Who doesn’t love a heat pump, right? It keeps the building warm by converting thermal energy from outside. A heat pump can also cool a building by transferring the heat.
A heat pump needs a good quality circuit breaker of the right size to stay safe during current overload.
So, you might be wondering what size breaker you should get for a heat pump. Let’s find the answers to all your queries regarding the breaker size of a heat pump.
Heat pump breaker size
The circuit breaker size for the heat pumps ranges from 15 to 60 amps depending on the size of the heat pump. A small 2-ton heat pump requires a 20 amp circuit breaker to prevent electrical accidents. Then again, the larger 5-ton heat pumps need a 60 Amp circuit breaker.
A circuit breaker basically prevents an electrical accident when the electric overloads in the appliance and a short circuit occurs. When current overflows or short circuit, the circuit breaker trips, stopping electric current from passing to the appliance.
If excessive current flows to an appliance, the circuit can get damaged, damaging the appliance. So, by using a circuit breaker you can make sure that your heat pump remains safe if more than usual electric current flows to it.
There are various sizes of heat pumps available on the market. The size of the circuit breaker varies depending on the size of the heat pump. Let’s take a look at the circuit breaker size for various-sized heat pumps.
Size:
2.5 ton heat pump:
A standard 2.5 ton heat pump needs a circuit breaker of size 30 Amps. This is due to the fact that a 2.5 ton heat pump consumes 10 Amp of electrical current.
By using a 30 Amp circuit breaker for a 2.5 ton unit, you can make sure that it doesn’t get damaged even if the circuit is shorted.
3 ton heat pump:
The circuit breaker size for a 3 ton heat pump ranges from 20 Amps to 30 Amps. There is no particular sized circuit breaker that fits all 3 ton heat pumps. The size of the 3 ton heat pump’s circuit breaker varies depending on the features of the unit.
3.5 ton heat pump:
A 3.5 ton heat pump draws 14 to 28 Amps of electric current in general. As a result, the breaker size of the 3.5 ton heat pump ranges from 30 to 40 Amps. If there are additional features in the 3.5 ton heat pump, the circuit breaker size will increase.
4 ton heat pump:
The 4 ton heat pumps use 15 to 30 Amps of electric current. The BTU per hour of the 4 ton units is 48,000. So, the size of the circuit breaker should be in the range of 30 to 40 Amps.
5 ton heat pump:
The current consumption of the 5 ton heat pumps is 19 to 38 Amps. To keep the 5 ton heat pump safe from electrical accidents, you should use circuit breakers in the range of 40 to 60 Amps.
Type:
Pool heat pump:
A pool heat pump that uses 10 amp of current and 240 volts requires a 20 amp circuit breaker.
This sized circuit breaker will prevent any damage to the appliance and will also keep your pool safe from any electrical accidents. If there are additional features in the pool pump, the circuit breaker size will range from 30 to 50 amps.
Hayward heat pump:
The circuit breaker size of the Hayward heat pump should be in the range of 40 to 50 Amps. By getting the right sized circuit breaker for the Hayward heat pump, you will make sure that the unit runs for a long period of time.
How many amps does a heat pump use?
Not every heat pump consumes the same amount of electric current. The amps usage of the heat pumps ranges from 4 amps to 38 amps.
The amount of amps a heat will use varies depending on the size of the unit. If the size of the heat pump is large, then the unit will consume more amount of electrical current.
The size of a heat pump starts from 1 ton and goes up to 5 tons. The higher the size of the heat pump, the higher the amp usage will be.
The smallest size of a heat pump is 1 ton. The 1 ton heat pump uses electricity in the range of 4 to 8 amps. The 1.5 ton heat pump uses 6 to 12 amps of current.
The 2 ton heat pumps use 8 to 16 amps current. It requires a circuit breaker of size 15 to 20 amps. The heat pump of size 3 tons consumes 12 to 24 amps.
Then again, the 4 ton heat pumps consume 15 to 30 amps of electric current, and the 5 ton unit uses 19 to 38 amps.
Heat pump electrical wiring requirements
The electrical wires required for the heat pumps vary according to the size of the heat pump. It also varies depending on the manufacturer and model of the heat pump.
Getting the right sized wire for the heat pumps is very important to prevent any electrical accidents.
A 1 ton and 2 ton heat pump needs a 14 gauge and 10 gauge American wire respectively. The 3 ton heat pump unit needs to be connected using an 8 gauge wire.
A 4 ton heat pump needs a 6 gauge American wire. Then again, a 5 ton heat pump needs a 4 gauge wire.
3 factors that determine heat pump breaker size
There are various factors that determine the breaker size of the heat pump. Knowing the factors that determine the heat pump’s circuit breaker is very important to find the breaker size accurately.
The factors that determine the heat pump breaker size are current consumption, unit size, and the voltage of the unit. Let’s have a detailed look at the 3 factors that determine the heat pump breaker size.
Size of heat pump:
The size of the heat pump is one of the most common factors that determine the size of the circuit breaker.
The higher the size of the heat pump, the higher the circuit breaker’s size will be. The minimum size of the heat pump is 1 ton and the maximum size of the heat pump is 5 tons.
Use of Amps:
The consumption of Amps by a heat pump is one of the most crucial factors that determine the circuit breaker size. The circuit breaker size should be 5 to 10 amps higher than the amp usage of the heat pump.
Voltage rating of the heat pump:
The voltage rating of the heat pump is also one of the most important factors that determine the size of the breaker. The more the voltage rating of the heat pump, the more the circuit breaker size will be.
How to choose breaker size for a heat pump?
Choosing the breaker size for a heat pump is not as complicated as it may seem to you at first.
You can accurately do it with minimum effort and time by following the right process. Let’s take a look at how to choose the circuit breaker size for a heat pump step by step.
Check the model number:
You should first check the model number of the heat pump. The model number has two special integers in the middle of this string of numbers to reveal the cooling capability of this particular heat pump.
These numbers can always be divided by 6. The number specifies the heat pump’s cooling capacity. So, if that figure were 24, it would signify that your heat pump has a BTU of 24,000.
The Running Load Amperage of the unit:
The RLA suggests how many amps will be drawn when the motor of your compressor is first turned on. The circuit breaker size should be at least 10 amps higher than the RLA of the unit.
Check the maximum Amp of the circuit breaker:
The maximum circuit breaker size of a heat pump is usually given on the label of the unit. This value is always exactly twice your RLA and is the maximum rating quantity of electricity your amp circuit breaker can handle before tripping.
Final Thoughts
The size of the circuit breaker for the heat pump varies from unit to unit. It varies depending on the size of the unit, amps usage, and voltage rating. The size of the circuit breaker for the heat pump is from 15 amps to 60 amps depending on the unit’s size.