Electric Hot Water Heater Amp Draw

Water heaters running on 120 volt power have a long recovery time which is impractical for most households.

Electric hot water heater amp draw. Since most hot water tanks in north america use a voltage. You have stated that the calculated amperage load for 4500watt at 240volts is 18 75amps however nec article 422 13 states that the minimum circuit rating for a water heater must be 125 of the rated load so this 4500watt load requires a minimum circuit of 23 44 amps at 240volts. For example if the heater operates on the same circuit as four continuously running 60 watt lightbulbs you need to add 2 amps to the total current draw. The ge water heater se50m12aa01 is a 5500 watts or 5 5 kilowatts water tank.

The amperage on such a tank is i w e. The amperage of a water heater is governed by the wattage of the heating elements and the voltage that is applied to them. Now in order to choose an electric breaker multiply the current draw of the water heater with 125 per cent in order to determine the size of the breaker you will need. What is average size of a hot water heater.

120 volt elements consume 1125 watts while residential 240 volt heaters use 4 500 watts. This means you will have to upgrade your electrical system to accommodate for the larger load demand which could cost you up to 1 500. A 200 amp service allows operation of multiple appliances at once while a 60 amp service won t provide enough power to run an electric hot water heater air conditioner and hair dryer simultaneously. A 20 amp breaker would still be large enough.