Electric Heater Install

[lovemytoys]

most heaters are 220 volt so one can do all three

 

[grsthegreat]

most heaters are 220 volt so one can do all three

he stated that these are 120v.... They sell both 240 and 120 models.

 

[B7510HSD]

i would say he can run 2 of those one a 20 amp circuit (dedicated) without any issues. Nothing else on that circuit.

That sounds good the specs I read online says it draws 8.3 amps I'll see wha he gets for the bedrooms....this one is in a bathroom and I am putting it on a GFI breaker..

 

[grsthegreat]

You dont HAVE to put a wall heater on a gfci breaker...even if its in the bathroom.

 

[Obed]

You dont HAVE to put a wall heater on a gfci breaker...even if its in the bathroom.

I installed a 240v heater in our bathroom without putting it on a gfci breaker. The electrical inspector didn't say anything about it. OTOH, he did verify that all my outlets were on gfci circuits. In fact I would be concerned that a heater might keep tripping a gfci breaker. The lighting in our bathrooms are not on gfci circuits either.
Obed

 

[B7510HSD]

The manual says it should be on a gfci breaker so he bought one so I guess I'll give it a try see how it works can't hurt! I have already switched the 2 outlets over to gfci type...

 

[chim]

And what if the voltage isn't always 120V? Do the math and see what happens to amps when volts drop for a given wattage........................

Did the math. The current and heat output both drop. The wattage is not a fixed value. It varies with the amount of voltage applied. The hot resistance of the heating element will not change appreciably with voltage variations . When less voltage is applied to a given resistance, the current drops as does the heater output. With 1000W and 120V the current is 8.33A Apply 100V in lieu of 120V and you'll get 7.64A and 840W.

 

[wyeguy]

I can agree to disagree. A resistive load, like a heater, will try to pull rated wattage till something burns up. An inductive load like a motor might be a different story, but resistance stays pretty constant. Good luck.

I am the modern man...my smart phone smells of diesel & grease.

 

[ThomasH]

That is incorrect. With lowered voltage, the current will drop, it's part of ohms law. I=V/R. And actually, a typical nichrome wire wound heater drops it's resistance when it is fully heated up, so the current draw is not linear. So while in theory it should draw 7.6x amps at 100 volts, I bet it's a tad less.

 

[Gittyup]

Installing 220V heaters will let you either run at lower current, or add more heaters to the circuit. For this reason, 120V heaters are far less attractive. Why would anyone use them, I don't know.