuits to run the electric heaters because it will help them to use lower amperage to become more energy efficient.
Generally, when you determine the breaker size for your electric heater, you need to know the wattage consumption of your electric heater.
In addition to that, if you use a slightly larger breaker compared to the amperage value of an electric heater, it will not interfere with the other appliances running in the circuit.
That is why it is highly recommended to use a 20 amps breaker for a 1500 watts electric heater to run the appliance properly along with the other appliances available in the house.
Below is a brief discussion on the breaker size for different types of electric heaters:
Electric water heater:
Generally, the electric water heater is one of the most common appliances that people tend to have in their house. To run an electric water heater in a 240 Volt dedicated circuit, you need to use a 30-amp double pole breaker.
Electric baseboard heater:
In most cases, the electric baseboard heaters require 240 Volt circuits. To run the electric baseboard heater efficiently using 240 Volt circuits, you need to use a 20- or 30-amp double pole circuit breaker.
Electric garage heater:
Generally, the wattage consumption value of an electric garage heater should be around 4000 watts. Considering that you can use a 20 amps electric circuit breaker to run your electric garage heater efficiently.
How many amps does a 1500w electric heater draw?
As there are several types of electric heaters available to use for a variety of purposes, they have different voltage consumption values. One of the common electric heaters that are used in the most household has a wattage value of 1500 watts.
In addition to that, it is very easy to run a 1500-Watt electric heater on a 120 Volt circuit. A 1500-Watt electric heater requires a breaker of 15.6 amps.
Considering that a 15-amp breaker would be small for the electric heater to operate, that is why it is ideal if you can choose a 20 amps breaker for the electric heater to operate properly.
It is always recommended to go for a slightly large-sized breaker compared to the amperage value of an electric heater because it will enable the electric heater to run properly.
In some cases, it is ideal and efficient to use a slightly large breaker for the electric heater, because if you replace the electric heater with a more powerful one, it will require a higher voltage-consuming electric circuit breaker to run properly.
How many heaters can you run on a 20 amps breaker?
How many electric heaters you can run with a 20 amps electric breaker depends on the wattage consumption of the heater. Generally, electric heaters are available in many different sizes based on the purpose of functionality.
You can either have a garage electric heater or a baseboard electric heater for your house. They do not have the same type of wattage consumption.
That is why to determine how many heaters you can run on a 20 amps breaker; you need to figure out the voltage consumption value that can be provided using a 20 amps breaker.
Generally, a 20 amps breaker can run a combination of electric heaters that have a wattage value of 3840 watts.
So, you can make a combination of multiple electric heaters to run on a 20 amps breaker. That is why, if you want to use one thermostat, you can install two 1500 Watts heaters or three 1000 Watts heaters.
3 factors that determine breaker size for the electric heater
It is important to determine the breaker size for the electric heater that you use regularly to meet your needs. Generally, the electric heater is considered a commonly used household appliance that most people have in their house.
Different types of electric heaters are used for a variety of purposes. Considering that, they have different power consumption rates. Generally, the power consumption of an electric heater is determined by the wattage consumption value.
As there are different types of electric heaters available, they have different wattage consumption values. So, it is important to determine a few things before choosing the right sized breaker for your electric heater.
Having a wrong sized-electric heater can cause damage to the circuit and can even lead to burning.
That is why you should be very careful when determining the size of the breaker for the electric heater. Below is a brief discussion on a few factors that determine the size of the breaker for an electric heater:
Type of heater:
Generally, different types of electric heaters are used for a variety of purposes. Based on that, the breaker sizes may differ.
Wattage consumption:
It is important to install a breaker based on determining the wattage consumption of an electric heater. So, this will help you to figure out the size of the breaker that will enable the other appliances to run efficiently.
Circuit:
Most breakers are compatible with 120- or 240-volt circuits. So, you need to determine the circuit size as well before you choose the right sized breaker for the electric heaters.
How do determine breaker size for an electric heater?
Determining the breaker size for an electric heater is important because it will enable the heater to run efficiently and properly along with the other appliances in the house.
It is important to determine the electric circuit breaker for the heater because having a wrong-sized breaker can cause the circuit to get significantly damaged and even lead to burning.
That is why you should be very careful when determining the breaker size for an electric heater. There are several types of electric heaters in the market that are used for a variety of purposes.
Based on that, you should choose the right sized electric circuit breaker for the heaters. In addition to that, it is important to follow the National Electric Code when choosing the breakers for your electric heater.
You can simply follow the easy, simple steps below to determine the breaker size for an electric heater:
Follow the NEC rule:
Generally, the NEC or National Electric code recommends that the rating of a circuit breaker should be at least 125% larger than the circuit it controls. That is why you should be careful about the NEC rule.
Apply the current by 125%:
To figure out the right sized circuit breaker for your electric heater, you need to multiply the value of current by 125% to determine the value of the circuit breaker that is required to run the electric heater.
Use a slightly larger breaker:
Suppose you’re using a 1500 watts electric heater, the amperage value should be 15.6 amps. In that case, you should use a 20 amps breaker.
Final thoughts
Several types of electric heaters are used in a household for a variety of purposes. Generally, a standard-sized electric heater should have a power consumption value of 1500 watts. In that case, using a 20 amps breaker will be ideal and efficient for the appliance.